ECUK Register News

Japan in Accord

Following their country's historic signing of the Washington Accord, Japanese engineering graduates now have the opportunity to achieve registered status within the UK . From this year, a degree gained in Japan entitles the holder to apply to become a Chartered Engineer, subject to their becoming a member of one of the 32 institutions licensed by ECUK to award CEng registration.

Under a reciprocal arrangement, an engineering degree obtained in the UK is recognised by JABEE – Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education. Thus, engineers trained here can now seek registration in Japan – a necessary first step if the UK is to develop its sales of engineering services to this technologically advanced country.

Japan becomes the ninth nation to sign up to the Washington Accord. All the other signatories of this long-standing mutual recognition agreement are English-speaking countries.

Engineer Check-Up

Firms seeking to recruit engineers often lack the time or even the expertise to properly assess applicants' capabilities. The obvious answer is to only select individuals from the ECUK 's register of engineers. Where this is simply not possible, the ECUK may still be able to help – or at least it soon could be if the Qualifications Validation Service that it is now piloting proves to be successful.

For a set fee, the service would include verification of a candidate's qualifications and a probing face-to-face appraisal of the person's experience and expertise. This assessment would be identical to the Professional Review Interview that is at the heart of the ECUK 's registration process.

Common Cause

The ECUK is collaborating ever more closely with parallel organisations, such as the Science Council, whose register of chartered members it now helps to maintain. It continues to work with both the Science Council and the Society for the Environment to develop a common approach to licensing, registration and accreditation. Detailed discussions are underway to arrange joint licensing visits in 2006.

GET THEM YOUNG

Identifying youngsters who have what it takes to become tomorrow's engineers is a key objective of an initiative launched by The Royal Academy of Engineering. Called the National Engineering Programme and part funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), its aim is to increase and widen participation in engineering higher education.

A pilot phase of the programme - the London Engineering Project - has just got underway. As well as the Academy, the scheme involves London South Bank University and 13 other partner organisations. It will co-ordinate work on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects in 15 secondary schools and 35 feeder primary schools, and will also develop engineering courses in three selected HE institutions. Potential engineering students will be identified by running hands-on STEM activities to find pupils with an aptitude for mathematics and logical thinking.

When fully rolled out the programme will involve some 85,000 school and university students across seven English regions.

http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=281

QUALITY BEGINS AT HOME

ECUK has retained its ISO 9001:2000 approval. Three Licensed Members and one Professional Affiliate have also been approved against this international quality management standard. They are CIBSE (Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers), IGEM ( Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers), TWI (The Welding Institute) and IQA ( Institute of Quality Assurance ). A further three Licensed Members are working towards approval.

FOCUS ON ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS

Efforts are being made on several fronts to increase registration of Engineering Technicians (EngTech).

In June, representatives from 24 Institutions that register EngTechs met at ECUK and initiated a Network Group. Now an EngTech Working Group has been set up. Chaired by Lloyd Dingle (RAeS), it will initially steer two projects designed to help Institution staff. These entail:

• development of a registration guide;

• creation of a searchable on-line database of qualifications and programmes that have been approved for EngTech registration.

Thousands of leaflets on registration and advanced apprenticeships have already been distributed and EngTech now has its own section on the ECUK website. Other activities have included a major seminar for employers on the value of Engineering Technicians to business.

Further information from: rwright@engc.org.uk

PROFESSION SURVEYED

A total of 3460 Registered Engineers responded to the 2005 Registrant Survey conducted by the Engineering and Technology Board (etb) in partnership with ECUK . The survey gives an interesting insight into the circumstances and views of engineering professionals. It reveals that some two-thirds of those surveyed think that Government should act to increase the supply of Engineering Technicians, whose contribution to UK industry has tended to be undervalued. It also shows the very low unemployment rates among Registered Engineers (1.2%). Another encouraging finding is that nearly 80% of respondents feel that their Institution membership is an aid to career development.

A full copy of the survey is available on the ECUK website: www.engc.org.uk .

UNIFIED STANDARD

Revision of the QAA benchmark statement for engineering degree courses is tantalisingly close to completion. The statement is being remodelled around the accreditation standards laid out in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC), published by ECUK . The prospect of a single unified standard is strongly welcomed by the academic community.

