250 RoGEP registrants and growing fast
Continuing growth of UK register sets the pace in Europe for the registration of ground engineering professionals
THE UK Register of Ground Engineering Professionals (UK RoGEP) now has 250 registrants – indicating the continuing progressive growth of the register and confirming that it is well on the way to meeting its original target of 700 registrants.
According to RoGEP panel chairman Jim Cook, now that the register is gaining in size, it is providing more confidence to candidates who are considering applying, and to clients who are considering making formal registration a requirement of ground engineering staff working on their projects.
‘I am really pleased with the way the register is gaining in popularity and taking the lead in Europe for the registration of ground engineering professionals,’ said Mr Cook. ‘In the few years that the register has been in existence, we have seen steady growth and industry acceptance. Indeed several major clients are now insisting on registration as a means of raising standards and project delivery.’
Moreover, a wide variety of consulting engineering firms have also indicated that there is a widespread policy of encouragement and support for staff to apply for RoGEP registration, with those applying within 12 months of becoming Chartered with ICE, IoM3 (via their Professional Review route) or the Geological Society of London benefitting from notable savings in time and effort, as well as a 50% application fee.
The names of all registrants are provided in a list published on the RoGEP webpages hosted on the ICE website. Formal certificates are now being issued to all registrants and discussions are ongoing regarding post-nominal letters.
In anticipation of another busy year for new applications, the number of RoGEP assessors has been increased and the application process has been streamlined, with last year’s decision to move to four fixed submission dates giving candidates a more certain date for achieving accreditation and making the whole assessment and accreditation process easier to administer. The two remaining submission deadlines for 2015 are 4 August and 3 November.
The RoGEP panel now has 13 members representing clients, consultants, contractors and academia, as well as the supporting professional bodies of the ICE, IOM3, Geological Society, Ground Forum and the AGS.
Thanking his fellow panel members, Mr Cook said: ‘The panel members are all volunteers who provide their time without charge and have been key to the progress that we have made to date. The early years have seen developments and improvements and these will continue so that the register remains relevant and of value to the industry.’
While RoGEP is very much a UK register, there have been communications with other countries to explore co-operation. Mr Cook remarked: ‘While we remain very open to collaboration with European countries in particular and will engage with similar organizations in other parts of the world, our primary focus is on ensuring that we meet the aspirations of the UK ground engineering fraternity in the first place.’
