Contents

Fellows in the North West
Interested in becoming a Fellow?
Personal accounts
 

Fellows in the North West
 

There are more than 300 Fellows in the North West. We ensure that our Fellows are given the opportunity to be as engaged with the Institution as they would like to be.  We hold a twice yearly Fellows Forum in Manchester City Centre.  These Forums are themed around current developments in the industry, or the institution, and usually play host to a guest speaker followed by a short debate.  Attendees at the Forum are also given the opportunity to contribute to the regional input to ICE’s State of The Nation Report and to communicate best practice with each other through a web-based Community of Practice.  Our Fellows are also given exclusive access to a meeting with the current ICE President each year, during the Presidential visit to the Region.  Many of our Fellows also sit on expert panels at both national and regional level.

Interested in becoming a Fellow?

The grade of Fellow is the highest and most senior grade of ICE Membership. It is for senior civil engineers who have made a significant contribution to the civil engineering profession or have advanced the practice of engineering. Fellows can use the post nominal letters FICE.

Fellows are engaged in a position of responsibility in the promotion, planning, design, construction, maintenance or management of important engineering work. This may involve responsibility for a significant portfolio of projects, acknowledged expertise in a technical subject area or delivery of engineering education and training.

Why become a Fellow? 

• Be recognised as outstandingly proficient in the broad field of civil engineering
• Be recognised by the Institution for your outstanding achievements and attributes.
• Affirm your role as a champion of the Institution with a commitment to uphold and develop the the Institution's values and traditions
• Be a role model for future generations of civil engineers
• Put something back in to the profession, and the Institution, via Fellows Forums and Expert Panels

How do I apply?
You don't need to wait to be invited! Anyone who meets the criteria can apply for the grade of FICE. You need to meet the requirements in ICE 3007A– Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The most common route is transfer from another grade of membership.

What are the criteria?
See ICE 3007A– Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers Appendix A for the 14 attributes against which you should assess yourself.  You need to show significant achievement in at least one of these.

Seven of the attributes relate to managerial/organisational achievement, four to technical achievement and three relate to achievement through contribution to the institution or society.

When transferring to FICE (from MICE or TMICE) the application is submission based and will not usually require an interview.  The Fellowship Panel review submissions at four panel meetings in each calendar year – application deadline dates are on the key dates page of the ICE website.

What if I'm not sure I fully meet the criteria?
You can ask the Fellowship Panel for an informal review of your CV, before making the full application.  In the North West we also have a Fellowship Advisory Panel, who will confidentially review applicants’ CVs and give advice on their application.

What next?  
If you think it may be for you, contact your Membership Development Officer for confidential advice or an informal discussion.

More information
More information on the ICE website on becoming a Fellow
Key dates
Contact your Membership Development Officer for advice and information
 

Personal accounts
 

“I was encouraged to apply to become a Fellow by colleagues and did so successfully in 2004 at the age of 36, ten years after becoming chartered. The recognition is nice on a personal level. It has also been incredibly useful professionally. I’d recommend applying to become a Fellow to anyone who thinks they qualify. It’s worthwhile to get assistance with your application.” Patrick Waterhouse is a director of Bowdon Consulting and a senior ICE Reviewer.

“It gradually dawned on me that what I was doing professionally was what some of the near God like ICE Fellows I had known in my early career did. Fellowship of the ICE is not easy to attain; the rigour with which my application was scrutinised left me in no doubt about that. Being harder to attain makes any prize more valuable. So what do I use my Fellowship for? Certainly not as a weapon with which to beat up and claim eminence over lesser mortals. The lighthouse on the ICE crest gives the best clue. A beacon to guide or to act as a horrible warning.” Chris Jones works for Jacobs.

"Achieving FICE demonstrates an enhanced standing in the engineering fraternity, and in my case it was a prerequisite for me attaining the position of Chief Civil Engineer at Sellafield Ltd. It also provides an acknowledgement, by
your chosen profession, of your knowledge, experience and commitment to civil engineering. Following guidance from ICE documents and that of established Fellows allowed me to attain FICE with little difficulty. When prospective applicants are considering transfer to Fellow, they must realistically assess themselves against the attributes required of a FICE." John Riding, Chief Civil Engineer, Sellafield Ltd.

"I had thought about applying to become a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers for a while before I actually applied. Although I was acting in a senior business position of responsibility, and met the attributes of a Fellow, I thought I would be too young at just 38. However, I decided to apply, and was absolutely delighted when I found out I had been successful. I found the process quite straightforward and stress free. The key was to ensure that my CV was tailored towards demonstrating the attributes of a Fellow rather than documenting my work as a Business Director and Project Manager. The other challenge was to find three suitable Fellows to sponsor me but within my organisation this proved quite easy. I would urge anybody thinking of becoming a Fellow to apply, as it is the highest accolade that the Institution can award and demonstrates your own professional standing." Mark Brown, Technical Director – Highways, Hyder Consulting.