Volunteer to become a University Accreditation Industrial Assessor and support the Institution’s Academic Standards Committee (ASC) in shaping the academic standards for the engineers of tomorrow
Comprising of experienced Academic and Industrialist volunteers, the ASC is responsible, on behalf of the IMechE, for the conduct of accreditation visits, compiling accreditation reports and making recommendations in respect of accrediting undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses.
Accreditation is an external, independent assessment that gives students, parents and employers the confidence that a particular degree meets the standard for registration with the Engineering Council as a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer.
About you
To be a University Accreditation Industrial Assessor you must be a registered Chartered Engineer working in industry and member of the IMechE.
Knowledge and experience of the higher education sector in addition to experience of auditing is also desirable, but certainly not essential.
What you will do
As a member of our pool of assessors (the ‘Panel’), the role of a volunteer industrial assessor is to work on behalf of the ASC as part of an accreditation visiting team, utilising their expertise and knowledge to contribute to the assessment of individual engineering programmes in a credible way against a UK benchmark standard (Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes) to assess whether successful graduates will have the ‘underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration in a particular category’.
This standard has been set by the Engineering Council in collaboration with industry, and is ‘a mark of assurance that the programmes meet the standards set by the profession’.
The responsibilities of the role include:
- Contributing knowledge of industry practices and current engineering issues and/or graduate employment to the accreditation process
- Sharing best practice
- Undertaking accreditation visits as part of a visiting team to and liaise with, academic establishments in furtherance of the accreditation policy
- Being adequately prepared for accreditation visits by reading the submission in advance and, where necessary, taking part in email discussions or conference calls
- Keeping up to date with the latest Engineering Council and IMechE accreditation policies
- Assisting in the preparation of accreditation visit reports and provide recommendations to the ASC on the accreditation of degrees
- Raising awareness of the importance of academic accreditation for engineering degrees
- Representing the IMechE and the engineering community.
How you will benefit
By becoming a University Accreditation Industrial Assessor you will have the opportunity to:
- Contribute to the improvement of engineering education and the development of engineering graduates
- Gain knowledge of the latest trends in graduate learning and development
- Learn best practice
- Broaden professional horizons
- Meet people from and develop relationships with universities, companies, industries, countries, and professional institutions that you would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet.
Being a volunteer also contributes towards your CPD requirements.
How much time it will take
Members of our Panel are expected to participate in at least one University Accreditation visit per year. Visits are usually conducted over two-days and assessors will need to devote additional time to associated preparation and follow-up work which will be completed remotely.
University Accreditation Industrial Assessors are expected to serve a minimum term of five years, with the option to serve a further five-year term.
Assessors will also be required to complete training as deemed necessary, or at least once every five years.
Where you will be
University Accreditation visits take place all over the UK and internationally, so the ability to travel is essential.
Please note that since accreditation visits predominantly take place within the UK the IMechE is regrettably unable to consider applications from volunteers based overseas at this time.
How it works
To apply for the University Accreditation Industrial Assessor role please send a copy of your most recent CV along with a covering letter outlining why you’re interested in the role for review by the ASC.
Should your application be accepted you will invited to observe a minimum of two academic accreditation visits and attend a training day at IMechE HQ.
The IMechE will cover all reasonable expenses incurred as a result of your volunteering time.