There are three categories of professional registration in the UK for engineers:

• Chartered Engineer
• Incorporated Engineer
• Engineering Technician.

The promotion of professional registration within UK engineering is a vital mechanism for maintaining and advancing the status and prestige of UK engineering. Registration is voluntary and it is estimated that only 39% of UK engineers are registered. Key statistics on professional registrations in engineering include:

• total number of registrations has declined from just over 267,200 in 1994 to just under 244,900 in 2004, representing a fall of 8.3% over the last ten years
• new registrations have fallen over the last decade, but there was an increase in 2004, a reversal in the trend for the first time since 1999.
• female registrations are starting from a low base, but are on the increase from 1.4% in 1994 to 2.8% in 1994
• the age profile of registered engineers in 2004 reflects the median age of the sector which is over 50
• the average age of registered engineers is increasing

In 2003, there were:

• 141,000 Chartered engineers (fallen by 4% over 10 years)
• 39,000 Incorporated engineers (fallen by 22% over 10 years)
• 12,000 engineering technicians (fallen by 21% over 10 years)

Only 3% of Chartered engineers are female and only 1% of Incorporated engineers.

Source: SEMTA 2006 and ETB 2005