Ghada Mohamed El-Mahdy, professor of structural engineering at the British University in Egypt, shares why she became a Fellow.
I’ve been an engineer for 36 years. I’m also a professional engineer in the Province of Alberta in Canada.
I reached out to the ICE and pursued chartership and then Fellowship because I want the civil engineering programme at the British University in Egypt to become accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM).
That’s important as it affirms and recognises the quality of the teaching we do here.
For that to happen, 50% of our teaching staff need to be members of one of the JBM institutions. So, I became a Chartered Engineer with the ICE.
On the day that happened, I was approached by one of the ICE regional directors who suggested that as a professor, I should consider ICE Fellowship as the highest grade of membership.
He took my business card and that started the process.
The importance of finding sponsors
The written part of the Fellowship application was far more straightforward than the Chartered professional review.
More challenging, given geography, was finding sponsors.
There were no other ICE Fellows in Egypt at the time, and only a few in the Middle East and North Africa region.
As Egypt becomes more internationalised – which it must – having more professionally qualified civil engineers is going to be increasingly important.
Ghada el-Mahdy
I received a lot of support from the ICE regional director and the membership development officer based in Dubai who helped source sponsors for me.
Hopefully, this is something that will get easier in my region in the future, as the number of ICE Fellows grows.
There’s now another ICE Fellow in Egypt, for instance, and I was able to sponsor them.
Potential ICE Fellows should concentrate on getting good-quality sponsors.
Transforming local attitudes to chartership
We have a student chapter here in the university who, after they graduate, don’t tend to consider chartership.
We give a dual degree here at the British University – a UK one and an Egyptian one – but once students leave, they tend not to pursue any higher professional qualifications.
By promoting the ICE, I want to encourage that to change and give them a better international standing.
As Egypt becomes more internationalised – which it must – having more professionally qualified civil engineers is going to be increasingly important.
ICE Fellowship increased my visibility
Becoming a Fellow has led to me receiving invitations to review promotion papers from across the Middle East.
Adding the post-nominals after my name on social media has increased my network.
It’s encouraged people to approach me for sponsorship and I’m currently working through the process with another colleague.
Social networking is very important and is going to become even more so in the coming years.
Adding the post-nominals (FICE) after my name on social media has increased my network.
Ghada el-Mahdy
I’m hoping to use my increased visibility to progress JBM accreditation and to normalise pursuit of professional qualifications here in Egypt.
Potentially, that could include internships in the UK and result in even more civil engineers from my region becoming members and progressing from graduates to Chartered Civil Engineers to ICE Fellows.
Joining a wonderful network
I think that anyone in the senior years of their career should consider ICE Fellowship.
It’s internationally recognised and a wonderful network to be part of.
Before I became a Fellow, I thought it was an awesome achievement. Now I am one.
If you’ve at least 10-20 years’ experience and have achieved an appropriately senior level within your organisation, I’d strongly recommend going for it.
