Chartership in Space

Chris


As the Community Manager for the Satellite Technical Network, I'll highlight your posting and see if someone can get back to you with more information.

Chris,


Absolutely! Professional registration is as important in the satellite and space industry as it is elsewhere in engineering. I have held Engtech and IEng status and am now a Chartered Engineer. Why do you ask the question? Is this a route you are looking to pursue?


Dave

Hello Dave,

I ask because at both the companies I have worked for I have not been encouraged to develop in ways in line with UK Spec. Projects take years because of the EM/QM/FM development cycle, meaning specialism in only a small area. Also, the UK Spec asks for use of cutting edge tech (CEng) or reasonably so (IEng), so, how can we tick this box with hi-rel, low-tech space designs?


P.s. my current employer is in Singapore, so not much, although not none, presence of IET in the country. Nobody in my company has it.


Many thanks,


Chris

Hello,


I am a CEng and I can confirm that when I worked for a large manufacturer of satellites many colleagues were registered as CEng or IEng. These engineers had achieved their registered statuses by all the known routes that I am aware of (e.g. the old Eengineering Council exams, accredited engineering degrees plus experience & responsible experience, etc.)

I think the important point here is that it was a large organisation with thousands of employees in the UK alone so it could more easily manage to support engineers toward registration than a smaller organisation might.

Moreover, I think it was actually in the company's commercial interest to have such currently registered professionals on staff.  I think that when a space manufacturer bids for a new contract of high value like a satellite or other spacecraft, it can expect to list the qualifications of its project team members in the organisation diagrams and similar that it submits to the potential client - this includes professional registrations like CEng, IEng, EngTech, etc as well as professional memberships like MIET, membership of learned bodies like the (unrelated) IEEE and academic qualifications.

I seem to recall that upon becoming registered as CEng MIEE, it used to be the case that either the Institution or EC advised the newly registered CEng to inform their employer's Human Resources department and also asked for the name of the employer's senior officer, possibly chairman or such, so that they (PEI or EC) could inform the employer that their named employee was now a Chartered Engineer. Of course, this might be something that no longer happens, or I could have just remembered things incorrectly.


When I worked at another aerospace company that was not involved in space, just as many Chartered Engineers worked there too.


Anyway, I hope this helps.


Best Regards,

SH

Christopher Banks‍ - I also work for a Singapore based employer, ST Engineering, and they seem to value CEng, although there are only 3 x CEngs I know of in the company. There is quite a large IET presence in Singapore, with about 900 IET members. The Singapore IET Local Network organises technical talks as well as visits to major engineering projects in the city. There is a thriving student section at Nanyang Technological University and PSB Academy.


If you want a chat about pursuing CEng, or any other professional registration reach out to me at ddavis@idirect.net and on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/davis936