An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

144A CHRONICLE OF THE ENGINEERING COUNCILnominees, of their Institutions), analysis of a similar organisation’s methods of maintaining alarge register and communicating with partner bodies (to compare management styles andcosts), and a continuing cooperation and dialogue across the profession to enable the EngC torepresent the profession, as appropriate, to Government and other bodies. A synopsis of theseven key tasks of the Activity Review was issued to all Institutions and presented to Senatefor endorsement in December 1999. This was regarded as another vehicle for change in theEngC’s approach to its Charter responsibilities to regulate and promote the engineeringprofession.In effect, the Activity Review Implementation Report identified that the EngC should bemore flexible and proactive in responding to customer needs. The Report was saying that theEngC should pass on certain tasks to other organisations, to enable it to move the professionforward more quickly and effectively, in conjunction with the strategy document‘Engineering 2005’. The Director-General Malcolm Shirley summed this is up by stating:“1999 has been an exhausting but very satisfying experience…We now have in place all theelements necessary to achieve the best in promoting and regulating the engineeringprofession”. However, the new Chairman chose to develop a separate agenda, and we shalldescribe Dr Hawley’s subsequent activities below under the initiative that was later to bearhis name.Towards the end of 1999 as a consequence of these activities the EngC published an outline‘Corporate Plan 2000-2002’ in the concise form of two A4 pages of text in an attractivecover. One page quoted the “Shared Vision” agreed with the Institutions for the engineeringprofession; this was followed by the EngC’s updated Mission Statement, Strategic Aims andCorporate Commitments, which we reproduce here:MissionTo maximise the contribution made by the engineering profession to society.Strategic Aims• To ensure that the voice for the whole engineering profession is heard and valued.• To act as a catalyst for Inter-Institution Activities.• To provide a focus for the agreement of standards for registration in the threecategories CEng, IEng and EngTech.• To compile, maintain and promote the registration of engineers.• To audit the performance of the Nominated Bodies and major national projects.Corporate Commitments• To provide support to UK industry.• To provide support to the Profession.• To encourage Excellence.• To encourage unity of purpose.• To achieve greater internal efficiency.© Engineering Council UK 2004