and Joining Professionals
Professional Membership - Fact sheet III (02/09)
Engineering Technician Registration
Engineering Technicians are concerned with applying proven techniques and procedures to the solution of practical engineering problems. They carry supervisory or technical responsibility, and are competent to exercise creative aptitudes and skills within defined fields of technology. Professional Engineering Technicians contribute to the design, development, manufacture, commissioning, operation or maintenance of products, equipment, processes or services. Professional Engineering Technicians are required to apply safe systems to work.
Standards of Competence and Commitment for Engineering Technicians
The Competence and Commitment Standard for Engineering Technician |
Guidance - These are examples of activities which could demonstrate that you have achieved the EngTech criteria |
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|---|---|---|
| Engineering Technicians must be competent throughout their working life, by virtue of their education, training and experience, to: | Tell us about your career and the education and training you have received. Explain how the experience you have gained has made you more competent | |
| A | Use engineering knowledge and understanding to apply technical and practical skills | The reviewers will be looking for evidence that you have the know-how to do the job, and were able to go beyond the immediate requirements and use your experience to solve a problem or improve a process. |
| This includes the ability to: | ||
| A1 | review and select appropriate techniques, procedures and methods to undertake tasks | Describe something in your work you were involved in which didn't quite work and explain why. |
| A2 | use appropriate scientific, technical or engineering principles | Drawing from your direct experience this might be an explanation of how a piece of equipment, system or mechanism works. |
| B | Contribute to the design, development, manufacture, construction, commissioning, operation or maintenance of products, equipment, processes, systems or services. | Explain how you contribute to one or more of these activities. |
| In this context, this includes the ability to: | ||
| B1 | identify problems and apply diagnostic methods to identify causes and achieve satisfactory solutions | Show an example of how you have used measurement, monitoring and assessment to identify the source of a problem. |
| B2 | identify, organise and use resources effectively to complete tasks, with consideration for cost, quality, safety and environmental impact. | Illustrate how you make decisions about what material, component, people or plant to use or how to introduce a new method of working |
| C | Accept and exercise personal responsibility | Describe an experience or instance where you have had to accept personal responsibility for seeing a process through to completion within agreed targets |
| This may include the ability to: | ||
| C1 | work reliably and effectively without close supervision, to the appropriate codes of practice | Your evidence should show how you personally identified and agreed with what had to be done and to what standards on a typical project. |
| C2 | accept responsibility for work of self and others | Minutes of meetings; site notes and instructions; Variation Orders; programmes of work; specifications, drawing and reports; appraisals. |
| C3 | accept, allocate and supervise technical and other tasks. | Activity not associated with your job can contribute evidence. |
| D | Use effective communication and interpersonal skills | You will need to show how you can: contribute to discussions; make a presentation; read and synthesise information; write different types of documents. |
| This includes the ability to: | ||
| D1 | use oral, written and electronic methods for the communication in English of technical and other information | Letters, faxes, reports, drawings, advice, minutes, including progress meetings; appraisals, work instructions and other task planning and organising documents. Certificated by colleagues, clients, customers or management. Your application itself will be relevant. |
| D2 | work effectively with colleagues, clients, suppliers and the public | Examples of how this has occurred and your role at the time. |
| E | Make a personal commitment to an appropriate code of professional conduct, recognising obligations to society, the profession and the environment | Your commitment will be to become part of the profession and uphold the standards to which all members subscribe. You need to show that you have read and understood your Institution Code of Conduct |
| In order to satisfy this commitment, they must: | ||
| E1 | comply with the Codes and Rules of Conduct of their Licensed Institution or Professional Affiliate | You will need to sign a personal undertaking. The professional review involves demonstration of, or discussion of, your position on typical ethical challenges. |
| E2 | manage and apply safe systems of work | Evidence of current safety requirement - examples of good practice you adopt in your work. Will need to show that you have received a formal safety instruction relating to your workplace, such as a CSCS safety test, or an update on statutory regulations such as COSHH requirements |
| E3 | undertake engineering work in a way that contributes to a sustainable development | Examples of methodical assessment of risk in specific projects; actions taken to minimise risk to heath, safety or the environment. |
| E4 | carry out continuing professional development, including opportunities for this offered by their Institution, to ensure competence in areas and at the level of future intended practice | This means demonstrating that you have actively sought to keep yourself up to date, perhaps by studying new standards or techniques, and made use of magazines, Branch meetings, and other opportunities to network in order to keep abreast of change |
Education
There are two routes to Engineering Technician registration:
Standard Route
Integrated training and experience such as is provided by many engineering based Advance Apprenticeships can provide most, or all, of the knowledge and experience necessary, and may lead directly to Engineering Technician registration.
Other qualifications can provide a straightforward way of demonstrating that part of the necessary competence has been acquired. The following are examples of qualifications which an applicant for Engineering Technician registration might hold:
- A National Certificate or National Diploma in Engineering or Construction & the Built Environment
- An approved qualification in engineering or construction at level 6 in the Scottish Qualifications and Credit Framework
- The City & Guilds Higher Professional Diploma in Engineering
- A technical certificate as part of an approved Advanced Modern Apprenticeship Programme
- An NVQ3 or SVQ3 which ahs been approved for the purpose by a licensed engineering institution
- A work-based learning route approved by a licensed professional engineering institution, eg CSWIP Registered Senior Welding Inspector
- Qualifications in similar areas providing they are assessed as equivalent by a licensed professional engineering institution.
Individual Route
Many potential professional Engineering Technicians will not have had the advantage of formal training, and will need to demonstrate they have acquired the necessary competences through extended experience, some of this supervised. Experience, practising professional Engineering Technicians are often found to have gained the necessary knowledge and skills for their job through working closely with other skilled colleagues over a number of years. Thus individuals without the types of qualifications listed above may apply for an Individual Route assessment. This separate procedure, administered by the applicant's institution, involves an in depth appraisal of the applicant's competence. Evidence of employer recognition of competencies and relevant skills will assist in achieving registration.
Maintaining Competence
Candidates applying for registration as professional Engineering Technician will be required to show evidence that they have taken steps to ensure that their competence is maintained, and that they intend to continue to do this. This is an important part of recognition as a professional Engineering Technician. It is for this reason that professional Engineering Technicians may only obtain and retain registration if they are members of one of the ECUK licensed professional engineering institutions. It is important that anyone seeking registration recognises that this will entail obligations and an ongoing commitment.
Professional Behaviour
A Professional Engineering Technician will be expected to observe the requirements of the Code of Conduct of the professional engineering institution they have jointed. Institutions are obliged to respond to allegations of infringement of the code and may suspend or remove membership and registration if proven. Please study the Personal Member's Handbook for a listing of the Institute's 'Rules of Professional Conduct'.
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