An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

ANNEX H 215member Institutions. This has led to duplication of effort, frustration and a culture of mistrust.We hope that the Hawley Review will resolve this.Your opinion of the Engineering Council’s successes and shortcomingsInstitution of Incorporated Engineers*Establishing and maintaining a voice (of sorts) with the Government, and developing acommon national standard against which we can create international benchmarks for thequality of UK engineering and engineers.And its partial successes?The Institutions do spend time talking to each other, and in a number of instances work welltogether. However, there is still too much fragmentation that undermines the collaborativesuccesses we can achieve. SARTOR-3 has, by and large, been positive for the profession inraising standards and getting industry, academics and the profession rethinking whatengineers and technicians are, and what the real needs of UK plc are. Whilst SARTOR-3provides a strong framework that provides (with a few exceptions) a good match to the needsof the country, there still needs to be more work to make it effective. If we cannot rebalancethe Register, it will have failed, and the Institutions (and the Engineering Council) will onlyhave themselves to blame for the continued decline in the status of the profession.And its shortcomings?The Register, by and large, remains unsupported by industry, with the number of Registrantson each Section steadily reducing since 1984 (the earliest year for which I have figures).Institution of Gas Engineers*The chief success is the recognition throughout the UK of CEng; IEng; and EngTech; and theregistration standards required to attain them. The “Memorandum of Understanding” signedwith Government was a step change in the Engineering Council’s top level recognition.Currently less than 6% of the UK’s young people are very likely to choose a career inengineering. The Engineering Council shares the responsibility for this critical situation butas part of CPE it is, with Industry, now attempting to turn the tide! Another worrying aspectis the number of young engineers who have the necessary qualifications but who choose notto register with the Engineering Council or in many cases join an Institution. Unless addedvalue can be sold to the young people and their employers the position will be in the shortterm exasperated and in the long term terminal.Institution of Electrical Engineers*The Engineering Council has had:(a) Successes- SARTOR (1 and 2)- Environment Award- Memorandum of Understanding with Government- Young Engineers for Britain© Engineering Council UK 2004