Basic requirements of MPDS:

- non-corporate membership of the IMechE is needed to register on the scheme,

- pay annual subscription fees to remain registered on MPDS. These are due from all members except undergraduate students.

- Your annual MPDS registration fee will need to paid if you did not pay the one-off lump sum.

- You will be working towards the UK-SPEC competence framework. Familiarity with UK-SPEC is key to your development.

- You need to meet your mentor regularly

- Quarterly reports must be completed online every three months

- An annual assessment must be completed online each year

- All reports must be approved no later than 8 weeks after the due date

- e-MPDS is the online system for submitting reports.

- You must update us with any changes

General info:

It’s your career. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the young engineer to ensure that reports are submitted on time and that the IMechE is kept informed of changes. Take the initiative to discuss your progress with your mentor or line manager if you feel changes need to be made.

Your mentor and company are there to support you. Ask them for help if you encounter difficulties.

Graduating Students – MPDS is a transferable package which can continue after university, but this does not happen automatically! You will need to update the IMechE with any changes.

You can continue MPDS if you change companies – but you must inform IMechE formally of these changes.

MPDS does not guarantee election to IEng or CEng – you will still have to make an application and undergo an interview to show you meet the same standards as everyone else.

Companies and Universities:

Companies wishing to operate the scheme must apply for accreditation of their generic development programme and commit to offering suitable professional engineering posts.

Universities can also apply for accreditation of their training placements which contribute to initial professional development and a separate application is available for this.

Organisations wishing to find out about registering a scheme should view the information in “Get MPDS in your organisation”

What is the aim of MPDS?

The aim of the scheme is to develop engineers who can contribute to a company's success in terms of technical and business competence, innovation and interpersonal skills. MPDS is not exclusive to large companies and many SMEs successfully operate the scheme. Contact mpds@imeche.org if you would like to start MPDS in your company.

MPDS encompasses all relevant training and experience accumulated by an engineer before and during their degree programme and also an additional period of initial professional development designed to develop the competences required by a professional engineer.

The scheme uses a number of controls to ensure that professional standards are maintained at all times. All developing engineers on the scheme are assigned a Chartered Engineer or Incorporated Engineer (of any discipline) as a mentor at the start of the programme. The mentor assists the developing engineer to develop engineering and business competences by the setting and review of objectives.

A panel of Chartered Engineers, appointed by the Institution, visits all companies wishing to operate the scheme to ensure appropriate facilities are available and that satisfactory standards are maintained. Following the visit the Institution may make recommendations for improvements and award accreditation to the company. It will monitor progress of all individuals on the scheme.