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| The Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE) is a long
established and well respected
organisation, and an af liate of the
Engineering Council (ECUK). This
means that the SAE are of cially
linked to the ECUK, and with the
IED are able to register their members. |
The Institution, being an ECUK licenced body, has been working with the SAE to develop a scheme to enable
SAE members to register with the ECUK as Chartered, Incorporated and Engineering Technician levels. This ‘joint membership’ scheme enables SAE members to apply to the IED to be assessed for the appropriate level of registration.
The applicants follow the same assessment process as IED members, submitting an application form and Professional Review report, and attending an interview. On successful completion of the procedure, the candidate becomes a ‘joint member’ of both the SAE and IED, paying half annual membership fees and full ECUK annual registration fees to the IED. The applicant must remain a member of the IED for as long as he or she wishes to remain registered. Engineers on the Joint Membership scheme receive many of the benefits of full IED members, including the bi-monthly journal, but are not eligible to use the MIED designatory letters.
David Antory and Craig Harris are both joint members of the SAE and IED registered with the ECUK via this
scheme. They describe here how they completed the process and how being a registered engineer has been of
benefits to them. If you would like to find out more about the Joint Membership Scheme, please email sue@ied.org.uk.
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Member Profiles
Craig Harris
I left school at 16, enrolling in a technical
apprenticeship programme with Austin Rover.
During this period, I received a BEng (Hons) in
Product Design & Manufacture (three years part
time study) through the Brunel University.
Remaining with Austin Rover until 1999 my
career continued within the product design and
development function (specifically
vehicle body structures). |
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Leaving Rover in June of 1999, I became a self employed design
consultant, working exclusively on Mercedes products. Up to this
point in my career, I’d had no professional affiliations.
Going ‘freelance’ and recognising the importance of maintaining
and sustaining credibility within the industry, I became a member of
the Institute of Vehicle Engineers (now SAE-UK).
In April 2001, I accepted a permanent position with MG Rover
again working on vehicle body structure.
The collapse of MG Rover in April 2005 brought about a number
of employment opportunities including my current
position at McLaren.
It was this position at McLaren which inspired me to capitalise on
my years of experience within the automotive industry, and I applied
for professional registration with the engineering council.
The inspiration I speak of came from a number of sources.
First and foremost, I had always aspired to be recognised as an
engineering professional, predominantly because of the accolade held
within the industry as a whole. Secondly, was the overuse of the title
‘engineer’ within this country in particular, and the growing concern
in the re-categorising of ‘engineer’ as a semi-skilled vocation. Finally,
McLaren actively encourage their engineers to become Chartered
and set objectives to allow continuous personal development.
Having been Chartered for a number of months now, tangibly
not a huge amount has changed. However, I do feel a great sense
of achievement from meeting the selection criteria, and a personal
responsibility in maintaining the high standards required in
preserving the credibility of professional registration.
Would I recommend it, yes I would. I believe that it is an obligation
to promote and develop the field of engineering within the UK and
to achieve this through registration with the Engineer Council. |
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