Whether you’re a Developing Engineer, Mentor or Scheme Administrator, we aim to support you at every stage of the journey to Professional Registration. Three times a year, we’ll provide the latest news, updates and guidance to help you stay on track - whether you’re just starting out on MPDS or preparing for your Professional Review Interview.
MPDS Handbook
Check out our new MPDS Handbook. This brings together MPDS knowledge, expectations, and best practices into one guide for Developing Engineers, Mentors, Scheme Administrators, Owners, and Assessors. It is your essential must-have throughout the MPDS journey.
Professional Review Interview Support
Statistics from the Engineering Council show that, IMechE has elected the largest number of new registrants in 2025, ahead of all other Engineering Institutions. This great achievement is in no small part due to the combined efforts of staff and volunteers working closely together, including the Global Membership Development Team.
The team, based in the Regions, focus their efforts on explaining the depth and breadth of opportunities available from IMechE and the requirements and pathways to professional registration. They also guide and coach applicants through the process of gaining EngTech, IEng, CEng and Fellowship.
The team provides support, both in person and virtually, which is tailored to meet individual and client needs. Help is provided in a variety of different ways, from in person site visits to presentations and workshops via digital platforms.
Membership surgeries for example, provide engineers with an opportunity for a one-to-one consultation to discuss their individual circumstances while Applications Workshops provide candidates with guidance on preparing their application form for submission and what to expect at Professional Review Interview and how to prepare for it. Feedback indicates that applicants particularly value the opportunity to have their draft application critiqued prior to submission. It provides them with reassurance that they are ready to apply and are likely to have a positive outcome after interview.
The Team also supports organisations wishing to have their graduate training schemes or apprenticeships approved by the Institution and delivers mentor training.
Sandra Mulligan, IMechE’s Senior Membership Development Manager says ‘Our roles encompass being ambassadors for the Institution. We all love being out in industry and academia, face to face with our audiences, chatting with engineers and students, providing them with the information that they need. No two days are the same!
A typical week could include helping a member upgrade to Fellowship or access the Support Network, delivering Mentor Training, reviewing draft applications, attending a Regional committee meeting, explaining the Challenge events or signposting someone to the wealth of bite size learning opportunities on IMechE’s YouTube channel.
It's great to direct a member to the library to find that elusive paper that they haven’t been able to source through their own efforts. We are always delighted to receive messages from successful applicants thanking us for the support that we’ve provided – it makes the job very rewarding. Getting to know applicants from a huge variety of industry sectors and helping them move closer to achieving career goals is tremendously interesting and enjoyable.’
We also have a monthly mentor forum which is an online session each month with a guest speaker sharing their insights. It’s a great way to keep up to date and share best practice. If you wish to be added to the circulation list for this forum, please email Sandra on sandra.mulligan@imeche.org. The next sessions will take place on the following dates at 12.45 to 13.30 – 10 September, 8 October, 3 November and 9 December.
If you’re running an MPDS, you may wish to set up an Applications Workshop to help your grads get ‘over the finish line’. There’s no charge attached to setting this up and it may be delivered virtually or in person.
Tap into the resources available from the Membership Development Team. You can email us at mdm@imeche.org or have a look at details of upcoming events, which include the following:
- A workshop on Frequently Asked Questions relating to the Professional Review Interview will take place on 1 July 13:00 to 14:00. Bookings can be made here
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- Mentor Training will be taking place on the 15 July, 10am-12noon. Bookings can be made here
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- Mentor Training will be taking place on the 16 September, 11am-1pm. Bookings can be made here
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- An Essentials For Early Years Graduates will be taking place on the 24 September. Bookings can be made here
MPDS Insight: The role of Professional Development Standards Committee (PDSC)
An accredited MPDS is a fast-track, quality assured route to professional registration. The accreditation of these schemes falls within the remit of the PDSC.
We have invited Melissa Loyley CEng FIMechE, who was appointed to the Chair of the Professional Development Standards Committee in 2025, to provide an insight into the committee’s role.
Can you explain how MPDS can be a fast-track route to registration?
Melissa: Having an accredited MPDS is your company’s commitment to your initial professional development through providing appropriate experience and training. Your mentor works in the same organisation, so is knowledgeable of company, and has been specifically trained to understand UK-SPEC and IMechE’s expectations. PDSC accreditation visits verify that Scheme is functioning correctly and is an opportunity to transfer good practice advice. The combined effort of all these people is a big differentiator.
