Membership grade changes Q&A

Following the positive vote by members approving changes in the Bye-laws at the 2021 AGM, amendments to the IOM3 grade structure have now been agreed by the Privy Council and will take effect on 7 September 2022.

The most obvious change that some members will notice is that their grade of membership will change, including the postnominal letters they are entitled to use. A series of questions and answers has been prepared to brief you on changes to your membership with us.

Why are these changes being made?

The current membership structure was introduced in 1997 to map onto the formation stages leading to professional engineering registration through the Engineering Council SARTOR 3 system, which has long since been defunct. In addition, the technical outreach of IOM3 has expanded considerably and our membership now includes professionals who align themselves as scientists, environmentalists, technologists and engineers. IOM3 needs a membership grade structure which meets their professional aspirations.

What are the major changes?

The Graduate, Professional Graduate and Associate Member grades will be merged into a new voting grade called Associate, holders of which will be entitled to use the postnominal AIMMM. Use of the GradIMMM and ProfGradIMMM postnominals will be discontinued.  The Undergraduate student grade and Postgraduate student grades will be merged into a single Student grade. This will have two levels: one for undergraduates and apprentices, and the other for postgraduates. The Companion grade will cease to exist.

Will my membership fees increase as a Student?

No, the two bands will continue to charge the respective undergraduate and postgraduate fees which would have been made without the change to a single grade.

I am currently on an undergraduate student membership deal involving a period of free membership after I graduate. Will this still be valid?

Absolutely, and the arrangement will continue for students at the undergraduate level for the foreseeable future. After this period, you will be encouraged to apply for Associate membership and the first membership fee band will apply.

Will my membership fees increase as an Associate?

Not initially, outside of any annual increase made by the Trustees for the new subscription year in 2023. The Associate grade will have a tiered membership fee structure:  Existing Graduates will enter the Associate grade and their fee will correspond to a band set for two years, which is based on the fee paid by Graduate members now. They will then progress to a different band set for a further two years.

This will also be the entry point for those currently holding the Professional Graduate grade and the fee will be based upon what Professional Graduates pay now. Finally, they will move to the final band from year 5 onwards. This will also be the entry point for those currently holding the Associate Member grade and the fee will be based upon what Associate Members pay now.

I currently hold the Technician grade. Will this change?

There are no changes to the Technician grade.

I currently hold the Professional Member grade. Will this change?

The only change will be the name of the grade which will become ‘Member’; the postnominal MIMMM will be unchanged.

I currently hold the Fellow grade. Will this change?

There are no changes to the Fellow or Honorary Fellow grades.

I hold professional registration with IOM3. Will this be affected?

Not at all – the changes only relate to the IOM3 membership grades. We will continue to award professional registration through our Engineering Council, Science Council and Society for the Environment licences and maintain members on the respective registers.

Will IOM3 be introducing any other changes to accompany this new membership grade structure?

Yes, we will be introducing a number of new member benefits alongside this new grade structure, the first two being:

• The opportunity for individuals aspiring to become Chartered Engineers (CEng) or Incorporated Engineers (IEng) to apply for Interim registration on the Engineering Council register. Aside from being a first step on the professional engineering journey, all Engineering Council registers are now publicly searchable, which is a benefit to those looking for recognition of their career aspirations.
• Bespoke recognition for members who sign off public reports relating to mineral resources and ore reserves. A register of practitioners IOM3 recognises to undertake this professional activity will become publicly searchable.

It is hoped that the above are comprehensive in their coverage, but anything not covered here can be addressed by contacting [email protected].