In late August 2018 we had the pleasure of inviting the South Australia College Branch, Groups, some Society Chairs and Division Committee members to a Leadership Forum held in Adelaide. This Forum gave an opportunity to hear Engineers Australia National President and Board Chair Trish White as well as the Chief Executive Officer Peter McIntyre present an update of engineering in South Australia and Australia, deliver a focus on EA’s Strategic Plan, and address any questions from participants.

Using 2016 employment data, it was interesting to learn

• 43% of qualified engineers in South Australia don’t work in engineering, and that this percentage is in line with the 44% nationally
• Unemployment rates for qualified engineers in SA have generally been higher than the measure for the entire nation, with 6.8% unemployed in SA in 2016, compared to 6% nationally
• The gender split for women in engineering is lower in SA (12.4%) compared to 13.6% nationally (using the most recent census data)
• Contrary to the national data, 56.4% of South Australian engineers are born in Australia, but at the national level the proportion is less than half (again using census data)

A number of ways for volunteer leaders to assist with 2018/19 EA Priorities were discussed – including:

• Supporting graduate engineers through welcoming to events, building networks, promoting graduate services, supporting young engineers and increase activities through our Colleges
• Improving workforce capability through growth in Chartered and NER membership, by promotion of Chartered and helping celebrate credential achievement
• Increasing engagement with partners through promotion of EngExec and identifying development opportunities through EEA
• Delivering a better member & customer experience through upcoming webinar technology, considering our regional members, and keeping diversity front of mind

The opportunity to celebrate 100 years of EA in 2019 was also identified and we can expect social media to play a large role in spreading that word. There will also be a focus on thanking volunteers for their hard work with the organisation.

Lachlan Kinnear, the SA Division President, took the opportunity to have a number of Fellow, Companion and EngExec credentials presented by Trish White and Peter McIntyre on the night.