Research by the Engineering Council UK has revealed that 30% of employers surveyed found it difficult to verify the CVs of applicants for engineering and technical posts.
Help is at now at hand in the shape of a new service
from Technical Qualifications Validation (TQV), a newly-formed joint venture
created by the Engineeering Council UK and the engineering institutions that
are its licensed members. Many employers of engineers lack the time and/or
personnel to properly check candidates’ qualifications and experience. Yet
serious consequences can result from appointing people who have exaggerated their
abilities.
TQV is able to offer a solution to this dilemma
because of its access to the wealth of data and expertise within the Engineering
Council UK the latter’s 36 member institutions.
It is a simple matter for TQV to check whether a
qualification cited by an applicant actually exists and whether it appears on
the Engineering Council’s list of accredited engineering degrees and other
courses. In the case of a person educated overseas it would establish equivalence
with a qualification gained in the UK. Crucially, it is then able to check that
the individual holds the qualification claimed – regardless of whether it was awarded
in the UK or overseas. If required, it can also arrange for a candidate to
undergo a probing interview by an appropriate panel of experts.
Fees charged by TVQ are stated to be relatively
insignificant compared with the generally high cost of recruiting.
On request – and free of charge – TQV will verify
whether a named individual appears on the Engineering Council’s database of
250,000 registered engineers and technicians.
Registration in itself provides proof of a person’s knowledge, competence and commitment to professional standards and thus makes the other checks unnecessary.
