Support Network launches ‘Newly Qualified’ fund

It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to write to Members and to let you know more about how Support Network connects with Members and the work that we do.

As I write this, London is moving into early summer, and the days are thankfully long, full of promise. 

Support Network feels a little like that – always ready to respond to member enquiries, finding different ways of helping, tailoring our responses to the needs of each individual situation. It’s a creative process and one that is undertaken very much in partnership with Members – it is so satisfying to help solve people’s problems – to move things forward, but then that strikes me as being a very engineering approach!

To that end, you might have already seen our pages in the current edition of Professional Engineering, where we reported on our 2018 activities and explained more about what we do. There you will find details of the grants that we have made, comments from Members who we have helped, volunteer examples plus an extract from our accounts. We hope that by moving our Annual Review to PE rather than circulating as a separate document, we will reach more Members, as we do not want anyone to miss out on the support and practical help that we could be providing for them. Not all Members realise that our services available to them wherever they are in the world; one of the cases highlighted in the Annual Review is from an international student.

It is for that reason that we are now launching our ‘Newly Qualified’ fund – a specific programme to help members in the first three years of their careers, or on finishing their studies or Apprenticeship. Higher levels of funding are available during this time to help with the transitional costs of entering employment, such as help with railway season tickets, rent and rental deposits, childcare, smoothing the impact of repaying loans, to again help members focus on their work, plus employment advice and counselling help if these are also required.

I would very much like to hear from any Member who is interested in applying to this fund or indeed to receive any feedback or enquires about our work. Please email at anni.broadhead@imeche.org