IChemE accreditation: a partnership for professional development

Attaining Chartered Engineer (CEng) status is a significant professional milestone. Steven Gasser speaks to one of the many companies leveraging IChemE Accredited Company Training Schemes (ACTS) to support their graduates on the journey.

For Aftab Ramzan, Chartered Chemical Engineer and ACTS manager at integrated energy services provider Kent, IChemE accreditation evidences the company’s dedication to graduate learning and development.

“The ACTS demonstrates that we’re committed to a structured and well-defined training scheme for our trainees,” he says. “This helps make their path to becoming Chartered Members more direct and transparent. Our trainees really value this setup! It’s a clear advantage in terms of reducing the complexity of professional development.”

Aftab highlights benefits to recruitment: “Having the ACTS accreditation is a key selling point for our graduate roles. Many prospective candidates look for IChemE accredited schemes. Additionally, Kent’s profile is featured on the IChemE website, which gives us some valuable visibility within the global chemical engineering community.”

Kent found the accreditation process collaborative and manageable. “IChemE gives us plenty of notice ahead of the accreditation visit, working with our schedules to find a convenient time and location. The re-accreditation deadline pushes us to ensure all of our latest ideas and best practices are formally implemented into the scheme and gives our trainees and mentors a nudge to make sure they’re doing their part,” Aftab explains. “On the day, the accreditation visit is typically an informal set of conversations, which makes for an open, comfortable environment.

“The feedback we receive from assessors has been very useful, giving us an objective perspective on our training scheme. At the end of the visit, we receive immediate feedback in a close-out meeting, followed by a formal report. Over the years, this has led to a few improvements – one major suggestion two accreditations ago was to start conducting annual internal audits of our ACTS. This has proven to be a great way to stay on top of the scheme’s quality.”

Kent’s efforts were validated during the most recent accreditation, with their scheme gaining IChemE approval for the maximum term. “Our most recent accreditation visit went incredibly well, with assessors noting the positive changes we’ve made, resulting in re-accreditation for four years. It’s always rewarding to see that the effort put into refining our training scheme is being recognised.”

Maintaining high standards post-accreditation requires proactive measures. “We’ve built in regular practices like annual internal audits, mentor and trainee checklists, and tracking systems for activities such as mentor meetings, IChemE volunteering, and training progress,” Aftab explains.

IChemE’s support extends beyond accreditation, helping companies to maintain robust schemes that remain aligned with evolving requirements and processes. “IChemE provides essential support to help keep our ACTS up to date and relevant. I stay in regular contact with both the IChemE ACTS team and our regional engagement manager, who has delivered training as well as hosting a Get Chartered workshop,” he says.

Accredited schemes evolve to adapt to changing business needs, with Kent exploring an expansion of their ACTS to include their engineering and projects team. “This would bring our new engineering process and safety teams from our Woking office into the scheme, making it one of three accredited UK offices, alongside Glasgow and Aberdeen,” says Aftab. “Longer-term, I also want to explore the potential of expanding our ACTS to some of our global offices. We’re excited about what the future holds and remain committed to strengthening our ACTS to meet the needs of our expanding team.”

Kent’s experience illustrates the value of IChemE accreditation as a collaborative process that benefits both companies and graduates.

Are you ready to elevate your graduate training?

IChemE accreditation might be the catalyst you need. Get in touch with acts@icheme.org to start your journey!

This is fourth in a series of articles on the benefits of accredited company training schemes for employers, graduates, and volunteers. To read the whole series, visit the Benefits of accredited company training schemes page.