3. Activities of a professional institute.

The screenshot below is a view of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (www.theiet.org) home page.

typical professional institute

The top bar illustrates the typical activities of a professional institution.

These activities include:

Typical Role Activities

Membership handling.

Professional bodies can only exist if they have a way of funding themselves. This is done by collecting annual fees from existing members and to encourage new people to join the institute.
  • Encourage newly qualified professionals to become members of the institute.
  • Ensure that only people with recognised academic qualifications and have gained enough experience are allowed to join.
  • Highlight the advantages that membership brings.
  • Handle the renewal and collection of fees.

Professional recognition

Being a member of a recognised professional institute gives your clients (or employer) the confidence that they are hiring a properly qualified professional. For example a chartered accountant will belong to the relevant accounting body.
  • Members can place letters after their name to show they are part of an institute e.g. M.I.E.T "Member of the IET"
  • If they qualify and spend additional years learning their craft, members can place further letters after their name to show they have gained higher professional status
    For example D Jones BSc(Hons) C.Eng MIET this shows that she has gained an honours degree but in addition has qualified to become a member of the IET and furthermore has had many years of responsibility in her field to earn the title 'Chartered Engineer'.
  • Members may be able to use an email address that uses the institute's domain name to look more professional when communicating with clients.

Professional development

"Life Time Learning" is encouraged so even after getting a degree, you continue to undertake further training and keep up with developments in your field.
  • Provide training courses run by experts in a particular topic.
  • Access to technical libraries. Professional text books are very expensive to buy, so borrowing books from the institute's library is a good way of keeping up with the latest knowledge.
  • Access to online knowledge resources.
  • Subscribe to specialist journals.
  • Receive regular 'house' magazine for keeping in touch with events in your profession.

Career development

Advice and practical help to progress your career.
  • Advice on finding new opportunities and jobs.
  • A place to upload your CV so prospective employers can come across it.
  • Networking with other professionals in the field.

Community of professionals

Attending events and conferences offers a chance to meet other people in your field and to share experience.
  • Attending seminars, conferences and symposiums
  • Arrange trips to company factories and labs in the industry.
  • Online professional forums.
  • Joining special interest groups e.g. a working group on developing new standards.
  • Joining a local branch of the institute to meet other professionals living nearby.

Discounts and legal help

The institute may have negotiated good deals for their members with suppliers and insurance companies.

  • Indemnity insurance at a lower rate
  • Legal help line.
  • Discounts for useful software packages.
  • Discounts for specialist hardware related to your profession.

Have a voice and contribute

An individual is unlikely to have much influence on government policy or standards. A recognised institute is often invited to provide an input when a new policy or law is being put together. Institutes also offer the chance for you to contribute to the development of other people.
  • Volunteer or get invited to sit on working groups that set new standards e.g. IET Wiring Regulations
  • Get involved with writing position papers in the area of your expertise.
  • Get involved with professional mentoring of younger members..

 

 

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