Licensed to assess

Recent growth in the numbers registering with the Engineering Council UK (ECUK) as Engineering Technicians (EngTech) is set to accelerate following the recent award of EngTech licences to a further group of engineering institutions.

This month, ECUK granted licences to both the Institution of Royal Engineers (InstRE) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), enabling the two organisations to assess applications from those of their members who wish to gain the EngTech title. An Engineering Technician licence was awarded to the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) earlier in the year. There are now 31 engineering institutions and societies who are entitled to put forward the names of members who they judge have met the requirements for EngTech registration. These are laid down by ECUK in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).

Both IMechE and IStructE already hold licences for the other two registration categories: Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Incorporated Engineer (IEng). However the Institution of Royal Engineers is a new addition to the list of ECUK licensed member institutions, though it had previously been a professional affiliate. InstRE was established in 1875 and was granted a Royal Charter in 1923. Its present aims are to promote and advance the science of military engineering and to further the military efficiency of the Corps of Royal Engineers.

EngTech numbers have been increasing for the last three years. This reflects the high demand from many branches of industry for men and women with the knowledge, skills and experience that are the hallmarks of the registered Engineering Technician. From 2004 to 2006 some 3300 new registrants were added to the roll.

ECUK's Quality Assurance Committee has also recently approved a CEng licence for the Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers (IHIE) and an IEng licence for the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI). In addition it has accepted INCOSE UK (International Council on Systems Engineering) as a professional affiliate. Acceptance as an affiliate is recognition of an organisation's credentials as a learned body and its desire to promote the science and practice of engineering. INCOSE becomes one of 14 institutions and societies that are members of the scheme.

Contact details for all of ECUK's licensed members and professional affiliates, including links to their websites, can be found at www.engc.org.uk