Outcomes from Year of the Engineering Team
Engineering Team Task Force Wind-up
With the end of 2008, and with the Engineering Team Task Force’s final report having been taken by Council and Congress, respectively, in November 2008, the Task Force has now been disbanded.
With a particular focus on Engineers Australia’s 1,400 Technologists and 5,000 Associates, the Task Force’s objective was to determine and provide pathways to meet the needs, prerequisites and processes required by Engineers Australia to form a truly representative and inclusive engineering team.
The Way Ahead in 2009
Much has been achieved during 2008, including greater equity and recognition for technologists and associates, enunciation of the articulation process between membership categories, the establishment of the National Engineering Associate Register by the National Engineering Registration Board and celebrating the engineering team around Australia. We also moved from transitional to full membership of the Sydney Accord.
Work will continue on the major themes during 2009. The main issue is to ensure that Engineers Australia becomes a full signatory to the Dublin Accord at their next meeting in June, 2009. This will ensure that our Engineering Associate qualifications would then be recognised by other Signatories throughout the world. We are quietly confident that our work toward the accreditation of TAFE courses will be successful in accomplishing this long-standing goal. Becoming a Signatory will add to the practical benefits to Associates resulting from the establishment of the Associates Register.
However, the big task left undone is to provide full bye-laws voting rights to technologists and associates. Congress’s decision at the November 2008 meeting to establish a working group to review Engineers Australia''''s bye-laws is a significant opportunity for this vexing matter to be resolved. However, patience is needed as this task will take time, perhaps even years, as the undertaking is a full review of the bye-laws. The process will need to ensure adequate consultation with stakeholders before recommendations are finalised and tendered to the membership for approval.
Further work on these issues will be undertaken by Engineers Australia’s National Office, and by the National Committee of Engineering Technologists and the National Committee of Engineering Associates.
Visit the 2008: Year of the Engineering Team section of the website
