Annual Report 08 - School of Civil and Environmental Engineering ...

Industry Advisory Committee
The School interacts with the civil engineering industry in a number of
ways. One of the high level ways is through the Head of School’s Industry
Advisory Committee (IAC).
This group meets with the Head of School and his management team on
a quarterly basis and responds to briefs both from the School and arising
from the Committee’s own deliberations.
Objective
The letter of invitation to Committee members identified the following
broad tasks:
m Review the changes to the school’s teaching and research programs
(such as the establishment of new Research Centres).
m Review associated improvements to school infrastructure such as the
new Design Centre.
m Encouraging committee members to be active as ambassadors for the
School such as through involvement in Careers Days and in the annual
Research Student Poster presentations.
m Garnering industry support for the school by encouraging new
Industry Partners and new prize donors.
Membership
The 2008 IAC consist of a Chair and members drawn from;
m two major state authorities
m seven of Australia’s top consulting firms
T h e S c h o o l o f c i v i l a n d e n v i r o n m e n T a l e n g i n e e r i n g a n n u a l r e p o r T 2 0 0 8 > 6 4
m two of Australia’s leading constructors
m a school’s careers adviser
m a merchant banker
m four school representatives including the Head of School and members
of the External Relations Committee
m administrative services to the IAC come from School staff.
Pen pictures of members of the IAC can be found on the School’s website.
The balance within the Committee would be improved by adding a recent
graduate but this has proved difficult. Membership is notionally for three
years but all members serve on the Head of School’s invitation.
Activities
Since establishment in 2005 the current IAC has reviewed and endorsed
the content of the Environmental Engineering course and the School’s
Strategic Plan (twice).
The other main activity was the sponsorship and organisation of two
workshops (in 2006 and 2007) on the impending shortage of engineers.
All six civil engineering schools in the Sydney region were involved and
although the agreed actions were meant to be shared, the on-going
activity has fallen very much to UNSW and the IAC. This has included:
m Preparing displays and attending the annual Careers Advisor’s
Conference