Engineer

[Toddyplumb]

What is an engineer ?
Are you a PLumber ?
Are you a Gas fitter?
Are you an Engineer ?

And why ?

What is the Engineering Council ?

 

[Dotty]

wen I wer at skool I cudnt spel enjinear.

Now i r wun!

 

[ecowarm]

This is taken from the CIPHE web site, Registered Plumbers with the following qualifications and experience can apply to the Engineering Council to have Eng Tech after their name.



Engineering Council

ECuk Registration

As a licensed professional body, the Chartered Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering can register suitably qualified members at Engineering Technician (EngTech) or Incorporated Engineer (IEng) levels.
Registration at these levels brings recognition of your expertise and hard work; high self-esteem; greater influence within your organisation and industry; higher earnings potential; improved career prospects; greater influence within your organisation and industry and access to life-long learning.
Engineering Technician

Academic Route - Applicant should hold either N/SVQ Level 3, City & Guilds Advanced Craft Certificate, City & Guilds Licentiateship Award (in a suitable engineering discipline), National Certificate/Diploma (in a suitable engineering discipline) or equivalent.
Assessment Route - If applicant holds City & Guilds Craft Certificate or NVQ Level 2 with suitable Continuing Professional Development and experience they can apply for registration as an EngTech through an assessment paper. The assessment is to be conducted by either an Engineering Technician, Incorporated or Chartered Engineer.

more info here [DLMURL="http://www.ciphe.org.uk/About-Us/Join-CIPHE/Engineering-Council/"]Engineering Council - CIPHE[/DLMURL]

Eco

 

[Toddyplumb]

Sorry Eco I had been on the sauce and had been discussing (in the pub)how everyone now is an Engineer. No one wants to be a plumber or gas fitter or fitter etc its all gas Engineer etc .
I am an IEng and registered with the Engineering council

 

[moony]

nvq level 2 is plumber

nvq level 3 is technician or engineer

thats what ive always been led to believe

i would say im a plumber/heating engineer to anyone that asks - wouldnt use gas engineer or technician or fitter. plumber gives people the impression of only the wet side for some reason - where as after heating - engineer sounds appropriate - i dont just do fiitting i fault find, diagnose and rectify also which is where i think the engineer part comes into.

 

[ecowarm]

Sorry Eco I had been on the sauce and had been discussing (in the pub)how everyone now is an Engineer. No one wants to be a plumber or gas fitter or fitter etc its all gas Engineer etc .
I am an IEng and registered with the Engineering council

oh i see...........

 

[Toddyplumb]

Now I think to be an Engineer you have to be registered with the Engineering Council ! Here we go again , but without the beer
Heating Technician then

 

[Dannypipe]

Plumber and heating engineer. That's what I say....

Some of us have to. We have invested heavilly in courses and renew our qualifications every 5 years....we have to understand various systems, electrics, mechanical components, and fault find a multitude of appliances. Plus some of us understand, service and install solar thermal, ground/air source heat pumps, underfloor heating, the list goes on and on...grey water, thermal stores, pumps, pressures.....to just say plumber would sell a lot of guys on this site well short.

That said, if you're a 'plumber' thats good too, and involves a hell of a lot of training.

 

[Toddyplumb]

That is still Heating Technician.
Why dont you guys register with the Engineering Council and get your training recognised

 

[Dannypipe]

That is still Heating Technician.
Why dont you guys register with the Engineering Council and get your training recognised

Because registering with them will cost money....plain and simple. At the end of the day, if I'm at a party and someone asks what I do, I just say I'm a plumber. It's only when I'm speaking to a potential client that I want them to know my level of training and experience that I endulge them with heating engineer.

If I paid and had it formally recognised, it wouldn't suddenly give me any extra abilities....I'd rather spend the money on a short course in my industry and gain valuable experience.

 

[tamz]

That is still Heating Technician.
Why dont you guys register with the Engineering Council and get your training recognised

Toddy i'm proud to be a plumber and wouldn't dumb down for anybody

 

[Dannypipe]

Well said mate.

