The Engineering Council (formerly Engineering Council UK; colloquially known as EngC) is the UK's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and engineering technician, holding a register of these and providing advice to students, engineers, employers and academic institutions on the standards for registration and procedures for registration. It is also responsible for the accreditation of educational and training programs, delegating this responsibility to licensed member institutions.

History

Professional engineering institutions in the UK began in 1818 with the formation of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The IMechE was formed next in 1847. The IEE (Later Renamed as IET) was formed in 1871. These three are known as the ''Big Three'' institutions since together they represent 80% of registered UK engineers. The Joint Council of Engineering Institutions was formed in 1964, which later became the Council of Engineering Institutions (CEI) in November 1965, which had a royal charter. This provided all the main functions that the EngC now provides, but was more ineffectual. Around this time, 33% of the UK's GDP was in manufacturing, lowering to 29% in the early 1970s.

Finniston report

A royal commission, from the committee of inquiry into the engineering profession, chaired by Sir Monty Finniston, was set up in 1977. It looked at the formation and registration of engineers, producing the Finniston Report - ''Engineering our Future'' in 1980. Engineering institutions thought they may have lost their autonomy. There was also the possibility of statutory licensing (direct government control) of engineers, as other professional practitioners such as doctors and architects, but the work of engineers is more confined to work with other engineering companies, providing a nominal level of inherent professional self-regulation against misconduct.

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at the

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chose not to have a

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, but have a royal charter. From its recommendations, the Engineering Council was established in 1981, watching over 54 separate institutions. It gained a royal charter on 27 November 1981. The first chairman was Sir

Kenneth Corfield Sir Kenneth George Corfield (27 January 1924 – 11 January 2016) was a British camera engineer and industrialist. Born in Rushall near Walsall, Corfield attended the South Staffordshire College of Advanced Technology and worked in management de ...

, followed by

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in 1985, Sir William Barlow in 1988, Sir

John Fairclough Sir John Whitaker Fairclough (23 August 1930 – 5 June 2003) was a British computer engineering, computer designer, and later government policy advisor. Education John Fairclough was educated at Thirsk Grammar School and than studied e ...

in 1991, Dr.

Alan Rudge Sir Alan Walter Rudge CBE, FREng, FRS (born 17 October 1937 London) is a British electrical engineer. He was Chairman of the ERA Foundation from its formation until December 2012, after which he was appointed as the Foundation's President. In 201 ...

in 1996 and Dr. Robert Hawley in 1999. It formed the WISE Campaign in 1983 to encourage women to become engineers. In 1996, the diamond logo was replaced by a circle.

Function

Engineering Council is recognized by the

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as the national representative body of the engineering profession in the United Kingdom, working in partnership with other engineering institutions. The Engineering Council regulates the professions of chartered engineer, incorporated engineer and engineering technician in the UK. These professional titles are recognized in Europe with the Directive 2005/36.

Professional registration in the UK

UK legislation is generally 'permissive' and, as such, the title ''engineer'' is not protected by law therefore anyone can call themselves an ''engineer'' or ''professional engineer'' or ''registered engineer'' and many semi-skilled and unskilled trades adopt this title. However the 'professional' titles awarded by the Engineering Council are protected by law. Registration as a chartered and incorporated engineers or as engineering technicians is voluntary and candidates are required to demonstrate a high standard of professional competence acquired through education, training and responsible experience in order to register. There are four categories of registration: * Chartered Engineer (CEng) * Incorporated Engineer (IEng) * Engineering Technician (EngTech) * Information and Communications Technology Technician (ICTTech) Assessment for registration is typically carried out on Engineering Council's behalf by a licensed member institution. The Engineering Technician (EngTech) may obtain the Licentiateship (with post nominals LCGI), a City and Guilds award comparable to a level 4 qualification. The Incorporated Engineer (IEng) may obtain the Graduateship (GCGI) in engineering, comparable to a level 6 qualification. The Chartered Engineer (CEng) may obtain the Membership (MCGI) in engineering, comparable to a level 7 qualification.

Licensed member institutions

Chartered Association of Building Engineers Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) is a professional body for building engineers in the United Kingdom and overseas. History Chartered Association of Building Engineers was founded as the Incorporated Association of Architects an ...

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* Royal Aeronautical Society * Institution of Agricultural Engineers * Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers * Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors *

Institute of Cast Metals Engineers The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME), originally the British Foundrymen's Association is a British professional engineering institution founded in 1904. It publishes the ''Foundry Trade Journal'', which was established in 1902. History ...

Institution of Chemical Engineers The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is a global professional engineering institution with over 33,000 members worldwide. It was founded in 1922 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1957. It has offices in Rugby, London, Melbourne, Wellingto ...

* Institution of Civil Engineers *

British Computer Society Sir Maurice Wilkes served as the first President of BCS in 1957 BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, known as the British Computer Society until 2009, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in infor ...

* Institution of Engineering and Technology * Energy Institute * Institution of Engineering Designers * Society of Environmental Engineers * Institution of Fire Engineers * Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers * Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management * Institute of Highway Engineers * Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation *

Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) is the international membership body and learned society for marine professionals operating in the spheres of marine engineering, science, or technology. It has registered c ...

Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a UK engineering institution whose activities encompass the whole materials cycle, from exploration and extraction, through characterisation, processing, forming, finishing and applicatio ...

* Institute of Measurement and Control * Institution of Mechanical Engineers * Royal Institution of Naval Architects * British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing * Nuclear Institute * Society of Operations Engineers * Permanent Way Institution * Institute of Physics * Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine * Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering * Institution of Railway Signal Engineers *

The Institution of Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

* The Safety and Reliability Society * Institution of Structural Engineers *

Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) is an independent professional body and a registered charity in the United Kingdom that works internationally to advance the science and practice of water resource management ...

* The Welding Institute

International registration

Engineering Council is a "designated authority" under the implementing regulations for Directive 2005/36/EC. It is a member of the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI). Engineering Council has relationships with many similar organizations worldwide. It has responsibility for the UK sections of two international registers: *

FEANI FEANI (Fédération Européenne d'Associations Nationales d'Ingénieurs / European Federation of National Engineering Associations) is a federation of national professional bodies representing engineering in European countries. Founded in 1951, i ...

's register of European Engineers * The International Register of Professional Engineers (IRPE/IRoPE) European Engineer registration entitles the holder to use the European-style prefix title EurIng; International Professional Engineer registration entitles the holder to use the suffix IntPE (UK). The qualifications required for international registration are similar to those required for CEng registration.

References

External links

EngC official website

The EngC YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engineering Council 1981 establishments in the United Kingdom Engineering education in the United Kingdom Engineering societies based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden Organizations established in 1981 Professional associations based in the United Kingdom Professional certification in engineering Regulators of the United Kingdom Science and technology in the United Kingdom