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Professional registration

Professional Registration is awarded by professional bodies such as the Institute of Science & Technology or the Science Council and recognises your knowledge, competence and commitment to high standards of professionalism. It differs from an academic qualification as it captures your career development and on the job learning alongside any formal qualifications, highlighting that you have the skills sought after by employers.

Professional registration not only boosts your career by recognising your skills and increasing promotion potential, but it also benefits employers by ensuring high standards of practice, boosting company reputation, and assuring clients of your qualifications. 

It demonstrates commitment to personal development and lifelong learning, while preparing you to confidently articulate your strengths in interviews.

This journey enhances both your personal potential and organisational success.

Why become Professionally Registered?

Some reasons to become professionally registered are:

  • Get recognised
  • Realise your potential
  • Demonstrate your credentials
  • Stand out from the crowd
  • Increase your chances of promotion / career progression
  • Boost confidence
  • Ability to give something back

Benefits

Professional registration gives you:

  • The chance to benchmark your skills against a global standard.
  • Recognition of your experience and better career prospects.
  • Transferability of your skills to other roles or organisations.
  • Improved job satisfaction and ongoing development.

Applying for registration

Find out how you can apply on the Institute of Science & Technology or Science Council websites.

In addition to the Institute of Science & Technology and the Science Council, there are many other professional bodies which can award professional registration, some of which focus on specific disciplines, industry sectors, or type of employee. You can decide which is most appropriate for you:

Top tip - get a registration buddy to support you through the process!

Graeme McAllister (Chemistry) and James Fox (Biology) are our UoY Professional Registration Champions and are both assessors for the Science Council. We have seen lots of applications and can offer you support and guidance through your registration journey, don't hesitate to contact us.

The Science Council run free workshops designed to help you learn more about professional registration and start you on your professional registration journey - dates and how to apply for the workshops can be found on their website.

You can also find out more about how to apply for registration in the Science Council's completing your application video.

Locally, we will also run Professional Registration drop-in sessions during which you can ask our University of York Professional Registration Mentors questions about your application, ask them to read and give advice or just use the session as dedicated time to write a section of your application. Details of forthcoming drop in sessions will be advertised on the TechYork events page.

Case studies

Read our staff experience stories:

  • My registration story - read about one colleague's experience of registration; how it's benefited his career and why it pays to prepare.
  • Upgrading to CSci - read how two colleagues made the move from RSci to CSci, and their advice on how best to approach registration.

Science Council case studies

Opportunities after you become professionally registered

Once registered, the Science Council and TechYork encourage you to volunteer with the Science Council.

There are several roles available, for example, you could become a: