Blog
The UKESF is working hard to tackle the shortage of engineers in the Electronics sector. To date, almost 400 students have graduated from our prestigious Scholarship Scheme and we know that 93% are working in our industry. They are working as Engineers, and we know that engineering is a profession. As such, we are actively supporting initiatives to increase the number of professionally registered Chartered Engineers (CEng) in the UK.
Professional registration is governed by the Engineering Council and provides a benchmark through which the public, employers and their clients can have confidence and trust that registered engineers and technicians have met globally recognised professional standards. Registrants possess and maintain the knowledge, skills and commitment required to meet the engineering and technological needs of today, whilst also catering for the needs of future generations.
Professional Registration is a well-established part of the culture in some engineering sectors, particularly those with a strong ethos on regulation, safety and security (such as defence, aviation, rail and nuclear) but it is less so in Electronics design and semiconductors. However, the benefits of registration such as international recognition and personal commitment to standards are equally applicable across all of Electronics.
Therefore, earlier this summer we organised an online event, in collaboration with the IET, for our graduated scholars. The focus was to learn more about the process of becoming professionally registered as a CEng. It was really pleasing that more than 40 graduated scholars signed up. As well as hearing from myself and the IET, we were joined by two alumni who had already become Chartered Engineers to share their experiences and answer questions.
Feedback from the event was very positive. Everyone said that they were better informed and all those ‘not sure’ about professional registration before the session were more positive afterwards. As part of our ongoing work on skills, we hope to provide more support and additional opportunities for professional development to help our alumni progress in their careers.
If you would like to learn more about how our Scholarship Scheme could help your company or you would like to support our work, then please just get in touch with me: [email protected]