Consultation document: revised benchmark statement for engineering
http://www.qaa. a c.uk/news/circularLetters/CL1005.asp

UCAS MAKES IT CLEAR

Prospective engineering students will soon be able to tell at a glance whether a degree they are interested in is ECUK accredited. All accredited courses are to be clearly marked as such on the UCAS database. http://www.ucas.ac.uk/ucc/index.html

REVIEW COUNTS COSTS

A recently published report has endorsed changes to QAA practices, changes that seem likely to make significant savings for universities. It also contains interesting findings regarding the costs associated with professional body accreditation.

Entitled ‘ 2005/35 Review of the Quality Assurance Framework: phase one outcomes' , this is the first report of a review commissioned by the higher education institutions and HEFCE. It draws on a study by JM Consulting , ‘ The costs and benefits of external review of quality assurance in higher education' , which examines the direct and indirect costs of professional body accreditations. Though based on a small sample, the study suggests there is wide variation in the workload for universities in gaining accreditation by an engineering institution.

Main report available from http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_35/

JM Consulting study at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2005/rd17_05

GOOD NEWS AND BAD

There was mixed news in a report to the Board from the June International Mobility Forum – the biennial meeting of the signatories to a number of international accords that give recognition rights to professional engineers. Encouragement was taken from the progress made on widening access to the accords; the oldest of these, the Washington Accord, has attracted particularly strong worldwide interest (see earlier story ‘ Japan in Accord'). On the downside, the UK received a disappointing review of its accreditation system. Though granted re-certification for 6 years, it cannot afford complacency. Hard work will be needed to demonstrate the system's effectiveness and consistency.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Still no consensus as the Board re-visited the idea of a “Technologist Register”, which was first mooted in 2002. While it is clear that many technically competent individuals would like to be recognised formally as Registered Technologists, there are potential conflicts with existing Institution designations as well as with international practice. The debate will doubtless continue.

MATTER OF PRINCIPLES

ECUK has been supporting an initiative by the Royal Academy of Engineering to rationalise the underlying principles that support the various codes of conduct operated by individual Institutions. The Board welcomed the news that this work has now born fruit. A “Statement of Principles” has been developed and will hopefully be available at an RAEng seminar on 13 October, sponsored by ECUK . Further details from www.raeng.org.uk/events or Tony Eades ( aeades@raeng.org.uk ).

NEW FACES

The Board has gained three new members – Isobel Pollock from IMechE, Roland Fairfield from RAeS and Rear Admiral Nigel Guild CBE appointed by ETB. As a result of the Board's changed make-up, Deputy Chairman, Dr Trevor Evans of IChemE's, has taken on the additional responsibility of Chair of the Finance, Audit and Remuneration Panel, while Professor David Anderson of IStructE has become Chairman of the Registration Standards Committee.

ONWARD AND UPWARD

The Board returned from its recent Retreat at Northumbria University having established priorities for the coming three years. Key tasks will include standardising on good practice for the accreditation of qualifications and ensuring closer attention to ethical standards. More will be done to increase Registrants' understanding of sustainable development and there will be a boost too for ECUK 's international work on comparability of qualifications.

The Board was eager that the good work done in promoting the value of Registration should continue, with a particular emphasis on attracting and registering more Engineering Technicians. Maintaining confidence in the competence of registrants after registration will also be to the fore. There was however a reluctance to employ existing models of re-validation, especially where these would be to the detriment of senior influencers in the profession.

MORE ON MENTORING

Such was the popularity of the ECUK 's July seminars on ‘Mentoring for Registration' (they attracted staff and members from 25 Institutions), that more are to be run - probably later this year.

The output of the seminars has been summarised in a guideline document that identifies the key issues involved and aims to assist Institutions in setting up or improving their mentoring process. It will be available shortly on the ECUK Extranet

Engineering Enterprise through IP Education

Monday 10 October 2005 at The Patents Office, Harmsworth House, 13-15 Bouverie Street , London EC4Y 8DP

Engineering related IP competence is a recognised enterprise skill for graduating engineers – but what exactly do engineers need to know, and how can educators deliver? This interdisciplinary workshop for engineering and IP educators will explore the questions and develop some answers. The event is supported by the ECUK

Further details: www.cippm.org.uk/pdfs/Course_Booking Form.pdf

Snippets - Our monthly education & training-related supplement

The latest issue of Snippets, is now on our website - Snippets issue 34 September.

