An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

1991-1995: THE FAIRCLOUGH YEARS 103The EOSG was on track during 1993 to deliver a library of occupational standards forengineering from which NVQs at levels 3, 4, 5 could be assembled, thereby creating greatercompatibility between NVQs and standards of professional competence. It was encouragingto see how the debate moved from questioning the need for NVQs to considering how theycould be implemented most effectively. By 1994, the three Industry Standing Conferencesjust mentioned had become recognised as the lead bodies for professional, managerial andtechnical qualifications within the engineering industry. Sir Anthony Gill, a long-standingmember of the EngC Council, took over as Chairman of the EOSG during the year. Hisspecific task was to oversee the transition from the temporary body that had been created toset standards for development, to a long-term arrangement in which occupational standardswere the accepted resource for the engineering industry and related professions. Indeed, inthe following year, a possible Occupational Standards Council for the engineering sectorswas debated.Interfacing InternationallyThe EngC’s Registration Department under Alan Wilmshurst took over the management ofthe British section of the FEANI Register from the British National Committee on 1 May1991 and in June published ‘Engineers and Europe’. EngC Council Member Sir John Cullen[he was also Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission] took over as Chairman of theBritish National Committee from Dr Alastair Paterson in November 1991 while ProfessorKeith Foster took over as Secretary-General from Professor Jack Levy. As provided in theWashington Accord, visits to observe accreditation in other countries took place and the UKreceived observers from Australia, Canada, Ireland and USA.In May 1995, the EurEta [the IEng body within FEANI] held its General Assembly inVenice. In the following month the biennial meeting of the Washington Accord was held inDublin, all six countries, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK and USA having nowratified the Accord. At this time the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers was admitted to theAccord.At the FEANI General Council Meeting held in September 1995 in Budapest, Sir JohnCullen, still Chairman of the BNC, was elected Vice-President of FEANI. A EuropeanAffairs Committee met for the first time – its UK representative was Sir Anthony Gill.During 1991, the 40th Anniversary of FEANI, the number of British Chartered Engineersregistered as Eur Ing rose from under 6,000 to over 8,000 and the number of Group 2Registrants (IEng) rose to 425. When one realises that the total number of Eur Ings at thistime was just over 11,500 it is evident that Britain was well ahead of the other FEANIcountries. During FEANI’s 40 th birthday celebrations in Luxembourg, its 10,000 th Registrantas Eur Ing, British engineer Mrs Sheila Henderson of Southampton, was presented with hercertificate by FEANI President, Lambetus de Steur of The Netherlands. By the end of 1993,five years after the European FEANI register had been established, there were 10,300 BritishEur Ings. Over the previous few years the number of applications for Eur Ing had decreased,causing financial problems. Consequently application fees forwarded to FEANI [in Paris]were increased, subscriptions from member countries were raised by 20% and the overheadsin Paris were reduced to provide a surplus for the first time for some years.Several publications relating to international activities were produced in this period. Theseincluded in June 1992 ‘Graduate Manpower Output’, containing international comparisons© Engineering Council UK 2004