MEMBER PROFILE
degree of language, should I say, that you
would be used to. It was totally different to
an of ce,” remembers Ian. He soon started
to enjoy the work, however, and was nally
off the tools, no longer cutting himself or
breathing in smoke.
Meanwhile, with nancial support from
the company, Ian completed the degree
course in 2008 – he got a 2:1 – and
was promptly asked if he wanted to do a
masters’ degree. For the rst time in his
life, he declined. “I’d done 10 years of
education – I didn’t want to do any more.”
At the time, the company had, among
other work, a contract from Derby City
Council to inspect old timber-framed
schools. His work expanded to cover other
aspects of design, including concrete
testing of swimming pool support frames,
and designing props for timber-framed
buildings at risk. “I loved it. The fact of
where I came from, working on the tools,
gave me insight in what I was designing. I
could see where the connections designed
by others wouldn’t t. The problem was that
there were some graduates there who were
straight out of university that had never
picked up a bolt, or never been on site. I
could see that it wouldn’t work because I
had been there. I was lucky that I had real
experience in all of it.”
Redundancy hit again in 2010, when
Abacus cut down its staff. But this time,
Ian, competent in two professions – a
plater/welder, and a design engineer – as
well as a degree, felt more con dent.
His contacts at Derby City Council soon
enabled him to win a post in its structures
department as a senior technician.
Ironically, the reason why he was made
redundant was partly because the council
had stopped outsourcing. So when he
moved to the council in 2011, Ian was
able to pick up where he had left off with
essentially the same job – where he
remains today.
Working in a professional capacity,
and working with two colleagues who
are professional engineers, made the
decision to move to the next level
easy. As his course was a BSc, it
was accredited for IEng, Incorporated
Engineer. So he applied, describing the
process of pulling together evidence
and compiling a report as ‘a lot of
work’. “It’s just the next stage of your
career.” He gained the registration in 2015.
He applied for that quali cation through
the IED. When asked why he didn’t go to
ICE, the professional body of the subject
that he preferred at HND level, civil
engineering, he replied that he felt it was
more appropriate given his roots. “Being
a fabricator, I did more design engineering
than civil engineering. Civil engineering
is highways and infrastructure. As my
background is that of mechanical and
fabrication, I wanted to join the institute
that best re ected my career. And at the
time, I had a colleague in the IED as well.”
Again, Ian felt that he wouldn’t stop
pursuing his career, and said: “It was
always my view, once I started my degree,
that I would be chartered somewhere down
the line.” So in 2016, he started setting
aside time to apply for CEng – a lengthy
process. At that time, he explains, the only
route was a technical report, setting out
how he was working at masters’ level. In
practical terms, he spent six months writing
4,000 words in evenings and at weekends.
He won that nal quali cation in June
2017. “That was the pinnacle of my career,
and I was as happy as the days that Adam
and Luke were born.”
Ian admits that his driven personality
helped him get through some tough times.
“If I have a goal, I will stick to it, even if
there are obstacles; in fact they give me
more drive to get to the end. If it were
smooth all of the way through, I don’t know
if it would be as satisfying.”
One nal distinction came to the
distinguished engineer (pictured right); he
was named a IED Fellow in 2019.
IE ng/CEng alternative routes
Both quali cations are competency-based, so
an experienced engineer who does not hold a
degree can apply for either by demonstrating
knowledge to the current exemplifying level.
There are two ways to do this.
The Experiential Learning Route (ELR)
requires applicants to submit a report
that explains how they meet not only the
competencies required for registration at
IEng or CEng, but also how they have learnt
the technical knowledge that would normally
be gained via a degree level education.
In addition, they must sit a face-to-face
interview to explain their knowledge, learning
and competence to the assessors, who mark
the applicant against a set of criteria as
set down by the Engineering Council and
contextualised by the IED for a greater focus
on design experience and knowledge.
The Technical Report Option (TRO)
requires applicants to submit a report
demonstrating how they have learnt the
knowledge equivalent to a degree level
quali cation during their working life. First,
applicants detail their quali cations. Then
IED’s Education and Training Committee
(ETC) carries out a gap analysis between
those and the exemplifying quali cations.
The size of the gap determines the length
of the report required (between 2,000 and
10,000 words). The applicant then submits a
synopsis for approval. A mentor is appointed
and a deadline given for the report (usually
3-12 months). Once it is written, applicants
attend an interview to discuss its content.
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