Category Archives: coaching

PREPARING FOR PROFESSIONAL REVIEW IN SPRING 2019

Our programme of courses that were designed to help candidates prepare for their professional review in the Autumn 2018 session are now complete.  Now the focus moves on to supporting prospective candidates for the Spring 2019 session.  This includes the following courses:
  • The ICE Professional Review – Preparing for the Written Exercise on 22 November
  • The ICE Professional Review – Overview and Preparation on 4 December
  • Mock interview courses in early 2019 (dates TBC) 
If any course is of interest then please contact us for details and / or to make a booking.  Equally, if you want to know what other courses may assist you then feel free to contact us.

CPD IDEAS

We have a regular section on CPD in our newsletters, with links to follow-up information.  They are useful for anyone but are especially useful for graduates pursuing professional registration with the ICE.   In the latest newsletter (to be issued shortly) we provided two CPD ideas: NEC4 – The NEC form of contract was born out of the Latham and Egan reports.  It went on to become the form of contract recommended by the ICE, replacing the ICE 7th Conditions of Contract.  It emphasised a collaborative approach and provided a range of forms for different risk sharing approaches.  NEC3 has now been replaced by NEC4 and graduates sitting their review ought to be aware now of the main changes.  A good starting point may be found here. Sustainable Development – Some time ago, in 2008, Constructing Excellence “recognised the need for a ‘Plain English Guide to Sustainable Construction’ after a large number of comments from their membership about the lack of clear, concise information on the subject.”  They have produced a useful guide that we recommend graduates read as a starter.  There have been developments since of course, as covered in previous newsletters. If you want to see other CPD ideas, you can look back at previous newsletters by following this link.

EXCELLENT FEEDBACK FROM MOCK INTERVIEWS

We have recently completed a total of 14 mock interviews across the UK to help candidates prepare for their professional reviews with the ICE.  Feedback has again been excellent, including:
  • “Course was very good and there was no aspect of it I would have changed”
  • “The facilitator had a raft of experience and knowledge on the overall ICE review system. A ‘walking data base’ I would call him!”
  • “Specific feedback was received at the end of the session – very useful”
The focus is now on the actual review sessions, with our Dr Andy Goodwin reviewing in York soon.  We wish everyone sitting their review the best of luck, and especially one of our mentees (you know who you are…) who sits his review in London shortly!

MOCK INTERVIEWS FOR PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS

It’s that time of year again, with candidates for the Autumn 2018 professional reviews with the ICE having to submit their applications in w/c 16 July.  We wish the best of luck to everyone, though good preparation is the key to success!  We offer a range of courses that address aspects of the professional review, and others that address common areas of weakness at review such as management and contracts.  A summary of the courses we commonly suggest to candidates may be found here. The most common courses we run at this time of year are our mock interview sessions.  These are, or should be, one of the last parts of your preparations and we highly recommend them.  Run by a very experienced ICE reviewer for no more than 4 people each day, the course begins with an overview of the review process from a reviewers perspective before each candidate experiences a mock interview.  All candidates watch each other so everyone learns from everyone else too.  Though challenging as you would expect, the courses are run in a supportive and constructive atmosphere.  Individual feedback on your draft Professional Report and your performance at interview is provided after the course. So far we have 6 dates in our diary but places are running out.  If you wish to receive more information or wish to book onto one of these courses then please contact us.

MOCK INTERVIEW COURSES CONTINUE

We are pleased to have just been commissioned by a large consultant to run some additional mock interview courses for their graduates pursuing a professional qualification in the Autumn 2018 review sessions with the ICE.   All courses are scheduled to run in August 2018.   Each course involves the candidates submitting their draft Professional Report in advance, based on which the candidates undergo a mock review and then receive individual feedback on their report and their interview. Our Dr Andy Goodwin delivers the courses based on his extensive mentoring experience and his role as a reviewer for the ICE.  If you have a group of people needing training in this or any other skill area then contact Andy to discuss how he may be able to design a course / mentoring programme to suit your needs and add value to your service provision.

