7 minute read
CHANCE TO CHARTER A NEW COURSE
Katerina Konsta and Kristina Allison both recently took the alternative route to chartered engineer status through CIBSE. Katerina outlines why it is an important step, while Kristina gives a personal view of the process
Katerina Konsta, CEng MCIBSE MSLL, is a senior lighting designer at Arup and SLL representative for the North West region
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THE BENEFITS: KATERINA KONSTA
If you are working in the lighting profession, perhaps a key question is why would you want to become a chartered engineer. In our view, professional registration brings value to various parties: the individual, the employer and society generally.
On a personal level, becoming a chartered engineer is a means of improving career prospects and employability. It provides the individual with an enhanced status, arguably leading to higher self-esteem and career progression. Pursuing chartership also proves a commitment to continuous professional development (CPD) and equally demonstrates a professional attitude that is valued by both employer and clients. In addition, CEng status is evidence of expertise and recognition of competence independently assessed by your peers. You have the opportunity to join a community of chartered engineers, connect with other members worldwide and build new relationships with other specialists in your field. Incidentally, being a chartered engineer is also one of the accepted occupations for countersignatories.
Organisations that employ professionally registered staff benefit from a globally accepted assurance that the employees have satisfied a rigorous assessment of
From Katerina's CEng project: typical animation frame showing the simulation output of potential veiling luminance (disability glare) for helicopter pilots
their engineering competence and the credentials claimed have been verified. CEng is an internationally recognised title which enables greater flexibility in staff mobility and it may have a positive impact on recruitment and retention of staff. It also has an increased technical and managerial credibility especially when it comes to senior roles and career development. Chartered engineers have a personal obligation to abide by a code of conduct which, in turn, can enhance company reputation through ethical behaviour.
Society as a whole, on the other hand, can have more confidence in the work of professionally registered members nationally and globally. Professional registration gives the assurance of an ethical and sustainable behaviour by its members.
CHALLENGES Coming from a design background with academic qualifications in architecture and lighting design, the first and most obvious question that comes into your mind is whether you are eligible to apply and if lighting and engineering cross paths. But what is engineering? In simple terms engineering is the use of science and maths to design things or solve a problem. As lighting specialists, of course, this is what we do on a daily basis.
Finding a mentor with the relevant experience in lighting who will provide you with the support and guidance that you need along this journey can be challenging. We are a small industry and the number of mentors that have been through either the standard or the alternative route is very limited. This is where as a society we would like to reach out and help other members who are interested in applying.
Lastly, choosing a subject for the engineering report can be overwhelming. It is important to propose a topic that you know well and to ensure it clearly answers how you intend to demonstrate your technical knowledge and understanding. The intention of the technical report is to identify the engineering principles involved in the subject rather than, for example, describing a project that you have been working on.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: KRISTINA ALLISON
I work for a large multi-disciplinary company where chartered status is highly valued. However, when I investigated applying for the process, I discovered it wasn’t quite as straightforward as it had been for my electrical or mechanical colleagues. For a lighting designer, usually the alternative route is the route to chartership. This meant that I would have to write a technical report that demonstrated that I understood the ‘fundamental mathematics and science’ behind my subject.
From the time I decided to apply and actually received my Engineering Council certificate took around two years. There are two main steps to the process: the first step is to join as a member grade with a certifying body, so in my case CIBSE. The second step is to apply to follow a route to chartership, which is determined by previous qualifications.
Kristina Allison, CEng MCIBSE MSLL, is a specialist lighting designer with Atkins Global. She is co-chair of the SLL education and membership committee
What is professional registration?
Professional registration is recognition through membership of a relevant professional engineering institution that an individual’s competence and commitment has been assessed and that they have attained the standard required for admission to the national register at the appropriate level (for example, chartered engineer).
For me it was the alternative route. I decided to write my report based on a live project that I was working on at the time. In hindsight perhaps this made more work for myself but benefited both me and the project because of the additional research I was bringing to it.
It did require a lot of effort and time dedication, so I won’t say the whole thing wasn’t hard. But like any endeavour, once complete the feeling of satisfaction and achievement makes all the effort worthwhile.
Engineering is about problem solving and so is lighting design, and this whole process highlights the similarities between both professions. I’d suggest to anyone interested in becoming chartered to go to the CIBSE website and look at the criteria required and take it from there. It may highlight where further experience is needed and will give you a clear guide as to what CPD topics you might need to explore next and where to find them. Using the CIBSE website to record your learning in My CIBSE helps and is a requirement for chartered engineers. PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW Once my report had been accepted the next step was to prepare a presentation for the interview. I found by this time that I had become so absorbed by my subject that this final part was fairly straightforward. To help me get ready for the interview I ran through the presentation with two colleagues who only partially knew about my work. The opportunity to go through it and have questions asked about the work I had been doing was very valuable, as an outside perspective can highlight oversights that you can then make sure you cover during the final interview. I would recommend that you make sure you are completely prepared for your interview and have two printed copies to take with you, plus a digital copy on email and USB stick just in case. RESULTS My employer recognises the competencies required to achieve chartered status (though perhaps not the extra mile the alternative route can require) and since completing the process I have been promoted,
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As we know, being a more recent discipline it can be hard for lighting designers to gain the same level of respect as other professions, so this demonstrates that lighting design is an equally valid career. Our clients also recognise chartered status, and this therefore benefits the company during project bids too. IS IT WORTH APPLYING? Having now completed my chartership journey, I would recommend applying and taking on the challenge. I feel I have learnt so much along the way and it has encouraged me to explore new things and keep on top of my CPD, including diverse topics.
Finding a suitable mentor with relevant support along the way might be a challenge but it is all mostly process based, so anyone who has been through it and passed can help. Being part of the SLL means that there are chartered lighting designers out there who I am sure will help if approached. Since passing my interview I have been asked by several of my colleagues for support and I'm happy to help more people obtain this professional status.
Alternative route to MCIBSE CEng: the process
This route requires candidates to demonstrate their competence through the submission of an engineering practice report (and supplementary documentation), followed by an interview assessment. There are two UK application closing dates a year: February and August. Applications will be accepted throughout the year, but interviews will only be held during two designated interview periods each year: April/May and October/ November. • If you do not hold any qualifications or you do not meet the academic standards you can still obtain CEng once your MCIBSE application has been approved • Application + engineering practice report • Competence review interview • Assessment + approval by CIBSE members panel • MCIBSE • Further learning to master level OR technical report route application • Professional review interview OR technical report + professional review interview • Assessment + approval by CIBSE registration panel • CEng For full details go to: www.cibse.org/membership/ find-your-grade/member-grade From Kristina's CEng project: investigating new techniques to deliver complex projects which obviously adds even more satisfaction to the whole endeavour.
