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Professional Qualifications
Just like other professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, architects, teachers and accountants, members of a construction team also study for academic qualifications, train at work, and then obtain their professional qualifications through one of many professional institutions.
Professional qualifications are important in all sections of the industry, as they are an independent review by peers to confirm the technical and managerial competence and professional experience of individuals.
For example, in engineering there is a national body (the Engineering Council), which ensures that all institutions work to the same high standard.
There are three grades of professional qualification that the Council awards, common to all disciplines: Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineering (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng).
An Engineering Technician (EngTech) has:
- a BTECH/SCOTVEC National Certificate in Engineering;
- training at the workplace;
- a 'pass' from a professional review or examination set by a professional body.
An Incorporated Engineering (IEng) has:
- an accredited BSc degree in Engineering;
- training at the workplace;
- a 'pass' from a professional review or examination set by a professional body.
A Chartered Engineering (CEng) has:
- an accredited honours degree in Engineering;
- a 'pass' from a professional review or examination set by a professional body.
Within civil engineering, for example, the Institution of Civil Engineers registers its qualified members with the Engineering Council.
Chartered engineers, who will normally be Members (MICE), study civil engineering to masters degree level and make sure that their chosen degree is accredited for membership. They will receive training during their first few years at work (professional development normally forming part of this), before submitting themselves for a professional review.
Gaining an academic qualification is just the beginning, on the road to becoming professionally qualified. The timing for the final assessment really depends on the experience gained, which only individuals and their employers will be able to judge. They are at the forefront of knowledge, creating rapid changes in the world. They are the managers of high risk and capital intensive projects in the construction industry. The training and experience will have given them a broad understanding of the engineering principles that guide and direct the construction industry.
Incorporated engineers, who will normally be Associate Members (AMICE), study civil engineering to the level of a BSc degree, and are trained at their workplace by their employer. This training will normally include both technical practice and professional development. When they have achieved the required levels of technical and professional competence, they submit themselves for a professional review. Often, as team leaders, incorporated engineers are responsible for the efficiency of the team in which they are working, and for carrying out tasks and solving engineering problems using up-to-date engineering knowledge. Incorporated engineers are regularly acknowledged as having a depth of understanding and expertise that develops them into specialists in their particular fields.
Engineering technicians and Technician members within the ICE study civil engineering to the level of a BTEC Certificate, and are trained at the workplace by their employer. They submit themselves for the professional review of the ICE when their training and experience has enabled them to reach the level of proficiency required by the Institution. They are normally responsible for solving engineering problems using standard procedures.
Civil engineers are successfully trained in an extraordinary variety of organisations, operating in research, design and construction, in both the public and private sectors. No longer are civil or structural engineers just the people who design steel bridges or concrete structures. There are many subject areas that span civil and structural engineering and the institutions, and between them, they welcome and invite membership from engineers in a wide variety of specialisms, in addition to the usually-perceived skills.
Your career will continue with learning in an academic style, as well as practical training and experience, throughout your working life. There will be various milestones as you progress. We never cease learning, albeit in different environments and by different methods, but it is the one constant thing that will always be happening.