During 2025, Lighting Journal is profiling lighting professionals who have upgraded their ILP membership. For February we spoke to WSP’s Rachel O’Connell about how she took the step up to MILP
I work as a senior lighting engineer at WSP, based in Leeds, and have been in the industry for 19 years now. I started at SSE as admin support over a summer holidays when I finished school. I was supposed to go off to university but just ended up staying there! I made my way into the design team and that is how it all started off.
SSE likes having a presence within the ILP, and it encourages members to attend events. It wasn’t pushed on you of course, but they did like to see you progressing. I always ended up putting it on the back burner, there was always something else that got in the way – plus life events such as getting married and starting a family.
After SSE I went to McCann, and they too were eager to have someone on the team who had that next grade, that next level, of membership. So I started the upgrading process at McCann and then continued when I went across to WSP, as WSP are very proactive about ILP membership too.
I had been an affiliate member and upgraded to EngTech, MILP, about a year ago now. It was one of things that, for too long, I had just put it off. But once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. I do like report writing anyway, so once I had got my head into it and made that time to do it, it was absolutely straightforward. I don’t know why I put it off for so long!
CAREER PROGRESSION
It took maybe six months to a year to complete, it was just a question of putting the time aside and getting on with it. Both McCann and then WSP were both really supportive in terms of allowing me to put time to enable me to have the headspace to do it, including the report writing and interview preparation.
For me, I am sure it will pay off eventually. It is like a next step in that I would like now to progress to IEng and then, from that, that creates potential to progress in my career and move up to the next level within WSP. So definitely it has been worth it.
I’ve noticed too that, when you go to events, it gives you that extra level of authority. People know that you are capable learning and are of a certain level of knowledge.
CLIENT CONFIDENCE
It is a great way to get your name out there in the industry as well as your employer’s name. A lot of our work is gained off the back of our CVs and our experience in the industry. So having that status gives clients a bit more confidence in you too.
My advice to members? Don’t put it off! I put it off for years and years and found the whole idea quite daunting. But once you get into it, it is so rewarding.
Rachel O’Connell EngTech, MILP, is a senior lighting engineer at WSP
This is an abridged version of the article that appears in February’s edition of Lighting Journal. To read the whole article, simply click on the page-turner opposite.
Image: Leeds at night, where WSP’s Rachel O’Connell is based. Credit: Pexels
