Company Based Registration – a great opportunity to provide support for applicants

IMechE’s Company Based Registration (CBR) scheme is, quite simply, support tailored for groups of applicants who wish to gain IEng or CEng registration. Through a series of meetings and workshops, 1:1 guidance and support are provided for all applicants, helping them to achieve their goals.

This support is provided free of charge by the Institution’s Business Development Team. We spoke with Sandra Mulligan, the Business Development Manager for Scotland to get an understanding of how CBR works and the benefits that can be gained by running a CBR scheme. Similar support is provided for staff at Universities through University Based Registration (UBR) Schemes.

Sandra said ‘We usually start off a new CBR or UBR scheme by running an initial presentation, about 45 minutes long, via MS Teams or face to face, for all staff who are interested in IEng or CEng registration. During one of these sessions, we explain the academic requirements, the 5 UK SPEC competence requirements, the process, what applicants can expect at the Professional Review Interview (PRI) plus the benefits of IMechE membership and professional registration. This gives staff a great opportunity to find out exactly what they need to do, particularly if it’s something that they have been toying with for some time! We frequently find that applicants are not aware of the great support and guidance that’s available to them free of charge from the Business Development Team.

After the initial launch event to gauge the level of interest on site, we usually run a Membership Surgery. This is an opportunity for a 1:1 meeting either virtually or face to face. Each one is about 20-30 minutes in duration, providing applicants with an opportunity to gain guidance relating to their own case history & circumstances. After these meetings have taken place, the BDM compiles a summary of the meetings which gives an indication of which staff are ready to apply and those that may need to pursue, for example, an Academic Review or Career Learning Assessment or gain additional work experience. If appropriate, some staff may wish to join their Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS) or Supported Registration Scheme (SRS) at this point.

For those that are ready to apply, we then run an Applications Workshop. This can be a 1-day event on site or a virtual event split over, for example, 4 x 45 minute sessions to provide detailed guidance on how to compose the IEng or CEng application form and prepare for PRI. When draft applications are ready, we review them prior to submission giving the candidate extra reassurance that they demonstrate how they meet the requirements and that the application is ready to submit. A deadline date for submitting completed applications to IMechE HQ is agreed. When processed, candidates are invited to go online and choose a date for a PRI convenient to their diaries. The PRI will be conducted via a 4-way MS Teams call and the success rate is over 90%.

Feedback indicates that CBR and UBR schemes work well for organisations that wish to support their staff to achieve professional registration and applicants value the opportunity to have 1:1 support from their local member of the Business Development Team. Sandra said ‘conducting our activities on virtual platforms over the past two years has been a challenge but we have risen to the need and adapted our events to meet the challenge. Feedback this month from recent successful applicants indicates that what we do works, for example: 

‘‘I am pleased to let you know that I have successfully obtained my CEng and become a full member of IMechE. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for the excellent workshop and for reviewing my application. Your comments improved the overall quality of the application’’

and

‘‘I am happy to let you know I have managed to achieve success with my CEng application! A massive thank you as your workshop gave me the confidence and direction to get it done after so many years’’

Sandra finished off by saying ‘I’m always really pleased when I hear from successful applicants, it’s so good to know that I’ve provided useful help and guidance. I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of new applicants over the months ahead and I know that my colleagues in the Business Development Team are too’.

If you would like to set up a Company Based Registration Scheme or a University Based Registration Scheme, please contact bdm@imeche.org