An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

1981-1985: THE CORFIELD YEARS 17Standing Committees for Education, Industry, Professional Institutions and Finance. ADirector for Public Affairs was also required.John Carlill, recently retired Admiral President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, wasappointed Secretary to the EngC and later (31 March 1983) given responsibility for finance,while Anthony Bond was seconded from the DTI to be Director of Education and Training.Professor Jack Levy, Head of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the CityUniversity, London, was at his desk late one afternoon when a telephone call came from ahead-hunter enquiring if he knew of anyone who might be interested in the post of Director,Professional Institutions at the new EngC. A day or two later Jack, who had been chairman ofthe CEI’s Chartered Engineer Section Board, was invited to dinner with Dr. Miller andProfessor Beveridge who was by now chairman of the Standing Committee on ProfessionalInstitutions. At that meeting the main lines for the committee structure involving theEngineering Institutions – for what became the Board for Engineers Registration (BER), itsfive Executive Group Committees and its two co-ordinating committees [see Fig.2] - werehammered out with the aid of drawings on a table napkin. Professor Levy became aconsultant to the EngC in December 1982 and full-time Director, Professional Institutions inJune 1983. From then on the two professors, Beveridge and Levy worked together extremelyclosely on the development of engineering education and training in consultation with theInstitutions.Graham Anthony, an industrial engineer, with extensive experience in the UK and overseas,was appointed Director, Industry in May 1983 while Ron Kirby, who had held several seniornewspaper editorial and management positions in the Thomson Organisation and in publicrelations in the Sime Darby international industrial group, replied to an advertisement for thepost of Director, Public Affairs. But before he could be interviewed Ron Kirby was injuredby a hit-and-run driver and hospitalised; he was visited in bed by the head-hunter and thenoffered the job which he began, on crutches, also in May 1983. And so by mid-1983 the teamof Directors was fully in place ready for the main effort to begin. Weekly meetings betweenthe Director General and the Directors’ team encouraged close coordination of their effortsand initiatives.Because the EngC had been established as a non-profit making Chartered body, an earlydecision was taken that it should operate as a Registered Charity, reflecting its purposes andincidentally enjoying tax concessions and other financial advantages. Application was madeto the Charity Commission and in January 1983 the EngC gained charitable status. However,this was not without its complications, because when sales of EngC-related items laterbecame significant, a separate trading company had to be created for the EngC to retain itscharitable position.While the activities of committees expanded, so did the demand for EngC staff to support andfacilitate the publishing and publicising of committee proposals and reports. Further full-timestaff joined the team and by 31 March 1983 the EngC had 20 staff members some of whomhad transferred, after interviews, from the CEI. In particular, Helena (always called Ena)Duffley, an unparalleled expert on engineering qualifications, and Brian Millicent,responsible for the CEI examinations, joined the Professional Institutions Directorate. BobBish who had run the CEI Register took over the same responsibility at the EngC with thetitle of Registration Executive. Dr Arthur Osley, a retired civil servant with wide experience,came over to continue as the secretary for international contacts.© Engineering Council UK 2004