General Information

To subscribe:
Send an email with: subscribe register news in the subject box to register.news@engc.org.uk

To unsubscribe:
send an email with: unsubscribe register news in the subject box to register.news@engc.org.uk

Register News is intended for everyone interested in the requirements for registration with the Engineering Council UK as a professional engineer or technician. In particular it is intended to alert readers to changes to regulations and to new developments or initiatives that have a bearing on registration status or the means to gain registration.

Institutions, and others with an interest, are welcome to copy and disseminate all or any part of Register News . Please acknowledge the Engineering Council UK as the source.


Take a look here at the new ECUK website.
IN THIS ISSUE : (download and read offline) - No 29

WORLD VIEW HOME FRONT ACCREDITATION LATEST FROM THE ECUK BOARD WHAT'S ON, WHAT'S GONE
WORLD VIEW
Japan in Accord Following their country's historic signing of the Washington Accord, Japanese engineering graduates now have the opportunity to achieve registered status within the UK . From this year, a degree gained in Japan entitles the holder to apply to become a Chartered Engineer, subject to their becoming a member of one of the 32 institutions licensed by ECUK to award CEng registration. Under a reciprocal arrangement, an engineering degree obtained in the UK is recognised by JABEE – Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education. Thus, engineers trained here can now seek registration in Japan – a necessary first step if the UK is to develop its sales of engineering services to this technologically advanced country. Japan becomes the ninth nation to sign up to the Washington Accord. All the other signatories of this long-standing mutual recognition agreement are English-speaking countries.
From Bologna to Bergen Drawn up in 1999, the Bologna Declaration commits more than forty European countries to align their systems of higher education. Those interested in the latest twists and turns in this long-running saga should visit the UK HE Europe Unit website, where they can download papers from the ‘ Bergen and Beyond ' conference held in July. http://www.europeunit.ac.uk/news/policy_paper_archive/2005.cfm
HOME FRONT
Engineer Check-Up Firms seeking to recruit engineers often lack the time or even the expertise to properly assess applicants' capabilities. The obvious answer is to only select individuals from the ECUK 's register of engineers. Where this is simply not possible, the ECUK may still be able to help – or at least it soon could be if the Qualifications Validation Service that it is now piloting proves to be successful. For a set fee, the service would include verification of a candidate's qualifications and a probing face-to-face appraisal of the person's experience and expertise. This assessment would be identical to the Professional Review Interview that is at the heart of the ECUK 's registration process.
Common Cause The ECUK is collaborating ever more closely with parallel organisations, such as the Science Council, whose register of chartered members it now helps to maintain. It continues to work with both the Science Council and the Society for the Environment to develop a common approach to licensing, registration and accreditation. Detailed discussions are underway to arrange joint licensing visits in 2006.
GET THEM YOUNG Identifying youngsters who have what it takes to become tomorrow's engineers is a key objective of an initiative launched by The Royal Academy of Engineering. Called the National Engineering Programme and part funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), its aim is to increase and widen participation in engineering higher education. A pilot phase of the programme - the London Engineering Project - has just got underway. As well as the Academy, the scheme involves London South Bank University and 13 other partner organisations. It will co-ordinate work on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects in 15 secondary schools and 35 feeder primary schools, and will also develop engineering courses in three selected HE institutions. Potential engineering students will be identified by running hands-on STEM activities to find pupils with an aptitude for mathematics and logical thinking. When fully rolled out the programme will involve some 85,000 school and university students across seven English regions. http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/releases/shownews.htm?NewsID=281
QUALITY BEGINS AT HOME ECUK has retained its ISO 9001:2000 approval. Three Licensed Members and one Professional Affiliate have also been approved against this international quality management standard. They are CIBSE (Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers), IGEM ( Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers), TWI (The Welding Institute) and IQA ( Institute of Quality Assurance ). A further three Licensed Members are working towards approval.
