Training Skills Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

05/04/2012 Moving experience Although aimed primarily at commercial vehicle operators, engineers and technicians, the CV Show offers useful opportunities for those whose careers span the fixed and moving plant divide. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

06/02/2012 It’s all about engineering As Chancellor George Osborne ramps up the rhetoric on manufacturing, with his 'march of the makers' theme, while Prime Minister David Cameron and much of the coalition cabinet dance to a similar 'rebalancing the economy' tune, British ... » Read More

09/02/2011 Training for tomorrow When times get tough, tough cuts follow, with training and continuing professional development suffering, too. But will that wreak long-term irreparable damage? Brian Wall reports » Read More

07/06/2010 Engineering the national interest So, with a new coalition government at the helm, what do our political masters (or is that now servants) have in store for the UK's future? And how exactly is that likely to stack up against the country's requirements, as identified ... » Read More

01/03/2010 Got what it takes? As engineers and training providers alike seek independent assessment of competence, SOE is seeking some additional assessors, interviewers and mentors. Brian Tinham explains » Read More

01/03/2010 CV Operator show There are good reasons for plant engineers to get to this year's CV Operator Show - particularly if your responsibilities include mobile equipment. Brian Tinham explains. » Read More

01/03/2010 Now is the time for action Life-long learning' used to be the term; now it's 'continuing professional development' (CPD). What's in a name? Both emphasise the importance of continuously enhancing our knowledge throughout our careers. » Read More

01/01/2010 Hone your skills Like a finely tuned instrument, investing in training and continuing professional development for plant engineers helps them to perform their roles with greater speed, accuracy and precision. Brian Wall provides some insights » Read More

01/02/2009 Training matters Setting aside the global recession, there are few subjects more in the news than engineering skills. Recent months have seen government ministers, DIUS (the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills), EC UK, the ETB (Engineering ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Teach a man to fish The Leitch Review of Skills, published in December 2006, warned that the UK must raise its game on training and education, if it is to sustain, never mind improve, its position in the global economy. Whether that study will turn out to ... » Read More

01/02/2008 Prove your competence 'Within the next 18 to 24 months, industry will have to be much more proactive about proving the competence of its engineers and technicians at all levels. That's certainly the case in the rail sector. We're going to want to see external ... » Read More

01/08/2007 www.soe.org.uk Looking for technical information, best practice or guidance notes? Just want to be kept abreast of industry and technology news as it might affect you? Or maybe you want to review that feature from a back issue of Plant Engineer, but ... » Read More

01/08/2007 Great engineers for a Great Britain Ian Ling is the new president of the Society of when apprenticeships were common currency in Operations Engineers. He took up office on the occasion of the AGM at the Ironmongers Hall, London, on 28 June, after a year as president elect ... » Read More

01/04/2007 Engineers under pressure Operations engineers have never been so challenged as they are now. Look at the plethora of new tools, technologies and equipment flooding into industry generally. Look at the heightened requirements of competitiveness and efficiency, ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Stepping into a brighter future Committing yourself to a long-term professional career is a major undertaking in itself. Sustaining and developing that career through a myriad of changes and challenges is quite another. Without the latter investment, such a career may do ... » Read More

01/04/2006 Straining to be heard Talk 'training and education' to the leading lights in many businesses and there's a strong probability their eyes will glaze over. It's not a subject that's dear to everyone's heart. It doesn't set the pound signs rolling in the financial ... » Read More

01/08/2005 Skills Shortage - Where there's a skill....there's a way While there could well be more academic engineering graduates than the country really needs, there is no doubt that there is an acute shortage of people with properly honed practical skills. » Read More

04/04/2005 Professional Development - Registering the benefits When it comes to professional engineering registrations, the SOE is punching above its weight. In 2004 there were 189,406 Chartered Engineers (CEng), 42,905 Incorporated Engineers (IEng) and 12,554 Engineering Technicians (Eng Tech) ... » Read More

04/04/2005 Licensed to skill Keeping Biffa's massive UK waste management operations on the move is a man with a mission. Shaun Stephenson has watched the skills levels within both industry as a whole, and the engineering profession in particular, go through a serious ... » Read More

01/03/2004 Personal Development - Register to Advance As the complexity of systems, machinery and equipment continues to grow, it is important for plant technicians, engineers and managers to keep up to speed. In a climate of increasing demands and rapidly changing roles they need to develop ... » Read More