HEALTHCARE ESTATES 2019 KEYNOTES
experiential route – using your learning, work, and experience.” He emphasised that there was ‘no age barrier’ to becoming a registrant; the process was ‘open to anyone, at any time’, with ‘no limitation on what could be considered’. He explained: “Many people think there is some kind of ceiling, but in fact a lot of work goes into trying to make the pathways to registration as inclusive as possible.” There was, for example, a way that the Engineering Council could assess non-accredited degrees as ‘evidence’
The third edition of the UK-SPEC; a new version is due for publication in the next few months.
towards registration against the UK- SPEC.
‘Self-directed’ learning Many individuals seeking registration with the Engineering Council came forward with ‘evidence of self-directed learning’. Alasdair Coates said: “What’s fascinating is that we have lots of evidence of this route from members who have done this at different ages, and at different stages of their career. Many have been able to influence the next generation.” Inspirational leaders were, the Engineering Council CEO said, ‘really important for that young generation of engineers coming through’. Turning to apprenticeships, and the speaker said these were ‘a really key area’ that opened up ‘a whole raft of new opportunities for the future’. He elaborated: “We have some work to do on this to ensure that we can bring through apprentices at whatever grade and level they feel comfortable with within the Register.”
Alasdair Coates’ next focus was ‘Innovative standards of education in changing times’. He said: “I talked at the start of my address about the importance of standards of education. We must be
encouraged to go through the whole of the education and research and lifecycle. There are many different ways of learning. We have two-year degrees; apprenticeships; higher apprenticeships, and the New Model in Technology & Engineering (NMiTE) way of doing degrees. A number of these are new and different, and we need to work with them all.
Accreditation of degrees is an assurance of quality to both individuals and employers that the education that participants
are receiving meets the necessary standards. That is why when the Engineering Council accredits degrees it is a really important step. Should we not accredit a particular degree, it could have serious ramifications in terms of that education system and process.”
Benefits to universities
Alasdair Coates went on to explain that there were ‘clear benefits’ to universities of accredited engineering degrees. He said: “Such accreditation is a mark of assurance for universities that their programme meets the high standards set by the engineering profession. Accordingly, they can advertise the fact, and it affords international recognition.” Earlier in the year, the speaker had spent time in Hong Kong at the International Engineering Alliance Seminar, where he had been ‘amazed’ by the extremely high regard for the UK’s engineering qualifications all over the world. He said: “This is something to be really prized. It makes me feel really proud.” There were, however, Alasdair Coates noted, ‘still a number of myths around accreditation’. His next focus was the Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes, or ‘AHEP’ document, which
he explained set out the ‘learning outcomes’ that accredited programmes must deliver, and covered the following areas: n Science and mathematics. n Engineering analysis. n Design. n Economic, legal, social, ethical, and environmental context.
n Engineering practice. n Additional general skills.
Reviewed every five years The Engineering Council CEO explained that the ‘AHEP’ is reviewed every five years, and that a ‘major review’ of the document was currently ongoing. He said: “One of the areas that the review is seeking to address it so debunk some of the myths. I constantly hear that the Engineering Council ‘stifles innovation’, but the reality is we don’t. For instance, one ‘myth’ is that students must have Maths and Physics ‘A’ Level. In fact, accreditation focuses on the outcomes, not the inputs.” Another misconception, or ‘myth’, was that ‘programmes must deliver specific content’. “In reality,” Alasdair Coates explained, “the learning outcomes are generic, so the programmes can work around this. The programme structure, curricula, specific inputs, and assessment, are not prescribed. We also,” he continued, “hear people say that ‘Innovative programmes cannot be accredited’, but the reality is that the learning outcomes are designed to encourage a breadth of engineering specialism and teaching pedagogies.” Alasdair Coates emphasised that the Engineering Council’s regulations and guidance on accreditation were, in any event, ‘frequently updated in response to feedback and changes in the higher education landscape’. He told delegates: “We all know that there is a changing landscape, and that the future must account for changing times.” Against this backdrop, he put up a slide that illustrated that ‘the scope and purpose of degree accreditation’ needed to take account of elements including: n Higher Apprenticeships. n Conversion courses. n ‘Alternative qualification’ types. n ‘Customers and society’. n Employers. n Individuals. n ‘Diverse HE providers’. n The resources of professional engineering institutions.
n A changing quality assurance landscape.
The Engineering Council is the regulatory body for 36 UK engineering institutes encompassing an extremely broad spectrum of different engineering activities.
n Alternative delivery modes. n Condensed degrees. n Intermediate qualifications. n International accords. n Assurance of quality. n Supporting registration. n Meeting industry standards.
January 2020 Health Estate Journal 63
©The Engineering Council
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