How do I set up an Approved Training Scheme?
Employers who wish to be approved by the ICE should first contact one of the Membership Development Officers (MDOs) at ICE London.

The MDOs will discuss the development of a training scheme with an interested organisation and provide guidance on what the scheme must cover.  The actual development of the scheme is the organisation’s responsibility. Each scheme will be unique, should cover all grades of ICE membership, and be designed to explain to a trainee and the Supervising Civil Engineers (SCEs) how a particular organisation intends to provide the experience and mentoring support for approved training.

When completed, schemes should be passed to the MDO for feedback and approval. Formal submission of a scheme should be accompanied by an application for inclusion on the List of Approved Employers. Prospective employers seeking approval should complete form ICE 3140 (please see fees page of the ICE website for training scheme and training agreement registration fees).

What is an SCE?
An organisation setting up an approved training scheme is required to nominate a mentor for each trainee.  This mentor is called the Supervising Civil Engineer (SCE) and must:

• want to be a mentor
• have a position in an organisation which allows him/her to influence the career of a trainee
• if not employed by the organisation, have the character and personality to influence senior people within the organisation.

Guidance on the role of an SCE is given in MGN 12 (UK-based) or MGN 12a (non-UK). 

How do I register as an SCE? 
all SCEs must be approved by ICE. This normally follows a briefing on their role and responsibilities by an MDO.  Prospective SCEs seeking approval should complete and submit form ICE 3141.

How do I get a training agreement?
You must find an employer who has an approved training scheme, is prepared to employ you and register you on the scheme. The ICE Approved Employers Search can be used to identify companies operating an approved training scheme.

Do I need a training agreement to become qualified?
If you are not registered on a training agreement you can still progress towards becoming qualified by submitting documentation of your self-managed training to the ICE and applying for a career appraisal.

What is the difference between being a member and being professionally qualified?
There are several grades of membership - see membership grades and how to join for more information:

• Student: a member who is studying an undergraduate educational qualification in Civil Engineering
• Graduate: a member who has completed an undergraduate educational qualification and is working towards a professional grade of membership.

Student and graduate are not grades of professional membership. The grades listed below are the professional grades which are usually achieved by passing the Professional Review after which you can place the appropriate post nominal letters after your name (e.g. TMICE, MICE, AMICE, FICE).

• Technician Member: a member who has passed the Technician Professional Review
• Member: a member who has passed the Member Professional Review or the Chartered Professional Review
• Associate Member: a member who has passed the Associate Member Professional Review. Associate members are engaged in a profession that directly supports or is closely allied with the work of civil engineers  operating in the built environment.  
• Fellow: a member who has made a significant contribution to the civil engineering profession. This is the most senior grade of membership.

Who can become a sponsor?
ICE by-laws require that applications for membership must have three sponsors, or two for TMICE. The lead sponsor has to be a member of the ICE. The other two sponsors can be ICE members, members of another engineering council, a licensed professional institution (a list can be obtained from the Engineering Council website at (www.engc.org.uk), or members of an organisation with which ICE has a Mutual Exemption Agreement (MEA). All three sponsors must at the equivalent grade of membership or above to that of the application. Sponsorship is not merely support for a colleague or friend. It is a protection of the values and standards of the Institution and the profession

I don't have a sponsor, what can I do?
The sponsor has to be somebody who knows you personally (and is suitably qualified, see above). If you have difficulty identifying somebody in your organisation (or an organisation where you previously worked) then contact an MDO in your Regional Support Team who may be able to help in identifying a suitable person.

How do I sign up for a written assignment group?
The written assignment groups in the London Region are run by members of the Graduate and Students Committee. Contact the Regional Administrator who will be able to put you in contact with the appropriate person.

