The Caterpillar Peterlee Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS) is designed to help engineers develop the competencies necessary to achieve professional registration as a Chartered (CEng) or Incorporated (IEng) engineer with the UK Engineering Council.
Recently, a team from the Institution audited the Caterpillar Peterlee MPDS, and the company successfully achieved accreditation.
Denis Healy, one of the Institution's Business Development Managers, visited Caterpillar’s Peterlee site and presented the accreditation certificate to Steve Thompson CEng FIMechE, Technical Steward, and Mike Looney CEng MIMechE, Engineering Manager, who is also Industrial Liaison Officer (ILO).
Denis said: “Caterpillar Articulated Trucks in Peterlee is one of the largest employers in the North East with over 1,000 employees. It is a fine example of British manufacturing at its best, supplying a global market. Mike and Steve are leading an excellent scheme, supporting engineers at all levels. This is an example of a company which has great resources and experience within its engineering staff, engineers who are now confirming their abilities through professional registration."
Mike explained the background to getting the scheme on track: “Steve and I discussed initiatives to heighten the status of the department and further motivate staff. One such initiative was increasing the number of chartered engineers; there were then four in the 70-strong engineering department. This meant encouraging those who had the experience and skills, but for one reason or another had not completed the formal professional registration process. Also, in anticipation of an intake of graduate engineers, we wanted to provide the MPDS structure necessary to progress them to professional registration.”
“We now have 10 chartered engineers in the engineering department (up from four); three currently progressing through the MPDS scheme and three engineers on Career Learning Assessment (CLA). Thanks to Denis’s support, we have Company Based Registration (CBR) which works very effectively for us.”
Steve added: “We have also held mentorship training with the Institution, so that our chartered engineers can help support the professional development of their colleagues at the Peterlee site and potentially at other businesses too. Currently, eight of our chartered engineers are also mentors.”
The aim at Caterpillar is to encourage staff to develop their leadership and coaching skills and to create aspiration and motivation for existing and incoming engineers. Professional registration not only gives engineers a professional outlook, it also enhances their status among peers and clients.
Mike explained the scope and expectation at Caterpillar, which includes the development of apprentices: “The MPDS is helping us to increase the number of registered engineers, from apprentices to graduates to experienced engineers, as we encourage everyone in our business to actively engage in their own career development.
“Apprentices at Caterpillar are automatically enrolled onto an accredited programme, and registered as Engineering Technicians with the Institution on completion. For some there is the option, where applicable, to continue with their learning and professional development.”
Hayley Clarke is currently a developing engineer, and is finding the structure and challenges on the MPDS help to broaden her range of competencies: "MPDS is beneficial because it gives you key milestones to aim for and objectives to hit. I find that the most valuable part is meeting with my mentor on a monthly basis. This not only provides me with the feedback, advice and guidance I need but I also learn a lot when he shares his own experiences.”
After 25 years in engineering, Adam Lambert CEng MIMechE found that company-based registration (CBR) in place with the Institution at Caterpillar was the impetus he needed to see his application for chartership through.
He said: “Working through the process with colleagues was a great motivator. With the support of people like Denis Healy and Ken Ball, the process was clearly explained and any queries answered. By far the hardest part for me was summarising a quarter of a century’s experience in to just a few hundred words. Then, it took less than four months to go from just talking about membership to getting the confirmation letter.”
Rhys Taylor EngTech MIMechE followed the Institution's approved apprentice scheme at Peterlee. He feels the scheme was a great way to integrate him into the working environment and gave him the opportunity to gain a career-enhancing range of skills and hands-on training and experience.
Rhys said: “Calling on the experience of work colleagues has been a massive part of my development. Gaining knowledge from people who have been in the industry for many years is very valuable.”
Find out more about the ways in which the Institution supports employers and engineers to achieve professional registration.