27 May 2015

A Costain engineer has achieved national status through a further learning programme.

Costain Mechanical Engineer, Sam Panter, has successfully completed the Costain Further Learning Programme. The Institution of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) Academic Assessment Committee confirmed that Sam fully satisfies and meets the academic requirement necessary for Chartered status with the Institution.

Sam went down the Company’s Further Learning route, rather than doing a further year at university to gain his Masters level of Education.

Sam, who has been with the Company for just under four years and is working on the Crossrail C610 Tunnel Fit-Out contract in central London, wanted to upgrade his B.Eng qualification to Masters level; to become a Chartered Engineer, an applicant has to have a Masters degree, one step above the B.Eng (Hons).

Normally, this would mean taking a year out at university. However, the Costain Further Learning system allows staff to remain in their job while studying to reach Masters level.

“Only a handful of companies are registered to do this,” said Sam. “It involves 15 modules, mostly built around the Graduate Development Programme. You have to study all modules in your own time, to deepen your engineering and scientific knowledge and understanding.

“It takes roughly three to four years and a lot of commitment. The Further Learning Programme incorporates and works alongside the Costain Graduate Development Programme.

“If you want to do a full-time Masters course you would have a year at university, where you wouldn’t be earning anything and you wouldn’t be gaining work experience, while you would also have university fees, so it’s obviously quite a big decision to make. If you do the Further Learning Programme, you get your year’s salary and save £9,000 in tuition fees.

“It’s all coursework-based that relates to working experience. That was marked and assessed internally by my mentor, Mike Hornsby, overseen by the Further Learning Programme Manager, Lee Bateson. The IMechE reviews the assessments of the 15 modules and requested to see evidence of several modules, to check they’ve been done to the right standard.”

In Sam’s case, the IMechE confirmed his work “fully satisfies all requirements of the Further Learning Plan and you have now met the academic requirement necessary for Chartered status.”

Sam will be applying for this in the next few weeks.

 

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