What happens when you leave Imperial College with a degree in Civil or Civil and Environmental Engineering? This section of the book covers the routes to becoming a Professional Engineer, how you can start that process now, and how the Department and the College can help.
At Imperial College we aim to produce graduates who are among the best engineers in the world. This we cannot achieve without your co-operation! It is our hope that you will be so enthused by your course here, and your experiences gained elsewhere that you will enter the civil engineering profession. It is our intention that you enter it with the confidence, imagination and ability to have a lasting influence. Some of you may choose to pursue a career other than civil engineering (there are of course many and various things one can do with a degree in Civil Engineering or Civil and Environmental Engineering). But whatever you do on graduating from this Department, you will have had the opportunity to acquire all the necessary skills to excel in your chosen career.
CivSoc is an undergraduate society of the Department, run by the students for the students. Throughout the academic year CivSoc plans civil engineering activities, including lunchtime talks by engineers from industry presenting interesting projects, and also site visits to major projects in the South East. They also organise careers talks and company presentations, as well as the hugely successful Summer Ball.
CivSoc maintains beneficial links with both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the industry. For further details see page http://www.su.ic.ac.uk/civsoc/ .
Note that CivSoc maintains formal links on your behalf with ALGS (the Association of London Graduates and Students)
How do I become a Professional Engineer?
| Of those of you who enter the civil engineering profession, the majority will continue to train after graduation. If you work within the UK system of training, after a few years you will be assessed by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). This assessment, the Member Professional Review, will determine whether you are suitable to be made a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (entitling you to use the designatory letters MICE after your name), and so be eligible to register as a Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council (thus adding the designatory letters CEng). The ICE is one of the most respected bodies of professional engineers in the world. Its members have a high degree of professional knowledge and display judgement in making the best use of scarce resources, in the care of the environment and in the interests of public health and safety. Membership is recognised as a benchmark of quality and defines you as a professional civil engineer, capable of practising in most countries of the world. There are other professional bodies which someone with a degree from the Department can consider joining. Each will have its own route to professional status. Some of these are: The Institution of Structural Engineers; The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management; The Chartered Institute of Transport; The Institution of Highways and Transportation; The Institute of Marine Engineers; and The Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Focusing on the ICE, the first stage in becoming MICE CEng is to achieve the required educational base. This is satisfied through the gaining of a MEng undergraduate degree that has been accredited for Chartered Engineer. You are now embarking on such a course. The second stage is a period of responsible work experience under early guidance and decreasing supervision, known as Initial Professional Development. The third stage is success at the Member Professional Review. Although you are clearly aiming to satisfy stage one over the next 4 years, there is no need to delay stage two! It will be very useful for you to have gained work experience during the long summer vacations. This can be done in various ways. You may be, or become, sponsored by a company who will provide structured experience each year and might offer a training programme on graduation to suit your needs. Alternatively you may wish to keep your options open and be more flexible at this stage in your education by working with different employers each summer. Another option might be to get involved in research work during the summer vacations, here or elsewhere. Whatever you do, when in the work environment keep your eyes and ears open to make the most of the experience. |
How can the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (Southern) Ltd (CECA) help?
CECA is the single wholly representative body for civil engineering contractors throughout Great Britain. They have set up a fund to assist the Department with the cost of sending students to and from site visits. They produce a list of interesting projects in the South East, and a 'code of practice' for the contractors who will receive you on site. This is a recent initiative, which started successfully last year. The fund will be administered by the Industrial Liaison Tutor, and will be available for site visits offered by CECA (Southern) Ltd., member companies.
The Department will guide you in the sensible choice of career and job options; introduce you to companies (personally or through the provision of literature); keep you up to date with which companies are offering what and when; arrange presentations by companies and engineers to inform you of career options and job opportunities; arrange CV and interview technique workshops for you; and maintain notice boards around the Department with up to date information. There is a careers notice board on Level 2 (next to the staff photographs) and a vacation training notice board on Level 4 (opposite Room 440B). The Department has information on many Civil Engineering Companies and this literature can be accessed via Mrs. Green in Room 440B. Be aware that the Department will not find a summer placement/sponsorship deal/graduate job for you, convince them to take you on, and then hand it to you on a plate. It really is down to you to find employment and experience.
The Careers Adviser in this Department is primarily concerned with the Civil and Environmental Engineering industry. He will not actively promote other possible areas of employment.
Imperial College has a Careers Advisory Service, and the library and reception can be found in Room 310 of the Sherfield Building. The Careers Advisory Service library houses information on numerous careers and companies - brochures, booklets, videos and computer links. The Careers Advisory Service also has a number of resident careers advisers. They are professional careers advisers, with a working knowledge of the job market, and how to secure the job you want. During your first year course on Engineering in Context you will meet one of the advisers, Frances McEwen, who is an expert in the area of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She will also be running a session on preparing your CV for vacation work during your first year. Sessions are run for you on CVs and interviews for permanent work later in your degree studies. The Careers Advisory Service is free to students of Imperial College, so do make use of it!
The Careers Advisory Service maintains links with all graduate
employers interested in Imperial College students. They will arrange careers
talks and company presentations in various areas, including Civil and Environmental
Engineering. Your department organises relevant presentations for you. The Careers
Advisory Website has links to employers web sites, and help on preparing your
applications.
How can the Institution of Civil Engineers help?
Become a student member of the ICE. Attached you will find information about becoming a member, together with the necessary Application Form. Once registered you will receive the weekly magazine New Civil Engineer. This contains news and current affairs from around the world, and feature articles on particular projects. Reading it will help you familiarise yourselves with companies, the people in those companies and the sorts of projects they get involved with. There is also a comprehensive appointments section at the back full of job vacancies.
As a student member of the ICE you will also be a member of the Association of London Graduates and Students (ALGS). They organise site visits and project presentations throughout the year, as well as providing guidance and workshops on professional training. ALGS events are also a good 'networking' opportunity. Whether or not you are certain of your future career, it is well worth becoming a student member of the ICE.
The ICE also has an excellent web site with links to Institutions, Companies, and Universities in the UK and abroad. You can find them at: http://www.ice.org.uk. Once there, click onto the 'students' option and the 'University Links'. This will take you to an extensive list of links around the world.
Actively seek vacation work for the summer months. A good time to be applying for summer work is between November and February. Be prepared to make a number of applications, and to wait for an answer.
If you want to pursue a placement overseas then there is the IAESTE scheme, or the Delaware Exchange. See Mrs. Louise Green for more information (Room 440B). Note that these schemes usually only consider students in the 2nd year or above, and that applications need to be made before December each year.
Keep your eyes on the notice boards around the Department and outside the Careers Library in Sherfield Building.
Develop your skills - written communication, oral communication, working in a team, problem solving, self reliance and self management, time management, critical reading, lateral and creative thinking…….and more. The degree course will provide opportunities to develop these skills along side the technical skills required for your career as an engineer. When you have completed a piece of work, sk yourself what processes enabled the task to be completed - this might be particularly interesting following a group exercise. But note, many skills can be developed outside the curriculum through involvement in Student Union clubs and societies or assisting in the organisation of events in your Hall of Residence. As part of your Term Reports you will be asked to list your extra-curricular activities, and you will be encouraged to document your careers skills development in formal Progress Files.