A Q&A WITH ONYEKA OKEKE, OUR HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC REAL ENGINEER

Read below about Onyeka’s journey to achieving ICE Chartership, where he shares insights into the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned along the way. 

What specific qualifications and experiences were required to become a Chartered Civil Engineer through the Institution of Civil Engineering (ICE)? 

There are several routes to chartership. One of the most common routes requires candidates to hold at least an ICE accredited Master’s degree in Civil Engineering or related fields. Candidates should then be enrolled into the ICE training programme under a mentor or Supervising Civil Engineer (SCE). They will be required to evidence work experience through the Initial Professional Development (IPD) platform. Candidates are to evidence against seven attributes (formerly nine) and once completed, will be signed off with a completion certificate issued. Following this, candidates can progress to making an application for professional review. The Professional review is split into two parts, the interview and the communication tasks; where candidates must satisfy the reviewers that they possess the required level of competency and ability for a Professionally qualified Chartered Civil Engineer. 

Can you share any hurdles or obstacles you encountered during your journey to attaining chartership, and how did you overcome them? 

Anyone who has been through this route would agree with me that committing to completing the IPD was the most challenging. This stage requires exposure to a broad range of project experience, motivation, commitment, discipline and patience amongst other virtues, some of which are outside of your control. Your ability to meet these will determine your readiness for a professional review. 

How did your formal training agreement with ICE, particularly your experience with Metis, contribute to your preparation and success in achieving chartership? 

Metis prides itself as company committed in supporting and training staff in achieving industry recognition and career aspiration which ties in with its values. The training and work experience I received prepared me well for my chartership review. At Metis, you will be exposed to a wide range of projects where you have the opportunity to lead and contribute to design solutions. You will be supported by mentors /SCE who themselves have been through the process and would steer you in the right direction in bridging gaps in skillsets. I found the support I received very helpful in completing my IPD and preparation for my professional review. 

Now that you’ve reached this significant milestone in your career, how do you anticipate your status as an ICE Chartered Engineer will impact your professional trajectory and opportunities? 

The list of opportunities is endless. With the coverage ICE has, recognised in about 150 countries, you will be respected and acknowledged by your peers globally. I see myself giving back to the industry in the way of training and developing junior Engineers and the engineers of the future. I see myself taking up more leadership and commercial responsibilities as well as sustained commitment to continuous learning. 

Reflecting on your experience, what advice would you offer to fellow engineers aspiring to pursue ICE chartership? Could you highlight three key strategies or resources that proved invaluable to you during the process? 

Take it one step at a time and before you realise, you will be a Chartered Civil Engineer! Consider various routes within the ICE and even other similar bodies depending on what suits you in achieving your desired career aspiration. You may have to discuss this with your SCE.  Sometimes you may have to make certain sacrifices to accommodate logging in your CPDs and IPDs but I can testify that it is worth the effort at the end.  And lastly, stay motivated, remember your professional development is your responsibility so take steps to seek support when in need.