For many engineers, once they’ve got a degree and worked as a professional for several years, chartership can be the next logical step in their career. It has benefits such as recognition of your level of experience, commitment to engineering and professionalism, as well as greater career opportunities and the ability to countersign identification documents as an “appropriate person”.
Being a chartered engineer means you are a member of an institution and are registered with the engineering council. To be registered with the engineering council, you must demonstrate that you’ve got the required qualifications and professional experiences.
A misconception is that a chartered engineer knows everything about engineering and has seen it all… The first part of the code of conduct is to ensure that you have the required competence to undertake the work you are undertaking as no one can know everything. You should also take steps to continually improve your knowledge.
My route to being a registered engineer started when I was in year 11. I was accepted into a technology college where I already had a keen interest in building things. The college had dedicated wings for both science and design / technology subjects. Some of the subjects included the use of Pro/DESKTOP and later Pro/ENGINEER CAD software which I enjoyed using as tools for design as well as using the CNC and laser cutter machines for prototyping / manufacturing.
Later, in my secondary education, I went on work experience placements at Airbus and Rolls Royce which cemented my desire to become an engineer.
To work in engineering, I decided I wanted to go down the degree route so focused my A-levels towards what was required: Maths, Physics and Product Design. Following my A-level studies, I got accepted onto a BEng course at Cardiff University.
After my 2nd year I had achieved a high enough grade to switch from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree. As well as a change in qualification type, I took a year out to work at the electrosurgical medical company Gyrus ACMI (now Olympus Surgical). On this placement, I understood how to apply what I’d learnt during my degree to real world problems and how to conduct myself in a professional organization.
After earning a 2:1 Master of Engineering degree, I started a job as a graduate engineer at the metrology company, Renishaw, where I worked in there additive manufacturing division. I worked directly on the next generation of metal powder 3D printers. During my 6 years working at Renishaw, I worked up to the level of Senior Mechanical Design Engineer.
Prior to starting as a Lead Engineer at Haughton Design, MD, David Mills encouraged me to gain my chartership status as he understood the benefits it could bring to his company. It was nice having the support of a company even prior to starting work with them – this is the way HD operate throughout, they understand the benefits of improving their employees.
Chartered engineer, Jack, discusses the benefits of FEA for product and medical device development
Several of my colleagues at my previous company were chartered engineers with one engineer being a Fellow in the IMechE who encouraged and helped me with my application process. A relative who is a chartered engineer in a different discipline also helped review my application. You need 2 sponsors to review, and counter sign your application. 1 of those sponsors must be a chartered engineer themselves although can be a member of any institution.
2 weeks after submitting my application form, I got an email inviting me to an interview in Birmingham. Unlike some institutions, the IMechE do not require you to do a presentation, the panel ran through my experiences and quizzed me on my application form. 1 month after my interview I got a letter addressed to Jack Dunkley CEng.
As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the end of my engineering journey, I’m constantly working to develop my knowledge and skills and it’s nice to work at a company like Haughton Design where training and support is always available.
Interested in working with Jack and the team at HD on your product and medical device development projects? Get in touch to discuss how we can help you!
Engineering Director
Jack is a chartered engineer who holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cardiff University. He has experience working with design for injection moulding, machining and sheet metal as well as design for assembly and serviceability. Prior to HD, he worked at metrology company Renishaw for 6 years where he led several complex mechanical projects from initial concepts through to production. He has also worked at electrosurgical medical device manufacturer Olympus Surgical Technologies Europe (Gyrus ACMI).
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