A COMMUNITY OF
SUPPORT & INSPIRATION
Our 110,000+ members around the globe are a goldmine of expertise, knowledge and skill. Joining our community means you get to learn from the very best - and share your own unique experience to help our industry grow and flourish.
Support Network
Our independent charity Support Network is here to help you meet life’s challenges.
Governed by IMechE members and volunteers, we can offer financial, emotional and practical support tailored to both yours and your family’s individual needs, wherever you are in the world.
We offer a range of financial assistance from grants for newly-qualified engineers to support with bills and debt relief, as well as free and confidential legal advice, employment coaching and CV refresher services for first job seekers, career returners and those facing redundancy and unemployment.
Our helplines can support you at home with parenting and family health advice, and provide access to counselling and assist with issues related to disability, sleep disturbance and mental health. We also have a range of webinars covering financial help and personal wellbeing which are delivered by specialists.
We appreciate your support, please continue to donate, volunteer with us and access any of our services and webinars that would be helpful. Please also encourage your peers to look at our services too.
Support Network Expenditure & Support
Income
Total £855,360
- Investment Income: £587,520
- Legacies: £12,850
- Gift aid: £21,446
- Member donations: £233,444
Expenditure & support
Total: £849,748
- Organisation running costs: £323,310
- Governance: £23,494
- Engineering projects and international development grants: £101,104
- Practical help: £92,423
- Wellbeing support: £132,594
- Financial assistance: £176,823
Community & Volunteering
Being an IMechE member means you are part of a vibrant global engineering community across 140 countries.
It gives you the opportunity to network with like-minded peers, expand your horizons, and learn from others.
Our global community of around 5,200 active members are leading the way in organising and hosting local engineering outreach activities. Whether this is a self-funded hydroelectric project in Wales creating renewable energy for the community or running STEM activities for a local scouts group, our member-led initiatives are at the heart of the IMechE experience.
By volunteering in your community you not only develop your own skills but others learn from you too. Maybe you’ll inspire the future generation of engineers and technicians by taking part in our STEM engagement or educational challenges; perhaps you’ll help members directly by volunteering with Support Network or by representing your fellow members on boards and committees.
If you’d like to hear about local activities and updates, select ‘Updates and events from local member networks’ on our communication preferences page.
Events
We also run events to support our volunteers, including in-person meet-ups like our week-long International Extravaganza and the Speak Out for Engineering Global Final, as well as our Virtual Volunteer Conference, which will return for a second year so our 6,000+ volunteers can connect and learn together.
Speak Out for Engineering Global Final
Talking Together
We’ll also be continuing with our Talking Together initiative which was launched last year by the Young Members of the Institution to talk about the importance of mental health and wellbeing. Our Talking Together Toolkit and events open up that conversation so we can think differently about how to support each other in a professional space.
However you decide to get involved, it’s a unique opportunity to raise the profile of the profession and IMechE, give back to the engineering community and help shape the industry’s future.
Community in numbers
55
local member groups across 16 UK regions
57
local area member groups across 7 international regions
28
local technical member groups globally
48
Young Member Panels globally
55
Student Chapters globally
Education & Skills
Education and skills are the golden thread that weave together the support the Institution offers engineers throughout their lives.
Our various initiatives, inform and inspire future generations of engineers and technicians. We undertake education outreach; our work experience programme provides insight into the profession; accreditation and policy allows us to influence education; we prepare engineers for industry with our student and apprentice challenges and upskill engineers through lifelong learning and development.
If you want to inspire future generations of engineers and technicians, joining our education outreach programme is a must. IMechE offers access to our member community, free training, tutorials and educational resources to upskill members and enable them to educate and inspire young people - a role that will help foster future talent and grow and diversify the profession in the longer-term.
We have one of the largest STEM ambassador cohorts in the UK.
We support volunteers who devote their time to education outreach by offering virtual and in-person sessions to upskill them in how to engage with students. As an education volunteer, you’ll personally benefit by contributing to your CPD, build your own talent-pipeline and local network, develop work and life skills, build confidence and enjoy a sense of personal achievement and satisfaction.
We believe education outreach is fundamental and our Elevating Education event last year highlighted the role of our STEM Ambassadors in encouraging more young people to consider engineering as a career. Meanwhile, our inaugural virtual mechanical engineering work experience initiative was attended by more than 950 students and proved an inspiration, whilst working to widen participation within the sector.
Challenges
We’re proud to offer wide-ranging educational challenges that equip undergraduates, apprentices and early-career engineers, with resources and real-life engineering experience.
Since its launch 25 years ago, IMechE’s flagship educational event Formula Student has seen more than 45,000 students from around the world compete to build and run a single-seater race car - testing their creativity, decision making and practical skills.
This year we also hosted the ninth UAS Challenge, which brought together 17 teams - including the first all-female engineering team from Saudi Arabia - to design, build and fly autonomous drones.
Nihad Jifri
Team Member, UH Racing Autonomous (2022)
Current role: Electronics Systems Engineer
Software at Cummins Inc
FS-AI has been instrumental in shaping my career in the automotive industry. Participating exposed me to cutting-edge advancements in AI for the automotive industry and provided a platform to showcase my skills.
I gained hands-on experience in developing AI-driven solutions for driverless vehicles, faced practical challenges and real-world scenarios that refined my technical skills and deepened my understanding of building an autonomous vehicle from the ground up.
FS-AI has opened ways for collaborating with industry professionals, expanding my network and learning from bright minds in the field. This dynamic environment fostered innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving, which are essential skills for success in the field.
The competition's recognition and credibility have greatly impacted my career. Employers highly value the competition, considering it a testament to skills, dedication, and the ability to thrive in a challenging field.
Its reputation has opened doors and provided numerous opportunities for career advancement. It catalyzed my professional growth, significantly shaping my career path within the autonomous vehicle industry.
Our Railway Challenge meanwhile returned for its 12th year and tasked students, apprentices, and early-career professionals to follow a system engineering process to develop and build a miniature (10¼” gauge) railway locomotive which they trialled in a live test environment.
ENGINEERING
YOUR FUTURE
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