An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

1999-2001: THE HAWLEY YEARS 145The last item, expressing determination to optimize its own performance, was to be achievedby implementing and sustaining the Senate-endorsed findings of the Activity Review andsubsequent reviews.It can be argued that this statement of Aims and Commitments represented only a palereflection of the MOU with Government [Annex G]. But even if this plan had been adheredto within the existing framework for the EngC, there might have been no need for the breakupthat was soon to follow. In the event, after the Activity Review and other major upheavals,as we shall explain later, WISE, Neighbourhood Engineers, Young Engineers for Britain andthe EngC Examination were all devolved to other organizations.Careers StrategyAs a consequence of earlier discussions as to whether the EngC should provide a careersservice, a feasibility study was undertaken by the BEP to determine whether a pan-professionservice was needed for engineering and technology. Information explaining the aims of thestudy was sent to the Engineering Institutions, National Training Organisations (NTOs), TheRoyal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Employers’ Federation.The Stage 1 report of the feasibility study, which examined and identified the levels of such apan-profession service, was well received by the many stakeholders and organisations. Workon Stage 2 during 2001 resulted in discussions with other stakeholders for the first ever Pan-Professional Careers Conference planned for February 2002 and organized by the EngC,EMTA, and the National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling.PeopleIn February 1999 John Battle, Minister of State for Energy and Industry at DTI, in responseto an earlier invitation from Alan Rudge, attended a meeting of Senate and announced £1.5msupport for the profession over the following three years; much of this was for the Campaignto Promote Engineering (CPE) [see Chapter 6] and the National Marketing Campaign, butconditional upon CPE finding at least 50 patrons and the National Marketing Campaignreceiving substantial support from industry. Dr Rudge received the President’s Award fromthe Duke of Kent in 1999 and in the New Year Honours for 2000 he was knighted forservices to engineering.At the end of 1999 15 Senate members (14 of whom had been elected in 1996 and one in1999) retired; four were the last survivors of the “initial group” who transferred to the newSenate from the “old” EngC Council at the end of 1995. Seven of the Senate were re-electedfor a further three years. Two Senate members (Sir Ian Robinson and Prof Bob Boucher)appointed by the Privy Council retired; Sir Michael Lickiss (who had retired at the end of1998) had still not been replaced. The Privy Council appointed Major General David Judd,formerly of REME, and Lord Puttnam, an Oscar winning film producer and Chairman of theNational Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts and Chairman of the GeneralTeaching Council.Robin Wilson, Chairman of the Board for Engineers’ Regulation, also retired at the end of1999 having successfully presided over the preparation of SARTOR-3 and many otherregistration matters. He was succeeded by Professor Patrick Dowling, a Senate member,© Engineering Council UK 2004