CPD and the ICE business plan were discussed at the latest meeting.
At its last meeting of the year, ICE Trustees discussed a number of topics including continuing professional development, the future of ICE knowledge provision and the ICE Plan for 23-27.
The sad death of the Queen has touched many across the world, and the meeting opened with thanks to Her late Majesty for her service to the country, and in particular her role as a patron of the ICE.
Continuous Professional Development
The ICE's director of membership took trustees through a recap of the journey that ICE has undertaken in getting to this point.
Professional engineering institutions (PEIs) have required their members to undertake continuous professional development (CPD) for a number of years and in 2018 recording this CPD became compulsory.
In the intervening years, a number of reports, including the ICE-commissioned In Plain Sight report, have recommended new approaches to CPD in order to assure society of the competence of engineers.
As a result, ICE introduced a new CPD framework in 2021 covering core topics including safety, risk and ethics, which it recommended members cover when undertaking CPD.
To support members with their development, ICE has introduced an engaging new Knowledge Hub, offering over 60 learning modules.
Trustees supported the idea of moving progressively towards the goal of further ensuring the competence of engineers by exploring through-career competency checks.
Trustees will launch a consultation with Council and with the wider membership over the coming year to ensure the views of all members are understood to enable the best CPD system to be implemented.
Future of ICE knowledge provision
The pandemic accelerated the increase in the use of digital learning platforms, but also the way knowledge is collated and disseminated.
Trustees acknowledged that the ICE is doing a good job being a step ahead of other organisations, with its Knowledge Hub that has been well-received by members.
The hub already hosts over 60 multimedia-rich modules, and the ICE aims to increase this to 80 by the end of the year.
But technology moves at a rapid pace and the ICE must ensure that its digital learning offer keeps pace with these advances to make sure that it continues to offer a good experience for members.
And it must make sure that the content within the modules offers something unique to the ICE as part of the institution’s value proposition.
It needs to ensure that it signposts existing content that offers additional learning opportunities.
Trustees endorsed the ICE‘s plan to commission market research into best-in-class knowledge delivery platforms.
The ICE Plan
Trustees have discussed the content of the ICE Plan at length over the last few months and, alongside Council, have been able to offer their input.
The final plan was approved by trustees, who noted that this year’s plan had been successfully delivered.
They looked ahead to next year at how the ICE could deploy its resources to truly accelerate its programme.
International fees pilot
The ICE, alongside many other PEIs, has traditionally looked at growing and qualifying its membership in pursuit of its royal charter responsibilities, particularly in non-UK territories.
Over the last few years, the institution has recognised that practising engineers, whether members or not, value the knowledge and insight that ICE provides as much as the qualification.
But it is important to ensure that the institution understands the reasons why many potential international members fail to join the ICE after training, be they cultural, regulatory, academic or financial.
As part of an exercise to explore this, trustees agreed a three-year pilot in Malaysia and Sudan to better understand why students fail to take up the GMICE (Graduate member) membership grade.
New beginnings
This was my last meeting as president and chair of the Trustee Board, and the final meeting of Richard Threlfall, Andy Alder and Julie Bregulla as they make way for new trustees in October.
I offered my thanks to them all as they leave the board. They have all made a valuable contribution as board members, and I know that they will continue to offer their expertise to the ICE.
I thanked the board for its support during my year as ICE president.
I am reassured to be handing over to Keith Howells in November, knowing the board and the presidency will be in very safe hands.