 

[Toddyplumb]

You would be surprised how it does generate work .
As does membership of CIPHE

 

[dontknowitall]

I'm a Direct Solutions Water Transport Systems Designer and Facilitator. (After a few drinks I'm a Plumber ...)

 

[Toddyplumb]

I always say plumber when asked !!
Its funny when I served my time the guy I worked with was a shop steward. He always said "once a tradesman always a tradesman" He was in the pub last week when this started I asked hin what he was ................................................................................














His reply " A quality control Engineer" How times change

 

[REDSAW]

depends who you are talking to dosnt it?.

an indian, i'm a cowboy is a good one if you dont want the job.

an old dear, i'm a plumber.

a poncy sales director, i'm an registered gas & water technician.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

not sure what i am now......but i know a few pipe stranglers

 

[pmac10]

to be a recognised engineer you need a degree in engineering, then register with a professional body for IEng or CEng status and satisfy their criteria, or demonstrate that you have the skills and experience to carry out this role, ie , manage and drive new technology, i,m a registered Eng Tech and this was not easy come by either ( 2 HNC's, various level 3's, C&G's etc),
for you guys worried about extra training courses, an advanced apprenticeship should qualify you for Eng Tech registration.
the difference between engineers and technicians? technicians wash their hands BEFORE using the lavatory.

 

[tamz]

All well and good but few actual (by definition) Engineers posess the skills to carry out the work (manage and drive, indeed).
I've got an HNC (actually a SCOTEC equivilent) in mechanical services, 2 C&G's and numerous other bits of paper but i am still a plumber and proud to be one.

No matter what the exact definition of an Engineer is, to the ordinary punter you could call yourself anything. They just want the job done.......correctly.

 

[pmac10]

tamz, i agree completely, but in countries like America and Australia for example, claiming to be an engineer, whilst not,, is the same as impersonating a doctor in the eyes of the law, but they also have higher degree of protection against people claiming to be an electrician or plumber, whilst not. recognition of technical expertise sucks in the U.K, end of.
engineers do not need the skills to carry out the work, merely keep coming up with ideas that we as technicians can shoot down, til they finally get it right, then suggest what we said in the first place and claim the credit.
ps, i wouldnt roll over in bed never mind get out of it for what our design engineer gets paid

 

[Toddyplumb]

What I have found is that with the likes of the Engineering council they actually look at what your apprenticeship contained , training on the job and at college . It certainly rates the older courses etc higher than the modern ones !!
I like that not only for personal reasons but it confirms what I believe that the old way was better than what is available now. And Im not having a go at the lads an lasses . We need apprenticeships sorted and placements available for people who want into the trade , its been dumbed down.
Why not get those bits of paper recogised Tamz , you didnt get them for nothing

 

[tamz]

engineers do not need the skills to carry out the work, merely keep coming up with ideas that we as technicians can shoot down, til they finally get it right, then suggest what we said in the first place and claim the credit.

How many times have i gone through that one, never as much as a pint for a thanks

Why not get those bits of paper recogised Tamz , you didnt get them for nothing

Toddy i actually got paid to do them as i was a smart un Actually i used to enjoy it. Too old to be bothered with getting anything recognised now. Just do the work and save for a quality zimmer in a few years time when the knees finally give up

I agree with you over the dumbing down. Things were certainly a lot harder to pass in my day though i must admit i never revised for an exam in my life. Used to have a near photographic memory. Now i don't know where i was yesterday
I should have some past exam papers in the loft somewhere. If i can find them i will post them up at some point. Might be interesting. Log tables and slide rules are allowed but no calculators (they weren't invented).

 

[Toddyplumb]

Log tables I can do , I remember the slide rule on the wall ( like a blackboard ) only used it a few times though as calculators were coming in.

Ahhhh the good old days

 

[dontknowitall]

I'm worried now - coincidentally, I found my old slide rule last week which had slipped behind my bedside table. Quite what it was doing there I'm not so sure. Doubtless one of you lot will know ...

 

[CIPHE]

Hi Danny

CIPHE members get a large number of short courses for free from manufactures, soon adds up to the £78 annual fee.

CIPHE CEO