Words / David Mead, Membership and Services Manager at CIHT

Fellow membership (FCIHT) is the highest grade of membership at CIHT. It's conferred on members who have proven their ability and have made a significant contribution to the profession. It demonstrates to the wider community that people have reached that high level of competence and recognition in their sector. Many people become Fellows because it is the benchmark that demonstrates that they're operating at a high level.

The process of applying for Fellowship is really straightforward (and for those interested in hearing more, I will be hosting a more detailed webinar on how and why to apply later this month). It's an online process, and we ask candidates for written statements supporting the application. These are short statements, between 100 and 500 words each, on service responsibilities and/or project management, professional commitments, CPD and management responsibilities. We also need an up-to-date CV, and the application needs a proposal and seconder, who should be Fellows of CIHT or a recognised professional body in a related sector. The proposer and seconder each need to write a statement about the applicant on why they meet the criteria for Fellowship.

There isn't a qualification time limit on an application, in the sense that you don't need to have a certain number of years’ service before you can apply for Fellowship. It's all about what you've done in your career to date. We also want to encourage people outside the UK to consider applying for Fellowship, and we're very keen on actively encouraging our diversity and inclusion agenda, so we want suitably qualified people of all genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations to consider applying for Fellowships.

We do expect a lot of applications during August, which is free upgrade month, so we'd ask members who do apply for Fellow status to be patient. That said, we should get an outcome to everybody within four weeks of a full application being submitted. We have a small panel assessing all the applications, who are all geared up for August.

I’d like to reiterate that we want to be as inclusive as possible and want as many applications from qualified professionals as possible. Many people assume that they're not ready to become a Fellow because of their age, but that isn’t important – Fellowship is based on your professional contribution and experience. Don't automatically rule yourself out because you haven't got chartered engineer status or because you've only been working for ten years. Try to think of your professional contribution in wider terms. Review the submission criteria set by CIHT, if there are any gaps, work towards achieving them.

For example, if you’re a STEM ambassador or a mentor, you have evidence that you’re giving something back to the profession. We have previously offered Fellowships to people in their early thirties: when we looked at their application, there was evidence of working at a senior level, they did lots of volunteering and they were good at developing staff. They were fantastic at doing all the things we want Fellows to do. The fact that they'd only been working in the profession for 12 years was irrelevant.

Becoming a CIHT Fellow will be recognised by colleagues, clients and peers, enhancing your status in the industry and wider business world. Once you become a Fellow, you will be an advocate of the organisation and our values – which, for Fellows, should come naturally.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for my free webinar on how and why to apply for CIHT Fellowship here

Register for the free webinar

Ahead of upgrade month we are offering a free webinar to help you understand what is needed to become a Fellow.

Apply to become a CIHT Fellow (FCIHT)

Take the first step today.