Why retired engineers still need CPD (and why they may be doing it better than you)

Ian Mearns may officially be retired, but that hasn’t killed his love for engineering. “Once you develop a passion for engineering, it stays in your blood,” he says.

To satisfy that passion, Ian is still very much engaged with the profession, working as a part-time tutor and lecturer in engineering at a number of universities, mainly as a practitioner rather than an academic, as well as mentoring through the IMechE MPDS scheme and working as an interview facilitator at Professional Review interviews. In this respect Ian is very much considered an active engineer. 

Ian sees his extracurricular activities as a way of giving back to the profession and helping to develop the next generation of engineers, as well as helping ensure that those working in the profession are competent and delivering work to the public that is of the highest standard with his professional review interview activities.  “I do not see myself as special in any way as I know there are many engineers such as myself who are still professionally active and giving something back to the profession” he says.

“There are a lot of semi-retired engineers such as myself who see this work as a way to help the profession,” he says. “People like myself have built up a lot of experience over the years, and it is important for the next generation of engineers to benefit from that.

“You can’t learn everything from a textbook, there is a practical element as well and it is important to be able to pass on that knowledge, and at the same time build enthusiasm for the profession. I still get a buzz this very day when thinking about engineering design projects, and I hope to pass that enthusiasm on to the next generation of engineers.”

As part of Ian’s ongoing work, he goes through various training courses to improve his soft skills whilst also ensuring that his technical skills are kept up-to-date and relevant. Ian says such CPD work is vitally important for any engineer, even if they are semi-retired.

“CPD is important for anyone who wants to remain professionally active in any shape or form,” he says. “Technology is moving on, and I am experiencing that with the work I am doing with several universities. I do have to keep up-to-date with that new technology, even if I cannot class myself as an expert, and I achieve that through things such as IMechE webinars, regional lectures, events and also through the access I have to the libraries at the universities I work for.

“Completing your CPD also ensures you can remain professionally registered with the Institution, and shows your commitment to keeping your knowledge up to date, which of course is a requirement of the code of conduct.”

“It also keeps you mentally active,” he adds. “When anyone asks me what age I am, I always precede it by “I am a youthful...”!

To help his own CPD, Ian developed a SWOT analysis approach to professional development that has helped him strengthen his weaknesses and build on his existing strengths.

“It is all about having the mental attitude and the keenness and will to keep on learning,” he says. “Once you have that then you just need to take an honest look at yourself, concentrate on your core skills and where you would like to develop and improve.

“I came up with a simple SWOT analysis, which was quite ruthless, but you also have to be realistic about what you are aiming for. Once you have that, it does help you to keep a log of what you need to do in order to achieve your goals.”

“The most challenging part of CPD is certainly recording the work you do properly,” he adds. “But it also leads onto the most enjoyable part where you can look back over what you’ve done and see the proof that you are still learning and hopefully improving.

“That provides great satisfaction for me. The reflective nature of CPD forces you to take stock of what you got out of what you’ve done, and that really helps you with your next level of learning for the future.”

Don’t have access to university libraries? Have a look at our extensive online Library and Archives.