Last year, CIBSE decided it was time its membership process was given an overhaul. We take a look at how the criteria have changed, and just what it all means for prospective and existing members alike
1 May 2004 was a key date for the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. Over the past few years the number of people joining the institution had been growing, but not rapidly enough for a dynamic institution. So last May, CIBSE updated its Royal Charter and launched an initiative to grow its membership.
A year on, the initiative is proving a success; engineers are now joining the institution in ever increasing numbers. In the six months leading up to February’s application closing date for member and associate grades there were 140 applicants, almost double the number who applied in the same period last year. And the trend looks set to continue: CIBSE is expecting its membership to have to increased from 16,000 at the start of 2004 to almost 18,000 by the end of this year. And by 2008, the institution anticipates it will have more than 20,000 members.
The transformation has been brought about by changes to the criteria for membership.
CIBSE is a licensed body of the Engineering Council UK and as such it has the authority to nominate qualified engineers to the UK chartered engineer register. This relationship meant that prior to May last year anyone who wanted to become an associate, member or fellow of the institution had to meet both CIBSE’s and the Engineering Council’s entry criteria.
But in May 2004, the institution’s bylaws were changed to separate the criteria for becoming a member of CIBSE from the requirements for becoming a registered engineer. “The changes allowed CIBSE to take ownership of the criteria for membership,” says Lynn Beattie, director of education and professional development at the institution.
Changing the bylaws has simplified the process for applicants. For those who have already obtained, or are undertaking, a recognised engineering degree the changes will make little difference and their route to membership remains unchanged (see flowchart). However, for experienced, practising building services engineers who do not yet possess the necessary academic qualifications to meet the entry requirements of the Engineering Council, it is now possible to become members of CIBSE. Providing that is – and this is an important proviso – that they can prove their competence as professional engineers.
To ensure potential candidates understand precisely what is required of them in terms of competence, the institution publishes fact sheets, one for each grade of membership, that describe the core competence criteria an application will be judged on. Although the competencies required are different for each level of membership, the themes are common and include topics such as proof of engineering knowledge, an ability to communicate and interact, and engineering activities that contribute to sustainable development.
Beattie is keen to emphasise that these changes to the institution’s bylaws do not mean standards of entry have been lowered. Far from it: CIBSE still operates under licence from the Engineering Council and candidates for corporate membership still have to meet CIBSE’s own rigorous competence standards before being accepted. In fact, the institution’s competency requirements are a sector-specific version of the competence statements used by the Engineering Council for registration.
In addition, CIBSE membership interviews are carried out by CIBSE-trained interviewers from the institution’s interviewers register (see box below). And the Engineering Council has the right to audit all applications.
For practising engineers, the new rules not only make membership of CIBSE easier, they also make the path to registration with the Engineering Council more straightforward. “We appreciate that there are people who have competence as engineers, but do not necessarily have the qualifications to meet the Engineering Council’s entry criteria,” says Beattie. For such engineers, the route to achieving chartered engineer (CEng) status can now be tackled in two steps: by first becoming a member of CIBSE and then taking steps to meet the Engineering Council’s criteria at a later date, through the production of a technical report, for example, as an alternative to the academic route to registration. “It is flexible and allows people to gain membership and registration the best way for them,” Beattie says.
The additional flexibility afforded by the change in the institution’s charter has also made it easier for applicants with highly specialised qualifications, such as acoustic specialists or public health engineers, to join the institution. “One of the reasons the charter was changed was to allow people with specialist engineering degrees, who work as experts in some sectors, to also become active participants in the institution,” says Beattie.
The increased transparency of the application process could be another explanation for the increase in applicants for membership. When it changed the criteria for membership, CIBSE also took the opportunity to brush away the mystique that had been associated with the membership process by publishing information on the application process (see application timetable).
To further demystify the application process, CIBSE arranges membership briefing sessions; these are hosted nationally and internationally to explain the routes to membership, the application process and to give potential applicants the opportunity to discuss their application with CIBSE staff and the institution’s registered interviewers. As part of the session, the interviewers also explain how to prepare for, and what to expect from, the professional review and competence review interviews. Beattie says: “Between 35% and 40% of applicants for members will have attended a briefing session.”
Whatever the reason for the increase in numbers, the institution and its members stand to benefit. “A modern day institution should be a knowledge hub – and we want everybody to participate in creating and sharing knowledge in this hub,” Beattie explains. She describes building services as “a broad church” and says significant growth at the institution will mean that services to members will expand and develop under the influence of a broader group of practitioners in areas such as sustainability. “The institution is very different; it is not like it was 10 years ago.”
The inside story: the interviewer interviewed
What made you become a CIBSE interviewer?
I wanted to become actively involved with CIBSE so I enquired about the availability of appropriate positions and I was appointed to the training panel [which is no longer in existence]. From there it was a natural step to becoming an interviewer.
Are you involved in professional review interviews, for registration with the Engineering Council, and competence review interviews?
I am involved with both. The standard is the same for both and the process is similar, as it should be – there must not be a two-speed process.
How many people can a candidate expect on an interview panel?
The requirement of the Engineering Council UK is for two interviewers of the same grade of membership or higher than that the candidate is being interviewed for. The only exception to this is for the senior candidate route, which will be discontinued shortly, for which there must be three interviewers.
Do you sit on other interview panels?
I have in the past interviewed for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The process is broadly similar since the candidates have to demonstrate their technical and professional competence to the interviewers. In particular they have to demonstrate they have sufficient experience and responsibility to satisfy the Engineering Council UK criteria for the grade for which they are applying. They do this by presenting their experience and then having a dialogue with the interviewers.
What skills do you need to be an interviewer?
You must understand the requirements of Engineering Council as they are interpreted by CIBSE – these are very clearly laid down on the website. You must also have an interest in people: candidates are often nervous before the interview starts so to get the interviewer needs to be able to put them at east to get the best out of them. Most importantly, a successful interviewer must be a good listener and be interested in the candidate’s story. All good interviewers are aware that it is the candidate’s opportunity to demonstrate their competence, and their responsibility to listen and interpret that against the standards required.
If there was one piece of advice you could give a candidate before an interview what would it be?
Prepare properly. Think about how you intend to demonstrate your competence in your presentation and rehearse it. It is not necessary to have a scripted presentation, but you should have an idea of what you wish to say, since this will enable a candidate to demonstrate their competence most effectively. If you are properly prepared you are more likely to be relaxed during the process. I want candidates to relax and enjoy themselves, as much as they can; this makes the interview much more pleasurable for both parties.
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