The Institute of Energy
Courses and Careers in Energy

As a result of international and national environmental pressures there is now a greater awareness and understanding of the environmental impact of all industry activities. The last few years have seen energy take on a new importance as a result of, amongst other things, the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty to combat climate change, and the UK's Government's Climate Change Programme and particularly the Climate Change Levy.

Even those organisations in the UK not directly affected by the Climate Change Levy are beginning to take management of energy more seriously as the climate changes - both literally and metaphorically. These changes in business and industry are affecting education and training provision. The Institute of Energy, established in 1927, aims to promote the cost effective and environmentally responsible provision and management of energy in all its forms, and as a membership body believes in the fundamental importance of structured professional development and training.

The InstE provides an impartial forum and focal point for dissemination of knowledge on energy matters and wishes to represent and provide services for anyone who studies or works in energy and environment related fields. Energy is a diverse subject and the energy industry employs many thousands of people in the UK and more around the world. Engineers, scientists, environmentalists, industrialists and many others have an interest in this area which is one of the keys to understanding our environment and making best use of it with least damage.

Those working in energy come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds as well as being employed in virtually all sectors of the economy. They are professionals requiring the recognition given by membership of a professional body that is geared to their needs. The Institute of Energy is a body that provides membership for everyone with an interest in the subject and grants professional recognition to those with appropriate qualifications and experience from CEOs to those who are new to the field or are just beginning a course of study.

Membership is open to both individuals and organisations. Individuals might be those requiring professional recognition of their qualifications and experience such as Fellows, Members, Associate Members and Technician Members, including those seeking registration as a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer or Engineering Technician. Those who have a general interest in energy issues might wish to be elected as Affiliates, whilst Graduates and Students are members who are likely to be working towards full membership and professional recognition at a later date.

Students and Graduates are always welcome to approach the Membership and Education Office of the Institute of Energy for guidance on their future career development, both from the point of view of those wishing to develop a career in energy and for those preparing for registration as an engineer, particularly as there are important changes planned to the requirements for registering as an engineer with the EC (UK).

Energy is a subject that features highly in a range of educational and vocational programmes. It has always formed a large part of the engineering disciplines and increasingly energy engineering, environmental engineering and sustainable development are developing, as subjects in their own right.

The Institute of Energy approves and accredits a number of energy courses, both for membership and for registration with the Engineering Council (UK). A list of those currently approved/accredited is available on request.

Membership of a professional body is a valuable asset in acquiring and retaining work and in providing access to professional development opportunities. For all members of a professional body, continuing professional development (CPD) is a key requirement in a rapidly changing world. There has never been a greater need for keeping knowledge and skills up to date and enhancing your employability.

The benefits available to an individual member are:

• Professional recognition of your qualifications, experience and training;
  
• Professional development services to enhance your career;
  
• Access to potential future employers, clients and customers;
  
• Advice and guidance on preparing for Engineering Council registration;
  
• An international branch network of like-minded professional colleagues;
  
• Energy World, our free members' magazine issued 10 times per year and a significantly reduced rate for the Institute of Energy Journal, our quarterly technical publication;
  
• Access to a range of technical information through our website, library and occasional publications;
  
• Reduced rate offers on relevant energy and environment-related publications;
  
• Reduced rates to all Institute of Energy events and those that are co-sponsored by us.

For more information on please contact Sarah Beacock, Membership and Education Manager at the Institute of Energy on 020 7580 7124 or email education@instenergy.org.uk

Case study

We asked Emma Fitch Kemp - a graduate member of the Institute of Energy - to describe her academic and early career experience.

Although my career is not specifically related to the energy industry, the majority of the projects that I work on require that the consumption of energy be considered. Energy efficiency is increasingly becoming a high priority to all industries due to initiatives such as the Climate Change Levy.

I completed my A-Levels in maths, physics and biology in 1996 and then studied for four years at the University of Portsmouth to obtain a 2(i) honours degree in Environmental Engineering which included a year in industry. It was at Portsmouth that I was introduced to the Institute of Energy and I joined soon after graduation. Not only was the Environmental Engineering course accredited by the InstE but many of the lecturers in the Engineering faculty, including my tutor, Professor Mike Purvis, were also members. As such, they promoted the InstE and encouraged students to join.

The Environmental Engineering degree at Portsmouth had a foundation in mechanical engineering and encompassed a broad range of subjects. Many of these were energy related, for example one module, energy systems, incorporated calculations relating to turbines, boilers, engines etc in installations such as nuclear power stations, and also included summer and winter air conditioning calculations. Heat combustion and transfer, and thermodynamics and fluid mechanics are other examples of the modules taught that related specifically to energy. Many other modules were specifically related to the environment, for example environmental economics, environmental management systems and impact assessment and water and solid waste management. This particular degree gave me a broad range of options when considering what career path I should follow.

My year in industry was taken during the third year of the degree course. This was a very important year as I was able to obtain a great deal of valuable experience which greatly improved my chances in the job market after university. I strongly recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to do so, takes an industrial placement. My own placement was with a small environmental research and innovation company, called Ionex based in Gloucestershire.

The company carried out work for Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency, designing and building a closed loop de-nitrification plant. The position at Ionex gave me the opportunity to play a key role in the design, optimisation and construction of an electrolytic cell for the destruction of nitrates in water. I was an active participant on several projects, including negotiations and meetings with Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency. The project was completed by the end of the industrial year with my final task being the commissioning of a pilot plant.

The final year at university was more focused on the environmental aspects of the degree and my final year project was my first real introduction to the energy industry as I conducted a dissertation on the use of fuel cells within small scale applications.

Soon after graduation I was fortunate in finding a job with Millennium Science & Engineering (MSE), an environmental consultancy also based in Gloucestershire. Whilst looking for jobs I decided to target environmental consultancies hoping that the work would then be very broad based and not restrict my continued development. I have luckily found this to be the case with MSE and I have been with the company now for a year and a half, having worked on a huge variety of projects both in the UK and overseas.

The majority of our work is with industrial clients. We do, however also occasionally work with the Government. Working for a small company means that I have had a huge amount of on-the-job training as well as training and support from very experienced colleagues. I have attended conferences that relate to the environment industry and am aiming, this year, to support the knowledge that I gain on the job with more external training. The courses that I attended this year relate to the Climate Change Levy and air dispersion modelling; areas that MSE has a great deal of experience in. The majority of my internal training has been related to Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC). MSE produced the entire application for Hollingsworth & Vose, a speciality paper mill in Gloucestershire as well as the environmental impact sections for Britannia Zinc Ltd in Avonmouth. My training also included air dispersion modelling of stack emissions and odours from landfills.

I have also trained abroad, in Egypt and Morocco, working with a very experienced wastewater engineer from the United States to conduct a feasibility study and design for effluent treatment plants for a confidential pharmaceutical company. As with most small companies MSE does not have a structured training scheme for graduates, however I have found over the past year I have learnt more about practical environmental engineering than ever before. Now, with the support of the Institute of Energy and its IPD training programme, as well as support from MSE, I believe that a career in the environmental engineering sector is a very interesting, wide ranging and fast moving area for an engineer to be in.

This article was first published in Energy World May 2002 (Energy World is the magazine of the Institute of Energy).

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