TWO TRAINING AGREEMENTS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED

We are delighted to announce that Sam Fish (pictured) and Adam Farrance of DNV GL have recently been signed off their ICE training agreements.  We are very pleased for them both and look forward to supporting them further as they prepare for their Chartered Professional Reviews.

Both Sam and Adam have been supported by our Dr Andy Goodwin for several years in his longstanding SCE role with the company.  Adam had this to say about the mentoring support he had received:

“Surepath have been supportive of my development and made sure that their training was adapted to suit my learning style.  I was made to feel valued, which helped to build the easy working relationship that led to me being signed off with the ICE.”

We much appreciate the feedback, which reflects the ethos and efforts put in by Andy in his support of all mentees.  Andy looks forward to continuing his role with DNV GL, and to signing off other graduates over the next few years.

If you are in need of mentoring or need a mentor for your staff, then please feel free to contact Andy to discuss how he could use his mentoring and professional skills to help you.  He may be contacted on 01246 807808 or email him using the enquiries link on this website.   Andy will happily talk you through what we could do for you to add value to your existing arrangements and processes, without any obligation.

EXCELLENT FEEDBACK FROM MOCK ICE PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS

The Spring 2018 sessions of the ICE Professional Reviews are well underway now, and we are very pleased to have played our part. Our inputs began in February and March, during which time we undertook numerous mock interview courses for both individuals and companies.  These were typically full day events which began with a discussion on the review process that gave the candidates a reviewers perspective of what is needed and how we use their reports.  Most of the day was spent though giving each candidate a mock interview based on their draft professional review report, in front of colleagues so they could all learn from each other and share their experiences after.  The aim of the interviews was to give the candidates a feel for what to expect on the day and help them understand better the type and style of questioning they are likely to get.  Each session was run by our Dr Andy Goodwin, who is a very experienced ICE reviewer. Though it sounds daunting, the sessions were all run in a constructive, supportive atmosphere and everyone seemed to take a lot of benefit from them.  Certainly the feedback was excellent from the 17 candidates we worked with, with 98% of a breadth of course measures being rated either excellent or very good.  We could not ask for much more, and we know our clients value our inputs as we are regularly asked back to support their next cohort of candidates. We wish all candidates all the very best with their professional reviews, and hope to hear of their success in due course.

AUTUMN COURSES FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY

Over recent months we have delivered three bespoke half-day courses for a large local authority:
  • Fundamentals of Soil Slope Stability
  • Fundamentals of Contaminated Land Assessment
  • Introduction to Structural Steelwork Design to EC3
Feedback from all three courses was excellent, and showed how full day day courses could be adapted to half day formats cost-effectively for small groups.  Building on this success, we have been asked to look at two additional topics too. If you feel your organisation would benefit from a short course or series of half day courses, then just call us to discuss your requirements and see how we could help you.

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW PREPARATION COURSES

We are often asked what courses we recommend for those preparing for their professional review with the Institution of Civil Engineers.  The answer is it depends on the delegate, as each candidate has a different range of experience and different strengths / weaknesses.  We have a range of courses available that address aspects of the professional review, and other that address common areas of weakness at review such as management and contracts.  A summary of the courses we commonly suggest to candidates may be found here.  If any course is of interest then please contact us for details and / or to make a booking.

ANOTHER MOCK INTERVIEW COURSE COMMISSIONED

Following successful support and assistance provided in recent years, Dr Andy Goodwin of Surepath Training is very pleased to announce that the company has been commissioned once more by an SME in Cheadle to run a mock interview course for several graduates who are pursuing a professional qualification in the Spring 2018 review sessions with the ICE.   Appointed for just one course initially, there is a possibility of a second course being commissioned too depending on graduate progress. The course builds on the 100% success rate from past courses with the same SME, and Andy is very much looking forward to working with the team once again.   If you have a group of people needing training in this or any other skill area then contact Andy to discuss how he may be able to design a course / mentoring programme to suit your needs and add value to your service provision.