British Engines, BEL Valves’ parent company, has received full re-accreditation of the British Engines Apprenticeship+ programme and its graduate scheme, from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

Both the apprenticeship and graduate schemes run across each of British Engines’ eight North East based companies, including BEL Valves.

This re-accreditation means that the apprenticeship and graduate schemes are recognised by the professional body as meeting the requirements for the professional development of engineers.

Mick Davis, Professional Development Consultant for the IMechE and the assessor responsible for granting British Engines with accreditation, said:

“British Engines is obviously committed to the development of its engineering staff. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with the business while observing them for their accreditation, as there is an excellent enthusiasm within the organisation. The mentors and staff at British Engines consistently demonstrate both their want and their commitment to developing their junior engineers.”

The approval of the graduate development scheme means that the IMechE has assessed the programme to ensure that the right opportunities, mentoring and feedback are in place for enrolled graduates to apply to become Chartered Engineers (CEng) or Incorporated Engineers (IEng) after their Initial Professional Development (IPD).

Existing registered engineers from within the British Engines Group will mentor those working towards registration. This will lead to the development of relationships between professional engineers and graduates, and will allow those who have already completed registration to keep up their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Certification will last a period of three years and following its expiration in 2020, British Engines will be required to resubmit an application to receive further accreditation.

Elaine, Learning and Development Manager at British Engines, explains: “We are delighted to receive this IMechE accreditation. It is really important to us and our graduates that we are meeting the high standards that the IMechE sets for the industry.”