If MPDS is a quality assured route to professional registration, are all MPDS applicants successful at the professional review interview (PRI)?
Melissa: Less than 3% of MPDS applicants do not demonstrate the required level at interview. This is less than the deferral rate for direct applicants.
Are there any specific reasons for candidates being deferred at PRI?
Melissa: Just one. The candidate did not demonstrate to the interview panel that they are at the required 3-off level three and 2-off level 2 competences required.
How are the PRI decision results evaluated?
Melissa: Each quarter IMechE's staff assess the MPDS data and Visit Report records for each MPDS deferred applicant. These are presented at the PDSC quarterly meetings.
Do you have any advice for MPDS PRI interviewees?
Melissa: Try to relax. This is one interview where the people interviewing you want you to succeed. Anyone can be nervous at an interview but remember you’ve already done the hard work. The interview should just be you talking about the work that you have done and telling the interviewers what an accomplished engineer you are.
If your company offers a mock interview, take them up on that offer, or request one if they don’t. You’ll gain more confidence having been through a similar process before.
What else does PDSC do to increase the success at PRI of MPDS applicants?
Melissa: Accreditation visits are our primary tool, as we undertake a close review of all aspects of each scheme with the aim to re-accredit. These visits can identify concerns with the delivery of MPDS within the company. If we do identify concerns we can give guidance, or set conditions, to improve the scheme and give the Developing Engineers the best chance of success at PRI. During these visits we also speak to Mentors and advise them on PRI, encouraging them to be PRI Interviewers if necessary. This means they gain real life experience on what PRIs are like and can share that with their DEs.
New MPDS Registration Form: Important Information for Scheme Administrators
If you’re a Scheme Administrator and will have Developing Engineers registering onto MPDS soon, please note that our downloadable MPDS Registration Form has now been updated.
The MPDS Form must now be received within three months of the MPDS Start date (not five months, as previously recommended). Please note that the MPDS start date is not necessarily when a developing engineer started working at your company; it is when they will begin their live reporting on MPDS.
Any relevant engineering experience accrued before the MPDS start date may be considered through a previous experience claim at the point of registration, subject to mentor assessment and within published limits.
When MPDS registration is completed, any quarters claimed as previous experience will be credited, and the MPDS start date will then be applied to the first active quarter. Therefore, the MPDS start date should be after any period of previous experience.
MPDS start dates which are more than three months prior to the submission date, and older versions of the form will no longer be accepted after 1 July 2026. MPDS quarterly reporting dates will be affected if submission is delayed and/or the requested start date exceeds the acceptable timeframe.
When completing the form, it is also recommended that you first download and save the PDF file. This will make it easier to populate and sign correctly before submitting this to us.
Engineering Challenge
Test your knowledge of engineering with this edition’s challenge! The correct answers will be revealed in the next edition of MPDS Bulletin. Follow the link to take part in our Engineering Challenge for June 2026
Early Career Development Programmes
Nearly 80% of employers believe that current graduates do not arrive fully equipped with the skills they need to be work-ready*.
Join our upcoming Developing a Modern Engineer workshop on Thursday, 15 October to discuss and take away the essential business and leadership skills your engineers need to succeed in today’s modern workforce.
Outputs from our discussions will be implemented into our Early Career Development Programmes, starting April 2027.
In its fourth iteration, the programme has been designed by knowledgeable, experienced trainers who have worked with graduate and early-career professionals for 20+ years. Every ECDP module is mapped to UK-SPEC competencies and designed to work alongside the MPDS and SRS schemes.
Our programme focuses on professional development (the things they don’t teach you at school and university) whilst also including some specialist areas. Topics include Communication, Personal branding, innovation and problem solving, as well as influencing, business skills and Six Sigma yellow belt qualification. Our blended approach encompasses formal training, self-guided study, work-based projects, one-on-one coaching and more, giving the best opportunity for growth, whatever their style of learning.
Those enrolled in the programme will be exposed to a variety of industry sectors and roles, to share experiences and build a network that they can rely on for the rest of their careers.
If you would like to have your say and input into this valuable conversation, please get in touch with Chloe.Sarson@IMECHE.org to save your place.
*CMI “Work Reading Graduates: Building employability skills for a hybrid world” 2021.
Contact us
We want this newsletter to be as relevant and useful as possible. Please feel free to email mpds@imeche.org with any questions on your professional development you would like our experts to answer.