IMechE
1 Birdcage Walk
Westminster
London SW1H 9JJ
Tel: + 44 20 7222 7899
Fax: + 44 20 7222 4557
Email: enquiries@imeche.org.uk
Website: www.imeche.org.uk

Standards for the education, training and professional development of all engineers in the UK have been considerably revised in recent years to ensure qualifications remain on a par with the best internationally, and that they also meet the changing needs of commercial and industrial markets. Today the focus is very much on gaining practical experience as well as academic achievements.

In the UK the traditional route to become a qualified mechanical engineer is via GCSE and ‘A’ levels, followed by a degree and a programme of initial professional development in the workplace.

There are two categories of qualified mechanical engineers - Incorporated Engineers (IEng) who act as exponents of today’s technology, and Chartered Engineers (CEng) who are primarily concerned with the progress of technology through innovation, creativity and change.

With effect from January of this year the new Engineering Technology Board (ETB) replaced the Engineering Council as the body responsible for setting the Standards and Routes to Registration (SARTOR) in the UK. The ETB has delegated the authority for SARTOR and maintaining the UK register of professional engineers to the new Engineering Council - EngC(UK). At the same time the benchmark standard for CEng was raised from a three - year Batchelor of Engineering (BEng) Honours degree to a four-year Master of Engineering (MEng) degree, or equivalent, or a three-year BEng (Hons) plus a period of further learning known as a ‘matching section’. A ‘matching section’ is equivalent to one year’s academic study. The academic base for IEng has become a three-year BSc or a three-year BEng, or a two-year HND plus a ‘matching section’.

The entry requirement for degree courses leading to CEng is normally three high grade ‘A’ Levels in maths, physics/physical sciences and one other subject, or Advanced GNVQs in Engineering with good grades plus an ‘A’ level. Using the Curriculum 2000 requirements, this equates to 240 points for entry to a BEng (Hons) and 300 points for entry to an MEng. Other universities will accept students for degree courses with two ‘A’ levels or an Advanced GNVQ. Many of these courses lead to IEng. Students who wish to progress to either IEng or CEng after graduation are encouraged to choose a degree course that has been accredited by one of the professional engineering institutions, such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

The IMechE is one of 36 professional engineering institutions in the UK that work with the ETB and EngC(UK) to promote and regulate the profession. In the UK a mechanical engineer wishing to qualify for IEng or CEng can only do so through membership of a professional engineering institution and registration with the EngC(UK), although registration is not compulsory in order to work as an engineer. It is the professional engineering institution that assesses an applicant against the standards for membership and registration with the EngC(UK). If an applicant has an accredited degree registration it is much easier because the course is acknowledged as meeting the required professional standards.

The IMechE accredits a wide range of engineering degrees. Each degree course will include a core of engineering and non-technical subjects, including communication drawing and Cad, control, electrical machines and power, fluid mechanics, materials, thermodynamics and heat transfer, stress analysis, computer aided engineering, dynamics and vibration, electronics, manufacturing systems, measurement and instrumentation, statistics and structures. The balance of subjects covered in the programme will depend on the name of the degree that will be awarded. In addition, students will gain an appreciation of the human and practical skills required by engineers. Most importantly design will be an integral theme.

In the first two years subjects are studied on a general basis. Students wishing to specialise in a particular area may do so in the latter two years. The changing market has led to the growth of joint engineering degrees that include other specialist subjects such as management or a foreign language.

UK university degree students are taught in a variety of ways including lectures, small tutorials, laboratory work and project or fieldwork. An increasing number of universities now offer sandwich courses that allow substantial periods of work experience within the academic theory. Normally, time is taken out for work experience part way through the period of academic study. This can be a whole year, in between the second and third year or shorter periods of perhaps six months, alternating throughout the course.

A growing number of university degree courses also incorporate industry-based project work, aimed at developing the students’ practical experience and commercial awareness. Many university engineering departments work closely with employers to ensure an adequate balance is achieved between subject teaching and the development of generic skills such as problem solving and team-working that will help students cope with the demands and pressures in the workplace. Some employers sponsor undergraduates through their degree course. This provides obvious financial benefits as well as ensuring the students gain valuable and relevant industrial experience and training during the vacations.

After graduation mechanical engineers go on to become qualified through an approved programme of Initial Professional Development (IPD) in the workplace - sometimes referred to as a graduate training programme. In larger companies this may be in the form of a structured two-year programme, where graduates spend a few months working in different sectors of the business. In smaller companies it may be training in one particular area. The graduate’s levels of competence and commitment are then assessed in a Professional Review (PR). The period of professional development required to become a CEng would typically be about four years following graduation. However, training and development does not end there. Mechanical engineers are encouraged to view professional development as a lifelong process and once qualified, they continue to develop further competences necessary to continue their work as a professional engineer through a framework of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The IMechE along with other professional engineering institutions provide guidance and support with CPD, which combines career planning, recording and monitoring.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), founded in 1847, is the main professional body for mechanical engineers in Britain. There are four levels of membership, Affiliate, Associate, Member and Fellow, which are dependent on education and commercial experience. The Institution provides information services on the technology of engineering, sets and monitors the educational and career development standards for the mechanical engineering discipline, and represents the profession to the wider world of politics, industry and the public. It has more than 80,000 members world-wide.

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