FOCUS ON ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS Efforts are being made on several fronts to increase registration of Engineering Technicians (EngTech). In June, representatives from 24 Institutions that register EngTechs met at ECUK and initiated a Network Group. Now an EngTech Working Group has been set up. Chaired by Lloyd Dingle (RAeS), it will initially steer two projects designed to help Institution staff. These entail: • development of a registration guide; • creation of a searchable on-line database of qualifications and programmes that have been approved for EngTech registration. Thousands of leaflets on registration and advanced apprenticeships have already been distributed and EngTech now has its own section on the ECUK website. Other activities have included a major seminar for employers on the value of Engineering Technicians to business. Further information from: rwright@engc.org.uk
PROFESSION SURVEYED A total of 3460 Registered Engineers responded to the 2005 Registrant Survey conducted by the Engineering and Technology Board (etb) in partnership with ECUK . The survey gives an interesting insight into the circumstances and views of engineering professionals. It reveals that some two-thirds of those surveyed think that Government should act to increase the supply of Engineering Technicians, whose contribution to UK industry has tended to be undervalued. It also shows the very low unemployment rates among Registered Engineers (1.2%). Another encouraging finding is that nearly 80% of respondents feel that their Institution membership is an aid to career development. A full copy of the survey is available on the ECUK website: www.engc.org.uk .
BECOME A MODEL Do you think you or someone you know could inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists? If so, then why not find out more about the etb role model initiative at: www.scenta.co.uk/rolemodels . To catch up with other etb activities, request a copy of their electronic newsletter ‘Catalyst' by e-mailing catalyst@etechb.co.uk
ACCREDITATION LATEST
UNIFIED STANDARD Revision of the QAA benchmark statement for engineering degree courses is tantalisingly close to completion. The statement is being remodelled around the accreditation standards laid out in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC), published by ECUK . The prospect of a single unified standard is strongly welcomed by the academic community. Consultation document: revised benchmark statement for engineering http://www.qaa. a c.uk/news/circularLetters/CL1005.asp
UCAS MAKES IT CLEAR Prospective engineering students will soon be able to tell at a glance whether a degree they are interested in is ECUK accredited. All accredited courses are to be clearly marked as such on the UCAS database. http://www.ucas.ac.uk/ucc/index.html
REVIEW COUNTS COSTS A recently published report has endorsed changes to QAA practices, changes that seem likely to make significant savings for universities. It also contains interesting findings regarding the costs associated with professional body accreditation. Entitled ‘ 2005/35 Review of the Quality Assurance Framework: phase one outcomes' , this is the first report of a review commissioned by the higher education institutions and HEFCE. It draws on a study by JM Consulting , ‘ The costs and benefits of external review of quality assurance in higher education' , which examines the direct and indirect costs of professional body accreditations. Though based on a small sample, the study suggests there is wide variation in the workload for universities in gaining accreditation by an engineering institution. Main report available from http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_35/ JM Consulting study at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2005/rd17_05
UPDATE ON DABCE The proposed merger of DABCE (Degree Accreditation Board for Chartered Engineers) and JAB (Joint Accreditation Board), the body responsible for approving Incorporated Engineer degrees, has been endorsed by both parties. A working group is being convened to formulate an action plan for the transition. There has also been provisional endorsement of the new suite of DABCE accreditation documentation, which is currently in testing prior to visits in 2005/6. An accreditation visit to the Open University has been scheduled for October. This follows an initial visit to one of its residential schools during the summer. DABCE's third meeting of 2005 is due to be held at the London HQ of IEE. More information can be found on the DABCE website, www.dabce.org.uk , or from Paul Bailey, DABCE Secretary: pbailey@engc.org.uk
FROM THE ECUK BOARD (18/08/05)
GOOD NEWS AND BAD There was mixed news in a report to the Board from the June International Mobility Forum – the biennial meeting of the signatories to a number of international accords that give recognition rights to professional engineers. Encouragement was taken from the progress made on widening access to the accords; the oldest of these, the Washington Accord, has attracted particularly strong worldwide interest (see earlier story ‘ Japan in Accord'). On the downside, the UK received a disappointing review of its accreditation system. Though granted re-certification for 6 years, it cannot afford complacency. Hard work will be needed to demonstrate the system's effectiveness and consistency.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? Still no consensus as the Board re-visited the idea of a “Technologist Register”, which was first mooted in 2002. While it is clear that many technically competent individuals would like to be recognised formally as Registered Technologists, there are potential conflicts with existing Institution designations as well as with international practice. The debate will doubtless continue.
