Russel Freeman shares how he achieved Chartered Engineer (CEng) status through the combined degree apprenticeship end point assessment and CEng professional review, after a career spanning aviation and rail engineering.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

My engineering career started back in 2008 upon joining the Royal Air Force as an avionics technician, training up to carry out maintenance and rectification tasks on aircraft and completing an advanced modern apprenticeship alongside my day job.

In 2014 I left the RAF and entered the rail industry, as a Fleet Engineer at Network Rail, responsible for the safety and compliance of two of NR’s engineering train fleets. During my time in this role, I gained EngTech registration.

After four and a half years in that role, I joined DB ESG in 2019 as a Project Engineer, taking on responsibility for the technical deliverables of railway integration design projects. Whilst in this role, I completed a HND in Mechanical Engineering and a Degree Apprenticeship MSc in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration.

Why did you want to become professionally registered?

I wanted to achieve CEng because it is recognition that my knowledge, experience and competence are at the level of an internationally recognised standard. It has driven my professional development over the last few years and I have achieved something that I wouldn’t have considered very likely at all, a few years ago. Having been down a non-traditional academic route (ie not the conventional college to university to Master’s route), it was great to reach the same level of recognition, even if it took a little longer the way I did it!

How did you find the process?

The process was relatively simple, because the PWI recognises the Railway Systems course that I was undertaking and allows the professional review to take place at the same time as the MSc end point assessment.

I had to complete the Experiential Learning route prior to the end point assessment, because I didn’t have a degree – these were to establish that my experience and prior learning was the equivalent of a Bachelor’s. The organisation of all the paperwork and preparation work was a challenge due to the tight timescales, but Charlotte at the PWI was a big help in fielding my (many) questions! 

How will CEng recognition help you in your career?

CEng recognition will provide me with confidence that my learning background and prior experience are sufficient to potentially take on more senior roles as my career progresses. My employer will benefit from being able to offer the services of another chartered engineer to clients. It may also provide more opportunities to mentor younger engineers on their professional registration journey and become more involved with a wider range of professional development activities. 

Thank you, Russell, for sharing your journey and choosing to pursue your Professional Registration with the PWI.

If you’re interested in achieving CEng and taking the next step in your engineering career, click here to learn more about how we can support you.