A professional approach to a professional Corps

Developing formally recognised engineering professionals within the Corps brings many benefits including:

• confirming a commitment to engineering development;
• identifying engineering competencies;
• developing skills and competencies to internationally recognised standards;
• investment in the individual as a responsible professional employee;
• recognition of engineering standards by those outside of the Corps;
• greater credibility when dealing with industry;
• better career opportunities when in competition with other services for key military appointments;
• awarding of civilian qualifications improves career prospects for those transitioning from the Army.

The diverse educational backgrounds and the varied technical abilities of Corps personnel  means the Corps is unlikely to be able to identify a single Professional Institution with which to ‘accredit’ all of its eligible employees. Accordingly, the RSI encourages and supports links with the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), the British Computer Society (BCS), the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT(UK)) and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

A professional approach to a professional Corps

In 2014 the Royal Signals signed a Special Registration Agreement (SRA) with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport becoming the first organisation within MOD to do so. This SRA permits a panel, comprising of Royal Signals CILT members, to seek out and encourage suitably qualified and experienced individuals within the Corps the take up CILT(UK) membership. The Panel will oversee CILT(UK) membership applications from those within The Corps.

This SRA largely mirrors an existing SRA and arrangements that the Corps has with the Institute of Engineering and Technology. An updated SRA with the IET was signed in December 2015.

In December 2015 the MOD announced a scheme for serving members of the Royal Signals and Queen’s Gurkha Signals who are Chartered Engineers (CEng), Incorporated Engineers (IEng), Engineering Technicians (EngTech) and ICT Technicians (ICTTech) to reclaim their full annual membership fee irrespective of the post that they currently occupy. The scheme also applies to similiarly qualified members of the RE, the REME, the RLC and RN and RAF engineers and has been backdated to 1 Apr 15.

Further details are available from rsignalshq-wld-c2@mod.uk