MATTER OF PRINCIPLES ECUK has been supporting an initiative by the Royal Academy of Engineering to rationalise the underlying principles that support the various codes of conduct operated by individual Institutions. The Board welcomed the news that this work has now born fruit. A “Statement of Principles” has been developed and will hopefully be available at an RAEng seminar on 13 October, sponsored by ECUK . Further details from www.raeng.org.uk/events or Tony Eades ( aeades@raeng.org.uk ).
NEW FACES The Board has gained three new members – Isobel Pollock from IMechE, Roland Fairfield from RAeS and Rear Admiral Nigel Guild CBE appointed by ETB. As a result of the Board's changed make-up, Deputy Chairman, Dr Trevor Evans of IChemE's, has taken on the additional responsibility of Chair of the Finance, Audit and Remuneration Panel, while Professor David Anderson of IStructE has become Chairman of the Registration Standards Committee.
ONWARD AND UPWARD The Board returned from its recent Retreat at Northumbria University having established priorities for the coming three years. Key tasks will include standardising on good practice for the accreditation of qualifications and ensuring closer attention to ethical standards. More will be done to increase Registrants' understanding of sustainable development and there will be a boost too for ECUK 's international work on comparability of qualifications. The Board was eager that the good work done in promoting the value of Registration should continue, with a particular emphasis on attracting and registering more Engineering Technicians. Maintaining confidence in the competence of registrants after registration will also be to the fore. There was however a reluctance to employ existing models of re-validation, especially where these would be to the detriment of senior influencers in the profession.
AND FINALLY….. Congratulations to ECUK Chairman Kel Fidler on achieving that ultimate accolade – being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
WHAT'S ON, WHAT'S GONE
MORE ON MENTORING Such was the popularity of the ECUK 's July seminars on ‘Mentoring for Registration' (they attracted staff and members from 25 Institutions), that more are to be run - probably later this year. The output of the seminars has been summarised in a guideline document that identifies the key issues involved and aims to assist Institutions in setting up or improving their mentoring process. It will be available shortly on the ECUK Extranet
Engineering Enterprise through IP Education Monday 10 October 2005 at The Patents Office, Harmsworth House, 13-15 Bouverie Street , London EC4Y 8DP Engineering related IP competence is a recognised enterprise skill for graduating engineers – but what exactly do engineers need to know, and how can educators deliver? This interdisciplinary workshop for engineering and IP educators will explore the questions and develop some answers. The event is supported by the ECUK Further details: www.cippm.org.uk/pdfs/Course_Booking Form.pdf
Embedding Sustainable Development into Engineering Education and Training: 'Making it happen' 14 to 15 September 2005 Held by: The Royal Academy of Engineering Location: Bath Sustainable Development (SD) is an issue that today's engineers can ill afford to ignore. This RAEng Summer School was aimed at university staff who want their departments and students to be at the forefront of developing the SD competencies sought by professional institutions and leaders in industry. Further details: http://www.raeng.org.uk/events/pdf/RAE_Summer_School_flyer.pdf The recent revision of the ECUK 's professional accreditation requirements in relation to sustainability issues was the subject of an earlier RAEng seminar. Further details: http://www.raeng.org.uk/events/pdf/Briefing_06092005.pdf

OTHER INFORMATION
Snippets - Our monthly education & training-related supplement The latest issue of Snippets, is now on our website - Snippets issue 34 September.
General Information To subscribe: Send an email with: subscribe register news in the subject box to register.news@engc.org.uk To unsubscribe: send an email with: unsubscribe register news in the subject box to register.news@engc.org.uk Register News is intended for everyone interested in the requirements for registration with the Engineering Council UK as a professional engineer or technician. In particular it is intended to alert readers to changes to regulations and to new developments or initiatives that have a bearing on registration status or the means to gain registration. Institutions, and others with an interest, are welcome to copy and disseminate all or any part of Register News . Please acknowledge the Engineering Council UK as the source.