The SiLC Affiliant Scheme is due to be launched later this year to assist graduates and those who have already progressed beyond graduation to work towards SiLC Registration. A challenge for all professional bodies is to support individuals with the potential to become full members and bring them in at entry level membership. It is proposed that the SiLC Affiliate Scheme will create a potential pipeline of graduates and more experienced individuals working towards full membership and Chartered Status with their professional institutions, the latter being a pre-requisite for SiLC Registration.
Access to advice and mentoring for career progression through the SiLC Affiliate Scheme would :
• Encourage each individual to pursue professional qualifications and memberships;
• Encourage people to recognise the brownfield sector as a career path;
• Give mentored access to the Brownfield Skills Development Framework;
• Help Institutions build membership;
• Funnel graduates into Institutions and towards SiLC Registration in the longer term;
• Create greater momentum and growth in the SiLC Register and underpin the SiLC Register in the long term.
The proposal is set out below which shows the three tiers leading to SiLC Registration together with the connection between the SiLC Affiliate Scheme and the Brownfield Skills Development Framework and the level of support which can be offered at each tier. An applicant can join the scheme at any stage.

The applicant will have access to an Adviser as they work towards Chartership. Subsequently they would gain access to a Mentor as they work towards SiLC Registration beyond the point at which they attain their individual Chartership.

The roles of the Adviser and Mentor are considered to be distinct and undertaken by a different group at each stage. The roles are presented below along with an indication of the range of support to be offered.

Role	Qualification	Support offered
Adviser	A qualified member of the host Professional Body or the Membership Development staff of the host Professional Body	The aim would be to provide guidance to the candidate on the requirements of gaining the professional qualification with their relevant Professional Organisation. The Adviser will be familiar with the requirements of the host Professional Organisation and how this fits into the SiLC programme but will not necessarily be a SiLC
Mentor	A current SiLC registered on the SiLC list of approved mentors.	The aim of the Mentor is to offer specific guidance on the requirements of becoming a SiLC beyond the attainment of the initial Chartership with the host Professional Organisation. The Mentor will not necessarily be from the same Professional Organisation as the applicant but will be professsionally qualified with one of the Professional Organisations by virtue of being a registered SiLC.

Applicants would be expected to demonstrate the following :
• That they are graduate members (or the equivalent) of one of the qualifying Professional Organisations;
• Have a genuine interest in the brownfield land sector;
• Be aiming to become a full member of a qualifying Professional Organisation and to join the SiLC Register;
• Their commitment to the code of conduct of their host Professional Organisation and that of SiLC.
The annual membership cost of the SiLC Affiliate Scheme would be £50 plus VAT. This fee would include 20% discount on the attendance fee for the SiLC Annual Forum.

An announcement will be made by SiLC when the lists of Advisers and Mentors are complete and everything is ready for the scheme to be launched.

For further information on SiLC visit https://www.silc.org.uk/ or find SiLC on LinkedIn.

Article provided by Roger Clark, Chartered Engineer, SiLC of Marlowclark Consulting Limited

This article was featured in the July/August 2018 issue of the AGS Magazine which can be viewed here.