Deterred by the prospect of incurring further debt, many BEng (Hons) graduates choose not to continue their studies to Master’s level, claims the ECUK.
ECUK estimates that thousands of graduates might have achieved chartered status if gaining an MSc or other form of Master’s was more affordable. Student concerns over costs have had a similar effect on the number qualifying for the Incorporated Engineer (IEng) award.
This problem is being addressed by a new collaborative venture between ECUK, professional engineering institutions, industry and higher education. Coordinated by ECUK, in partnership with Kingston University and the University of Northumbria, the Government-backed project will develop and pilot routes to registration that integrate education and supervised work-based development.
The starting point will be Kingston’s existing work-based MSc and its Foundation Degree with Honours top-up, which is relevant to IEng candidates. The programmes developed from these could potentially satisfy all the requirements for registration. The DfeS has provided £561,000 towards the project under its Gateways to the Professions initiative. The project’s overall aim is to create a flexible, work-based learning “escalator” that enables pre-technician entrants to progress to IEng or CEng registration, maximising their employment and earnings prospects but without them having to incur large debts. This should prove a particular incentive to groups currently under-represented in engineering, including women and ethnic minorities, as well as those wishing to return to the sector. The initiative’s ultimate objective is to tackle shortages of professional engineers and technicians by encouraging more people to enter and stay in the profession.
During an initial 18-month phase, Kingston and Northumbria Universities will work with ECUK and three of its licensed institutions – IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology), IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) and RAeS (Royal Aeronautical Society) – to develop, validate and launch the IEng/CEng work-based programmes. These will be rolled out nationwide during a second, three-year phase, when it is intended that the majority of licensed engineering institutions and at least 10 HEIs will adopt them. The project will benefit from the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and other links that already exist between universities and industry; Kingston, for example, already has links with BA, KLM, Eurostar and Laing O’Rourke.
