An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

198A CHRONICLE OF THE ENGINEERING COUNCILEngineering AssemblyThe Engineering Council is giving consideration to the possibility of an engineering assemblywhich would meet periodically to debate matters of interest and concern to the profession,and to make recommendations to The Engineering Council. Membership of this assemblywould be on the basis of elected representation.The Council MembershipThe Charter of The Engineering Council states that for the period of three years, the firstChairman and up to 24 members will be appointed by the Secretary of State for Industry.Thereafter the Chairman and members will be selected by The Council from a list. It isenvisaged that when a steady state is reached, each member will be appointed for a three yearperiod, with approximately eight new appointments or re-appointments per annum. Thebodies which will be asked to put forward names for the list will be:1. Nominated Chartered Engineering Institutions.2. Organisations of employers.3. Education establishments.In making the selection, the Charter specifies that the Chairman and at least two-thirds of theother members shall be Chartered Engineers and that at least one half of the members shallhave experience as employers or as managers of practising engineers and of engineeringtechnicians.Funding of The Engineering CouncilIt is the intention of The Council that the Secretariat will be small and of high quality staffand that it will work through, and with, other appropriate organisations. The cost will belimited to the overheads associated with a Secretariat limited on present assessments to 25-30people. For the first three years it is being funded by a grant-in-aid from the Government.Thereafter it will look to the Professional Institutions, Government and possibly industry forits funding on the basis that each sector has a responsibility to assist The Council in itsobjective of raising the performance of engineering and engineers for the nation’s benefit. Itwould not expect to receive more than half its funding from any one of the three sources..© Engineering Council UK 2004