An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

86A CHRONICLE OF THE ENGINEERING COUNCILthrough the election procedure, to effectively have representatives on the Council, therebydestroying the independence enjoyed by the original EngC.For an interim period, 64 individuals were chosen to sit on the new Senate. 32 were directlyelected by the Registrants and by Institutions, 16 from the old Council and those intimatelyinvolved in unification, and 6 nominated by the Privy Council. It later transpired that thecomposition of Senate with its cumbersome election procedure resulted in a body that wastoo large and unwieldy.The two Boards, which had been carefully thought out, reporting to the Senate were theBoard for Engineers’ Regulation and the Board for the Engineering Profession.The Board for Engineers’ Regulation was to look after education and training and CPD andmaintain the EngC Register. It was to comprise:‣ eight Senate Members elected to Senate by the councils of the Nominated Bodies‣ up to eight Senate Members not falling within this description.In more detail, this Board was given responsibility for:(1) maintaining and promoting the Register of chartered engineers, incorporatedengineers and engineering technicians;(2) setting the standards of academic achievement, competence and commitment forthose seeking registration;(3) determining the extent to which Registrants should undertake continuing professionaldevelopment;(4) determining codes of conduct to be followed by Registrants;(5) certifying Engineering Institutions as Nominated Bodies able to both assesscandidates for registration against standards and criteria, and regulate the conduct ofRegistrants;(6) licensing nominated Engineering Institutions either individually or jointly;(7) inter alia, approving criteria or qualifications which recognised competence in theworkplace and/or accrediting educational programmes;(8) auditing and monitoring the performance of Engineering Institutions in their role asNominated Bodies and in respect of functions for which they may be licensed;(9) monitoring the regulation by nominated Engineering Institutions of the conduct ofRegistrants and the disciplinary procedures of these Institutions which relate toRegistrants;(10) representing the engineering profession on matters which relate to the internationalrecognition of United Kingdom engineering qualifications;(11) representing the engineering profession on matters which are relevant to the teachingof engineering in schools and further and higher educational establishments andwhich reflect the needs of engineering;(12) arranging for the EngC’s own examination of academic standards for registration.Broadly speaking these were the duties hitherto fulfilled by the original Board for Engineers’Registration. So not much change there, although in the interpretation and application of theRoyal Charter and Bye-Laws there was the opportunity for much greater flexibility and roomfor innovative change – which was later used by the Nominations Committee to theadvantage of both the EngC and the Institutions [see below]. However, item 10 at last© Engineering Council UK 2004