Is my degree or other academic qualification recognised?
This is the first question you need to ask if you are aiming for professional membership of the Institution.  If you studied Civil Engineering in the UK then it is very likely that your qualification is accredited for a particular grade of membership of the ICE.  If you studied civil engineering overseas then the ICE has a procedure for determining for which grade of membership your  qualification forms the “educational base”.  Details of all academic qualifications worldwide are not known to the ICE and consequently not automatically recognised by us. If that is the case with your qualification, you will be required to be assessed on an individual basis by the ICE’s Academic Qualifications Panel (AQP). Visit the Academic Assessment ICE webpage for further information and AQP online to make your application for assessment online.

What is an accredited degree?
An accredited course is one that is deemed to have satisfied all or part one of the educational base required for a particular grade of membership with Engineering Council registration.  Certain courses may require further learning to fulfil part 2 of the educational base requirements for a particular grade of membership.

The Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Institution of Highways and Transportation, and the Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers have formed the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) to work and strengthen links with universities. The JBM assesses and makes recommendations on the accreditation of relevant educational programmes that it will accept as meeting the requirement to register as a professional engineer with the Engineering Council - the body responsible for regulating the engineering profession within the UK.

How can I check if my degree is accredited?
Visit the website of the Joint Board of Moderators: www.jbm.org.uk and see if your degree is listed there.

I am a graduate member, has my degree been automatically checked?
No, the Institution only checks your degree when you apply to take the Professional Review or when you apply for an Academic Assessment.  This sometimes leads to disappointment among Professional Review candidates who are told that their educational qualification is not sufficient for the grade of membership for which they are applying. Therefore it is important for each graduate member to check the status of their degree either by looking at the Joint Board of Moderators website or by applying for an Academic Assessment.

I am an experienced engineer, how can I become a professionally qualified member?
An engineer at any stage of their career can follow the standard route and apply for a Career Appraisal (which assesses self-managed Initial Professional Development) followed by a Professional Review.  (The process of applying for a Career Appraisal is described in Membership Guidance Note MGN 11.)

The Institution has recently introduced an “Experienced Civil Engineer Pathway” which is particularly intended for experienced, non-professionally qualified civil engineers who are operating in the civil engineering industry overseeing and responsible for the work undertaken by ICE’s professionally qualified Members.  This process is tailored to those in positions of responsibility with extensive experience of practicing in the civil engineering industry and is described in Membership Guidance Note MGN 49.

I want to become a Civil Engineer
Civil Engineering is a rewarding career for both men and women.  You will need some educational qualifications, a period of training at work and you will aspire to one of the professionally qualified grades of membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers.  The Regional Support Team of ICE London contains a number of Membership Development Officers whose job is to offer you support and advice at whatever stage you are at in aiming towards this goal.  Please contact us!

What counts as CPD?
(The following answer is extracted from Appendix D of ICE 3006 A: Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The following activities may be recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers as CPD activities.  Please note that this list of activities is not exhaustive and other activities may be considered to be appropriate by the Institution when justified in development terms:

• Learning on the job
• Peer guidance and discussion
• In-house presentations
• Attending trade exhibitions and systematically gathering information and knowledge to develop as an engineer
• Structured reading (test your understanding of the reading material)
• Work shadowing to add to your stack of knowledge and expertise for routine tasks
• Promoting engineering in primary and secondary schools
• Technical presentations
• Writing reports / writing for publication
• Preparation of CPD presentations to colleagues and other professionals
• Exposure to new situations at work which require action
• Participating in careers conventions
• Job secondment
• Regional ICE Events
• Watching training videos and television programmes including the Civil Engineers' Channel from TEN
• Listening to training audio tapes and viewing CD Roms for research purposes and technical information
• Participating in Institution activities such as acting as a reviewer, a Student Liaison Officer or membership of committees where new initiatives and ideas are discussed
• Sharing knowledge and expertise with others
• Allied professions events
• Acting as a coach or mentor for a fellow professional
• Lecturing at organised events
• Research both on the job and for further qualification
• Teaching (for those not in teaching post)
• Self study through reading text books or study packs
• Personal learning from the internet
• Validated and Accredited qualifications
• Formal distance and open learning courses
• Courses, conferences, seminars and workshops