Hi

I am planning to apply for CEng. registration with IMeche. Please can anyone advise on the average time taken by IMeche to review the Professional Review Report and intimate if one is selected for interview.

Thanks

Hello I am little confused why you are querying IMechE review time, however I can advise that for the IET it can be a very long time. I applied in June 2011, my application was reviewed within 2 months, but then I had to wait a further 4 months (with no communication in between) to be notified of an interview date. Also, the QRPD (I think this is equivilant of your Professional Review Report?) was not seen by the interviewers, so therefore I do not believe it was considered with my application. I found this surprising and frustrating during the interview. I have questioned this with the institute, but still await reply of whether the QRPD I submitted was taken into account.

Edited: 07 February 2012 at 06:27 PM by atw

Apologies but I could not find any specific forum for IMeche queries. I just thought that somebody might share their experience.

Are such long waits usual for CEng registration with all professional bodies? I have recently moved from the USA. I have Licensed Professional Registration in USA and was considering CEng to expand my career prospects in the UK. I have also been advised for Academic Review of the degrees. I am not fully aware if these waits are usual. I was just speculating that the whole process may take up to an year in that case.

The process for applying for CEng is covered on the IMechE website. It has changed as from 1st January so you do not need to write a Professional Review Report (PRR) - it is now a single form to be completed. The PRR will be accepted up until end March.
You will need to have your academics checked - there is a form on the website called "qualification checker" but as you have an overseas degree I suggest you send an e-mail to "membership@imeche.org" giving details of your qualifications. As you are licenced in USA there may be a reciprocal arrangement for membership of IMechE - worth checking.
I also suggest you contact your Regional Business Development Manager who can give you much more assistance to get Chartered - contact details for your local BDM can be obtained from IMechE HQ in London.
Your BDM can also help to check your application and work through the process.
Concerning timing - there is a relatively short time to have your papers reviewed and then you attend a Professional Review Interview. Following this you should hear back within 6 - 12 weeks depending on when the Review Panel sits (They meet once a quarter).
Hope this helps

IMechE arrangements are an unusual subject on these forums, but I note that there is reference in several recent threads.
I would not seek to advise on the IMechE process, although some people hold joint membership or are "shopping around". For readers unaware of the history. The IET was created by merger and it was intended that the IMechE would become part of the IET. However a vote of IMechE members at the time chose instead to pursue an independent path.

The IET has many professionally registered members who would consider their background or current activities as primarily "mechanical" in nature.

The IET decided some time ago that mandating a lengthy QPRD report from every single applicant was not appropriate. There are some benefits from gathering evidence in a structured way against the UK-SPEC competences, especially as part of a development programme, but for an experienced engineer these benefits may be slight in relation to the time required. Additional evidence is now only requested on a "as required" basis by IET assessors, an approach which has been well-proven in efficiency and quality of results. A minority of applications can still become slowed or "stuck" for various reasons, but most are put in front of an initial assessment panel held every few days and many are complete (four separate review stages) within around a quarter or less. All the evidence submitted is made available to assessors, although they may choose to focus on what they see as most relevant, especially during a time constrained interview.

We often work collaboratively with the IMechE and both institutions have rigorous processes designed to achieve similar standards.We have shared our process changes with the IMechE and other institutions.

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Roy Bowdler IEng FIET FCIPD
IET Registration & Standards