The Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS) is the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' preferred, approved and quality controlled route for graduate engineers to complete their initial professional development, become corporate members of the Institution and register with the EC (UK) as a Chartered Engineer or Incorporated Engineer.
MPDS has been designed in conjunction with industry to ensure graduate engineers have the opportunity to develop the necessary competence and commitment required of a Chartered Engineer or Incorporated Engineer.
Benefits
When you apply to become an Incorporated or Chartered Engineer you need to be confident that you can demonstrate a professional level of competence. MPDS provides support, guidance and a development framework for engineers during the first few years of professional experience. We accredit company and university schemes to ensure that engineers are provided with enough opportunity, monitoring and feedback from university and graduation through to a successful application for CEng or IEng.
Your career
Registration as a professional Incorporated or Chartered Engineer increases your employability and denotes to others that you uphold the highest standards of engineering. Working towards this professional registration early in your career will set you on a path of lifelong learning and development of high standards.
IPD
Initial Professional Development describes the first few years that lead to your registration as a professional engineer. There are two aspects: academic qualifications, which are assessed by learning outcomes; and professional development, in which you demonstrate a level of competence.
Recording development
Keeping a record of your progress during the first few years after graduation will help you to
- remember what you’ve done
- understand how you meet UK-SPEC
- see what areas you need to develop as a professional
The online system e-MPDS is a crucial part of the scheme which helps you to do all of these, and meet the requirements of the scheme. You will
- meet regularly with your mentor to discuss and plan your progress
- write a detailed report of your experiences every three months
- initiate an assessment of your engineering competence every year
Requirements
MPDS and the online system e-MPDS are endorsed by the Engineering Council UK as Quality Assured route to professional registration. In order to maintain this quality, for the benefit of all involved on the scheme, there are certain requirements that must be met
- Companies must provide adequate opportunity for those on the scheme to meet UK-SPEC
- Trainees must be monitored by a professionally registered engineer
- Companies must provide support and monitoring to trainees and mentors
- Trainees must maintain the disciplined reporting structure of MPDS
- Trainees must maintain membership
Advantages
Any engineer with the right level of academic qualifications and a suitable level of industrial experience, who can demonstrate competence to the level of an Incorporated or Chartered Engineer, can make an application for professional registration. Candidates on MPDS have the advantage of
- Guidance from their mentors
- Opportunity for development provided by the organisations
- Ongoing assessment from a professionally registered engineer, which helps the candidate to focus their development in the right areas
- Reports compiled during their time on the scheme to support their application
- A scheme endorsed by the engineering council