Engineering: issues, challenges and opportunities for development ...

ENGINEERING: ISSUES CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT4.2Fields of engineering© Wikimedia commons Blackfriars Bridge, London,under construction.4.2.1 Civil engineeringJose Medem SanjuanIntroductionCivil engineers bring unique services to society – servicesthat involve creative skills and personal decisions that carrysubstantial responsibility. Their skills and decisions touchthe lives of people around the world in their role as professionalsmanaging the built environment. Indeed, human lifefor the most part depends on these services, which have tobe reliable, safe and of high quality to ensure a high standardof living. If the services of the civil engineer are flawedthen disruption and other grave consequences may resultincluding sickness, injury and death to, potentially, a largenumber of people. Consequently, civil engineering is oftenbetter known for its rare failures than for its constant successes.The challenge of sustainable development requires ethicaland technical commitment from the civil engineeringcommunity around the world. Professional ethics areimportant in order to reduce corruption in the industryand to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to bribery, fraud,deception and corruption in any form; with annual globalexpenditure in the construction industry in 2004 at aroundUS$3.9 trillion, Transparency International estimates that10 per cent is lost through corrupt practices. Many, manymore roads, water systems and jobs could be created withthat money.Civil engineers make up a significant proportion, about50 per cent, of all engineers, and many are members ofnational, regional and international engineering organizations.Solidarity between those in developed and developingcountries requires the full commitment of the civilengineering profession in order to help developing countriesraise the standard of civil engineering services in theirown contexts.The profession faces significant and rapid changes. Challengesto public safety, health and welfare are becomingmore demanding. It is therefore critical to promote hightechnical standards of civil engineering through, for example,the assurance of mobility of our professionals to enablethe sharing of knowledge and access to technology. Outof these beliefs and concerns, and in order to address theglobal problems specific to civil engineers and civil engineering,the World Council of Civil Engineers (WCCE) 1 wascreated in July 2006. 2Some concerns of civil engineeringWCCE members from different parts of the world briefly discussbelow some key questions of concern such as mobility,the decline in civil engineering students, corruption in civilengineering and the importance of potable water and sanitationin developing countries.MobilityProfessional recognition of civil engineering qualifications isgenerally straightforward at a national level, however acrossa border it can become a serious problem and, indeed, civilengineering is not a regulated profession in some countries.Hence mobility continues to be a very difficult issue, despiteinternational accreditation agreements and accords.There are many differences within the profession worldwidebrought on by geography, climate, resources, people, history,culture, traditions, idiosyncrasy and language. These can varysubstantially even within nations. Also, and more practically,modernization of technology and techniques have been conductedin different ways according to economic and industrialdevelopment. There are differences too in the contentand duration of civil engineering studies, some demanded bylocal context but also because courses are, necessarily, continuouslychanging.Decline in numbers of civil engineering studentsIn many countries, the number of students that choose a civilengineering career is in decline. Success patterns in societyhave changed and many prospective students believe that anengineering career is a more difficult route to success thanothers. This perception may be due to obsolete study plans,perceived high work commitment, perceived low salaries, alack of research careers, or a view that civil engineers are techniciansthat do not get to the ‘top’ compared to, say, businessor management graduates. But it is also because civilengineering has not recently been explained well to society,1 The work of the World Council Civil Engineers (WCCE) focuses on civil engineers andtheir representation and concerns. A unique feature of WCCE is that individual civilengineers can become members, not just national and regional organizations and businesses.It will facilitate a global platform where all the members are equal, regardless oftheir nationality. WCCE’s work will reflect core values such as collaboration, honesty,integrity, ethical practice, high standards, and total opposition to corruption. For moreinformation: http://www.wcce.net/2 WCCE has celebrated two General Assemblies, the first in July 2006 in Mexico, whichwas also the official founding event followed by a regional Congress on Urban Development,and the second in May 2007 in Zimbabwe followed by a regional Congress onEducation and Capacity Building.124