An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

136A CHRONICLE OF THE ENGINEERING COUNCILEngineers from April 1995 to March 1996. On his appointment as Quinco Chairman, hedeclared “During the past three to four years we have seen renewed interest in engineering,thanks to a number of awareness initiatives. But changes to deep-rooted perceptions taketime. We need to address a number of groups – young people whom we need to attract intoengineering; parents, teachers and career advisers who influence those young people;industry, which has the ability to demonstrate the best of engineering, and engineersthemselves who act as role models. And, of course, the media have a key role in all of this.”A newsletter was first published in December 1998 to publicise the Campaign’s activities andappeared at regular intervals thereafter.Against these positive public relations activities has to be set a comment by John Lyons, oneof the original EngC Council members, and typical of some other comments received:“I read the Independent, Guardian, and The Times every day, and at least two of the Sundayheavies, and always see one news programme (Channel 4 or BBC) every day, plus Newsnighttwo or three times a week (i.e., I am a bit of a news junkie). I rarely see engineering orengineers even mentioned, let alone featured. I cannot recall seeing a headline about theEngineering Council itself in the main news pages for years. And what is not in the heaviescertainly will not be in the Sun etc. I cannot help but say that there is no meaningful nationalcoverage about engineers or engineering even in 2000 AD, which suggests that the Councilstill has to get out of the starting blocks in this vital area of publicity.”And this from Bernard Dawkins a former EngC Executive:“Current communications with members (i.e., Registrants) and with its pensioners areinadequate. Engineering First is an unwieldy and market-oriented publication. TheEngineering Council Bulletin is a more succinct and informed publication, but is not issued toRegistrants. The communication through the media to the public is very limited. In manynetworks in which I am active few people know of the Engineering Council. More impactwith the public and with engineers, through the media, for instance the TV, Press andinternet, is needed.”Environmental MattersDuring the period from 1996 to 1998 the EngC took a more active approach to environmentalmatters, attending the 1996 Environment Exhibition (ET96) in Birmingham and repeating itsattendance twelve months later at ET97.The Environment Award for Engineers, recognising the contribution of UK engineers tosafeguarding and improving the environment, was sponsored in 1996 by Lloyd’s Register,British Telecommunications, British Aerospace and the IEE. There was an increased numberof entries. Four engineers from Normalair-Garrett, Yeovil won the prize, presented byleading environmentalist Sir Crispin Ticknell, Warden of Green College, Oxford. From 1997winners were eligible to enter the European Business Environmental Awards for Industrytogether with winners of the Queen’s Award for the Environment.In 1997 the Environment Award, sponsored by Lloyd’s Register, British Aerospace, BP,CIBSE and the IEE, was won in October by a three-engineer team from Conoco (UK) for thesuccessful removal and disposal of four off-shore gas platforms in the North Sea. The teamreceived £5,000 and the trophy presented by Rt Hon John Gummer MP. Two new prizes© Engineering Council UK 2004