IHEEM is appealing for volunteers to fulfil a number of important roles, including mentoring less experienced colleagues to assist in their professional development. Chris Parker, the Institute’s recruitment/membership manager, explains.
IHEEM, like many other not-for-profit professional institutions and membership organisations, requires voluntary involvement from its membership to serve the needs of other members, stakeholders and ultimately the public, the “end user” at whom all our efforts are directed. We currently have opportunities for members to nominate themselves to support the Institute’s work in three capacities.
Membership Committee
The IHEEM Membership Committee is seeking to attract new members to take the place of some who have recently retired. The Membership Committee does valuable work, primarily reviewing applications for membership and registration, as well as undertaking other initiatives promoting the Institute and the benefits of joining it. The commitment sought from potential Committee members is attendance at four meetings per year, usually held in London, with an additional 2-3 hours per month outside of the meetings spent reviewing and considering applications. It would be an advantage if interested members were registered with the Engineering Council, but this is not essential. Full expenses for travel to meetings etc. will be reimbursed, with lunch and refreshments provided.
Registration of engineers
One of the main benefits of IHEEM membership is the opportunity to register with the Engineering Council UK as an Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng), or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Indeed all engineers wishing to do so, in whichever sector they work, must firstly become a member of a professional engineering institution such as IHEEM. The efficient operation of this process involves some input from members, which is where we would like more of you to become involved. We currently require more interviewers to assist in the process of registration, and mentors to encourage and support less experienced colleagues looking to advance their careers, build up their skills, and work towards, or upgrade, their registration.
Mentors
IHEEM is, at heart, a professional development institution. The continuing professional development of all members is a primary focus, and the Institute’s conference and seminar programme is an example of how this is achieved. However many members need a more personal approach, and this is where more experienced members can make a real difference by acting as mentors. This may or may not involve progression to registered engineer status, but aims, first and foremost, to develop and nurture the future talent within our Institute, and provide new or inexperienced members with guidance and support as they progress their career. Mentoring, a voluntary agreement to provide short-term assistance and support, is a proven way of assisting people to achieve their personal aims, ambitions, and professional development aspirations. Typically mentors will be individuals with (preferably recent) experience in the mentee’s role; normally they are older, more experienced personnel with good interpersonal skills who will act as a close friend to the mentee. The ultimate aim will be for the mentee to be “coached” to a level where their skills are such that they no longer require significant mentor input. Mentoring is all about the mentee being helped to help themselves, and should include self-reflection and self-evaluation, and developing of confidence and selfesteem. The mentee should consider their own learning style, and make the best of it with the mentor’s support and guidance. A mentoring arrangement will normally last no more than two years. What does a mentor gain from the experience? There are, in fact, many benefits to be gained, including in areas of one’s own career development. Many mentors report that looking at issues from Chris Parker another’s viewpoint point helps in their own work, and can increase their own skill set. Mentoring is also about giving something back to the profession; it is a form of recognition of one’s own skill, and can contribute to the mentor’s own Continuing Professional Development; therefore the mentor / mentee relationship is very much two-way.
Interviewers
The process of registration with the Engineering Council involves an assessment of the applicant’s academic qualifications and competence. The latter involves the writing of an Engineering Practice Report and a personal Professional Review Interview, and the key to the process is peer review. Review of the report and the interview are carried out by members of the Institute, and the key criteria are: In order to make this process work, and more importantly be able to meet the demand from members wishing to become registered, IHEEM needs to refresh and expand its panel of reviewers and interviewers. The commitment required would be periodic review of reports sent to you, with a summary written report to be provided (usually of no more than a few paragraphs in length), and occasional travel to interview locations, for which full expenses are paid. Most correspondence at review stage is via email, with supporting evidence issued by post, and reasonable time allowed for turnaround (the aim should be to review and provide comments within about two weeks), allowing the reviewer to be flexible about how, and when, any submissions are reviewed. Any volunteers will be provided with full training prior to being asked to carry out any reviews and conduct any interviews, and new recruits will be supported by existing panel members throughout. If you are interested in serving in any of these roles, please contact me at: chris.parker@iheem.org.uk T: 023 9282 3186, and I will be happy to provide any further information required, and to put you in touch with existing Committee members, mentors, and interviewers, to discuss any of the positions in more detail.
