Professional standards refreshed and clarified

The UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC), and the Information and Communications Technology Technician Standard (ICTTech Standard), are both now available to download from the Engineering Council’s website (www.engc.org.uk). UK-SPEC was initially launched in 2003, and first revised during 2008; the Standard has enjoyed support from across the professional engineering community. Professor Isobel Pollock CEng FIMechE, chair of the UK-SPEC Review Steering Group, said: “The third edition builds on the original’s strengths, and adheres to its fundamental principles and aims. It presents Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng), and Chartered Engineer (CEng), as part of a progressive registration structure, and stresses the value placed on every engineer and technician, who each have an important and unique role to play in every engineering project or organisation.” The Engineering Council added: “Changes to the standards have been minimal, as the initial consultation highlighted that UK-SPEC was generally working well. The only real issue that emerged was the lack of clarity between IEng and CEng competences. Two key changes are to enhance the emphasis on the ‘commitment’ element of the registration requirement, and the inclusion of a new standard of competence for all titles. Further revisions have been made to include topics that have come to the fore since the previous review, including security, risk management, health and safety, and equality and diversity.” The ICTTech Standard was first launched in early 2009, making this its first review. Chair of the ICTTech Standard Review Steering Group, Paul Excell, CEng FBCS FIET, said: “The revisions are designed to make the Standard more accessible, relevant, and attractive, to the wide range of professional technician roles in the ICT sector. It has also been closely aligned to UK-SPEC.”