b'Member News July 2022 25Volunteers To get real value from your IET membership, you need to get involvedIET Fellow and volunteer, Dave Davis CEng FIETA Colonel once told Army Apprentice, Dave Davis CEng FIET, thatDaves top tip: get involved!he could never be a Chartered Engineer. But look at Dave nowhes a Chartered Engineer, Technical Director at ST Engineering,To get the most out of being ana highly respected IET Fellow and a prolific volunteer.IET member, follow Daves advice.You could just sit back, pay Daves volunteer journey started aroundHe chaired the IET Satellite Technicalyour subscription and read your 20 years ago while he was a British ArmyNetwork for two years and recently tookmagazine. But to get real value Satellite Instructor at the Royal School ofon additional IET volunteer responsibilitiesfrom your IET membership, you Signals: I got involved as schools liaisonas a Pre- and Post-PRI (Professionalneed to get involved. I really for the IEE (a forerunner of the IET)Review Interview) Assessor. enjoy networking, meeting new because I really wanted to encouragepeople and finding out new the next generation of engineers.Proud and honoured information. After leaving the Army, Dave joined theFellowship was a massive achievementThe IET has put a framework in Surrey Local Network, where he helpedfor Dave, mainly because of the calibre ofto support its volunteers. That to organise lectures as part of the Localthe Fellows he had looked up to during hisincludes bringing in new ideas Networks committee. We managed tocareer. I am very proud and honoured, heand challenging the status quo. get some great speakers, like the Technicalsaid, but the status comes with a senseIn my experience, volunteering Director at Jaguar Racing and the Leadof responsibility because I now have tobreeds more volunteering. Test Pilot at Virgin Galactic, he said. Iexemplify what it means to be a Fellow.Because the more you commit, also did a couple of presentations myselfsupport and help, the more on satellite communication engineering. information, learning and benefit In 2014, Dave expanded his IETFor me, thats about facilitatingyoull gain from it.volunteering to include mentoringothers and opening up newTheres no such thing as an members, a role that he continues toaltruistic act; you always get perform today. A few years later, in 2020,opportunities for them;something out of it.he became a Professional Registrationidentifying and nurturing talent; Advisor to help get people ready toencouraging them to believe apply for Professional Registration. He said: Candidates have to presentin themselves and what they themselves in the most positive light inare capable of; challenging their application. Its about teasing outstereotypes; and making sure those skills and values that they havent necessarily put down on paper buttheres a support structure need to demonstrate in order to achieveavailable for everyone.Professional Registration. Its quite an iterative process. Read more at: theiet.org/meet-our-volunteers'