Institution news
MPDS is the Institution’s preferred, approved and quality controlled route for graduate engineers who want to register as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) or Incorporated Engineer (IEng). It leads directly to professional registration, but the employer organisations must have MPDS accreditation from the Institution in place. The scheme provides a structured development framework that will lead to professional registration; Chartered Engineer mentors within the company can support and monitor up to three candidates each.
NOV Downhole has celebrated a renewal of its accredited MPDS, while QuEST Global has achieved a significant landmark, in difficult economic times, in its journey towards setting up its company scheme.
In 2011, QuEST Global acquired GKN Aerospace Engineering Services and in March 2012 opened a new UK base Filton. Grenville Hill, Deputy Chief Engineer, Emerging Business QuEST Global Engineering, took on the task of recruiting and training graduate engineers. QuEST offers its engineers a great breadth and diversity of work which leads to a broad range of engineering expertise and experience. He quickly recognised that graduates are keen to become Chartered Engineers via a structured training programme, so it was important to offer MPDS.
With support from Alan King, the Institution’s Business Development Manager for South West Region, Grenville took steps to set up the scheme. Crucially, he had first to identify and encourage QuEST Global engineers with the right academics and experience to become Chartered in order that they could mentor individuals. The company is now in a position to work on the future ambition of offering structured training for graduate engineers.
Grenville and engineering colleagues James Richardson and Louise Kemp, Head of Engineering at QuEST, all undertook professional registration through an Institution company-based registration scheme. Louise said: “I am delighted to have been accepted by the Institution as a full member and a Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council. It means a lot to me as an individual and also to QuEST UK as it helps us in our steps towards getting an accredited graduate training scheme in place. I am looking forward to being able to offer our graduates qualified mentors, and helping them to develop their engineering skills under the guidance of the Institution’s codes of conduct.”
Alan said: “On behalf of the Institution I congratulate Louise, James and Grenville on their achievements. QuEST is growing rapidly as a business, and I am working closely with the company to help them set up its MPDS and an Engineering Technician (EngTech) programme on this site.”
NOV Downhole is a division of National Oilwell Varco (NOV), a multinational company based in Houston, Texas. NOV is a worldwide provider of oilfield service equipment and components for the oil and gas industry.
Over the last two decades, NOV Downhole’s ReedHycalog™ drill bit manufacturing centre in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire has been providing MPDS for industrial placement students and graduates, helping them to attain the professional qualifications affiliated with the Institution.
In Stonehouse, NOV focuses on the analysis, design and manufacture of diamond fixed cutter drill bits for the global market. The business has been growing significantly since its infancy in the early 1980s. Currently there are twelve design engineers, with more than half involved with the Institution and affiliated with the MPDS.
Alan King, on behalf of the Institution (which can accredit an MPDS for a maximum of three years at a time) was delighted to attend a special day at NOV at which the successful renewal of accreditation was celebrated. The event included all members of the engineering group involved with the MPDS scheme, featuring presentations of their work and a tour of the design and manufacturing site. The health and longevity of the scheme was also discussed, which is an issue of great importance to the organisation, to ensure that the scheme can be offered to future generations of graduates and employees alike.
NOV has developed an extremely strong relationship with the Institution, including on-site presentations, potential sponsorship opportunities and EngTech qualifications. The company takes professional development seriously and encourages all new staff to become involved with Institution’s events.
To find out more about MPDS and developing graduate engineers within your company: http://www.imeche.org/membership/employers-and-accreditation or contact a Business Development Manager in your area: bdm@imeche.org