This page has been designed to answer questions raised by your responses to the ICE Member Satisfaction Survey.

We hope that it will explain a bit more about the role of ICE South West and the many opportunities available to members.

Broad and Inclusive Membership

Is there any membership support available to me locally regarding the ICE qualification process?

Yes. There are three Membership Development Officers (MDOs) in the South West, each covering a separate part of the region and responsible for working with different companies. They are all able to provide guidance and support regarding the qualification process. 

All three of our MDOs work part time and they always aim to respond to enquiries within five working days (which is two weeks for them). Often they will manage to respond sooner.

Our MDOs visit companies with training schemes once each year, and they also hold membership seminars. 

For more details on the three MDOs and the training we offer, see our education page. If you have any enquiries and want to get in touch with an MDO, please call us on 01752 766239 or email ice.southwest@ice.org.uk

What communications should I be receiving from ICE South West?

We send out a monthly enewsletter, which will go to your registered email address, unless you have opted out.

We also send out: reminders about some of our events; Fulcrum magazine (produced twice annually, sent once digitally and once in hard copy); an event guide (which in 2012 will be attached to your magazine); quarterly Connect briefing sheet for Fellows, MPs and Local Enterprise Partnerships.

See our publications page for some examples of our communications.


I haven't seen any evidence that ICE South West promotes civil engineering to young people. Does ICE get involved with this?

ICE South West does a lot of work to promote careers in civil engineering and we keep a record of the number of pre-19s we have seen, including those seen by members. Between January and August 2012 we recorded 33 different promotional activities and saw over 3,000 students. Events include our Create Sport Challenge, attending the Big Bang Science Fair in Exeter and supporting numerous schools careers conventions. We also try to get the Bridge to Schools project (a replica of the second Severn Crossing) across from Wales when we can. 

If you would like to get involved as an ambassador (we have more than 80 in our region so far) or would simply like more information, please contact Regional Education Coordinator Joanne Mallard at joanne.mallard@ice.org.uk or on 01752 766230. You can also visit our schools' liaison page.

Knowledge Transfer

I can't go all the way to London for events. What meetings and events are held locally to me?

In the South West we operate City Clubs and have 11 in total. All of the details are on our City Clubs page. The aim is to have events that are accessible to as many people as possible, and each club aims to have 10 free evening events per year. 

We also hold 6-8 seminars per year in the region. You can find details of all our events, including City Clubs, seminars and our annual awards dinner, on our events page.   


It would be good to have lectures available digitally. Can I view any events online?

Yes you can. Although our South West events are not available live, we do aim to record one evening presentation a year for our online lectures site. Other regions also record some of their events, as does One Great George Street. You can therefore access a wealth of online lectures free of charge at www.cpdlectures.com 

You may find that some of the events held at One Great George Street will be available for live viewing. A full list of all of the ICE events is available on the main ICE events page and further details are accessible using the links.  


Does ICE South West ever work with other institutions to deliver knowledge to members?

We work with other institutions as often as possible. For example, we have co-badged events with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Royal Institution of British Architects, The Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics, The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and the Institution of Engineering and Technology, to name a few.
 
In May 2012, ICE Truro hosted an evening Construction Industry Council forum focussing on development in Cornwall and the work of the Local Enterprise Partnership. This was attended by over 50 people.

Public Voice

I never see any mention of ICE in the media. Does ICE South West have a profile locally?

It certainly does. You can access the full quarterly media reports via our press centre page - just click the ICE in the news tab. You will find a regional breakdown of coverage within the reports.


It seems that only large, high profile projects get any promotion or engagement, such as articles in NCE. How can I engage with ICE to promote my local projects?

Our City Club talks often focus on specific local projects, so you are welcome to contact us to be considered as a volunteer speaker. Contact us via ice.southwest@ice.org.uk if you'd like to speak on a specific project or topic.

Our awards are also a fantastic way to raise the profile of your project, as nominated and winning projects often receive media coverage. The awards are free to enter and there are three award categories: projects costing over £1m; projects costing less than £1m; Community Award. Find further details on our Civil Engineering Project of the Year Awards page. 


How does ICE, and ICE South West in particular, work with politicians and decision makers?

You will find a wealth of information about how ICE engages with key decision makers at a national level on our main public affairs page.
 
In the South West, we engage with regional MPs and Local Enterprise Partnerships regularly. We issue a quarterly briefing sheet called Connect, which features both national and regional updates, and we always ensure that regional MPs are issued with State of the Nation reports. We have had some good feedback on the briefing sheet.

Trish Johnson, Regional Director, has also met with some local MPs to discuss regional issues.  


The general public often has no idea what civil engineering is. How is ICE trying to change this?

Look out for our new This is Civil Engineering campaign, developed and piloted by ICE Wales Cymru. The scheme features signage at civil engineering sites, highlighting the work as civil engineering. The signs also feature QR codes for quick and easy access to a special page on the ICE website, to find out more about civil engineering. 

Obviously, we are also engaging in the schools work mentioned above to try and educate younger generations about what civil engineering is and how essential it is to their everyday lives.

All strands

Where can I find a copy of the ICE South West aims and objectives?

You can find the ICE strategic plans for 2012-2015 online. The aims and objectives for the South West are displayed on the ICE South West home page.