Engineering is a great career. It's challenging, it's rewarding and there's always a high-demand for engineers, so the opportunities for skilled and qualified ones are limitless. In fact, if you've got the right qualifications, you can go anywhere in the world with them. After all, the laws of science are the same for everyone!

One of the registrations to gain is Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. This is achieved through one of the many engineering institutions licensed to award this.

There are a number of ways to achieve the academic requirements, but one of the most flexible is through the Engineering Council examinations. These offer you the chance to work towards CEng status whatever your personal circumstances. To know more about Engineering Council UK, please visit the website at http://www.engc.org.uk/.

City and Guilds of London Institute conducts on behalf of the Engineering Council UK a world-wide Examination for those who wish to meet the academic standard for Chartered Engineer but whose circumstances prevent them from pursuing an accredited degree programme, those who have non-accredited degrees and who wish to undertake further qualification to meet the required standard, and for those overseas who wish to obtain a well respected British engineering qualification.

Three progressive levels

The Engineering Council Certificate

• This level focuses on the foundation principles of engineering. It is set at the same level as the first year of a UK degree course.
• Registration to the Certificate award is through possession of 2 "A" levels in science subjects, or their equivalent as may be agreed by Engineering Council Examinations at City & Guilds.

The Engineering Council Graduate Diploma

• It is set at the same level as the final year of a British BEng.
• Registration to the Graduate Diploma award is through possession of the Engineering Council Certificate, or their equivalent as may be agreed by Engineering Council Examinations at City & Guilds.

The Engineering Council Postgraduate Diploma

• It is set at the final year of a British MEng.
• Registration to the Postgraduate Diploma is through the Engineering Council Graduate Diploma, or its equivalent as may be agreed by Engineering Council Examinations at City & Guilds. Alternatively, by being exempted by a professional institution licensed by the Council to consider special cases through an Individual Case Procedure.

Flexible route

The Engineering Council Examinations have been designed to provide a flexible route to meeting the enhanced academic standard for Chartered Engineer registration as required under UK SPEC.

There is no set course that you need to follow or classes that you need to attend. Once you've registered for an examination, you can study in your time and your own pace - it's that flexible.

Although the Engineering Council Examinations does not set any restrictions on the combination of subjects selected or the length of time taken to complete a component, prospective candidates must be aware that, if they wish to join a professional institution in order to gain CEng registration or to further their career in general, the institution may set its own limits in order to meet particular membership standards. It is vital, therefore, that prospective candidates seek the advice of their professional UK engineering institution prior to beginning their study.

Why follow the Engineering Council Examinations route to CEng?

• The Engineering Council Examination route to registration is transparent, clear, complies with UKSPEC, and is acceptable to professional institutions for the fulfilment of the academic requirements for registration.
• You can take as many or as few papers within an award (Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma) as you think you can manage at a time.
• There is no academic penalty for failing a paper: You can repeat a paper as many times as necessary, so long as it continues to be set.
• You can incorporate your studies into your lifelong learning plan.
• You may be able to make arrangements for your studies to be acceptable towards your Continued Professional Development (CPD) plan.
• You can progress to the highest levels of Engineer at your own pace and according to your own circumstances.
• There are a wide choice of papers available to choose from, designed to suit your own technical expertise.
• The modular system parallels the systems used in most universities.

How long will it take?

That's up to you. In accordance with the expectations of your personal lifelong learning plan, you can take as long or as short as you can manage. The only stipulation is that you must have suitable and approved entry credentials, before you can take any paper or submit any project. Engineering Council Examinations at City & Guilds estimates that each paper represents the equivalent of about 300 hours of study, of which 120 are taught hours, but these figures may vary widely according to your personal circumstances and experience.

How much will it cost?

There are fees charged for registration and for entry to each subject. There is also a separate fee for the project components. A separate fee sheet for the current year is available in the application section.