About Gabriela Gallegos

Gabriela Gallegos CEng, MWeldI is a Member Chartered Engineer of The Welding Institute. She works for TWI and has been a Research Fellow at London South Bank Innovation Centre since 2017.

She studied for her two Bachelor’s degrees and her Masters’ degree in Mexico and then carried out her PhD in France. 

Career

Gabriela spent five years working as a manager for a technology department in France and has now worked for TWI for three years. Her role at TWI is as a project manager, specialising in robotics and automation and she has ambitions to become a senior project leader.

Membership

Initially, Gabriela didn’t apply for Professional Registration when she started working for TWI, but her involvement with the Tipper Group encouraged her to gain professional registration and Chartered Engineer status, due to its global recognition. After a year of working at TWI, Gabriela decided to professionally register with The Welding Institute and, due to her experience and qualifications, she registered as a Member.

During the registration process, she was assigned someone that helped her with the application process, over a 6 month period.

One of the main membership benefits that Gabriela referenced was the Continuous Professional Development process that she carries out, using our online ‘mycareerpath’ tool, to keep track of her continuous professional development. Carrying out CPD has enabled her to continually learn without returning to the classroom.

Another Member benefit that Gabriela noted as being a positive contributor to her progression is the opportunity to network. Networking opportunities for Gabriela were not simply the opportunity to meet people at Technical Group Meetings and Events, but also the opportunity, during CPD, to work with peers through peer assessment.

Being both a Member of the Welding Institute and an employee of TWI has enabled Gabriela to progress her career through leadership training. 

What are the benefits of Professional Registration?

Gabriela recommends professional registration to all engineers and advises less experienced engineers to consider professional registration due to the opportunities it offers. Gabriela explained that, due to her being a Chartered Engineer, she is able to mentor others, which is something that is important to her, due to her not having that guidance at the beginning of her own career. 

Gabriela says that her Membership status, combined with her Chartered Engineer status, has enabled her to further her career progression due to the recognised prestige and status that these titles hold. Gabriela also highlights the significance of her gaining Chartered Engineer status in order to gain global recognition and believes that it was the right choice for her due to many employers making the Chartered Engineer status mandatory for employees.

Gabriela Gallegos is an inspiring example of an Engineer that we, as an Institution, hope encourages anyone else considering professional registration to see the real benefits that it holds.