The IET Caribbean Communities membership meeting attracted both existing members and interested parties, who were keen to understand what the institution had to offer them.









The Chairman Anthony Chadee opened the meeting and introduced the me as the Master of Ceremonies for the event.  After formally announcing the members of the exective of the Local Network, namely the Chairman, Vice Chairman - David Drakes, Treasurer - Sean Ocho, who was unfortunately unable to attend due to a severe illness, IPRA - Gerald Mendes, PATW Co-ordinator - Ahmad Mohammed and the YP Co-ordinator - Colin Chase as well as the past Chairman - Deoraj Beephan, I provided the audience with a critical, but lengthy overview of the IET, our LN, accomplishments and plans for the future as highlighted in the presentation.



The twenty plus members were provided with a clear understanding and context that served them well for the presentations by members of the executive.



Most important was the key message of the IET and the LN as being to inspire, inform and influence persons in engineering and technology and it was highlighted throughout the meeting.



Anthony Chadee provided an overview of the LN's position within the CC-A and how the governance structure was designed as well as the importance of the various components, that were needed to ensure that the goals of the IET were accomplished.



This was followed by an overview of the history of the LN, by Deoraj Beephan, and how the network orginated and grew into an executive that is now in a position to provide benefits to the 225 members of the Caribbean.



Eng. Dr. Haydn I. Furlonge, the current Chair of APETT, was the special guest speaker and identified the need for the development of a relationship between APETT and the LN, given that the goals were aligned and there would be mutual benefit to the relationship.









Members of the audience were very interested in Gerlad Mendes' outline and presentation on professional registration, the process to become registered as well as his role as one of the IPRAs.  He provided key insights and guidance based on the questions.



My Overview Presentation noted the success of Faheema Baksh in the various stages of the PATW and she received an excited applause by the persons present.  Her account of the process, the competition, the friendships developed and the experiences as well as the networking made an impact to those who attended the meeting.  This had the effect of supporting the statements made by Ahmad Mohammed, in his presentation about the PATW and the LN being the host of the Americas Regional Finals.  He provided a clear rationale for persons to participate in the competitions and highlighted the benefits that he noticed in the participants.









Mr. Kevin Durham, manager of the National Drilling Academy, a current IET member and one of the key persons involved in the formation of the network many years ago, provided an overveiw of the importance of professional registration, especially in the oil and gas industry.  His impromptu discussion resonated with the members present and highlighted the need for this type of international qualification.









Although the typical age for the YPs are up to 34yrs, Colin Chase created the energy and excitement through a "call to arms" for young professionals to join the YP network and noted that they are the future of the IET.  He noted his experiences and interactions with the YPs, during both his and Anthony's attendance at the CVC, in which young professionals developed and executed projects and network meetings as well as guiding and developing policies and procedures to help shape the IET.









The meeting ended promptly at 12pm and everyone headed off to network, catch up with old colleagues, make new friends and develop plans for the future.  The meeting was a testiment to the willingness of persons to become more involved with the IET, given that the meeting was on a Saturday morning and during one of the biggest holiday shopping sale events of the year.















I was pleased to hear the excitement and experience the camaraderie of both old acquiantances and new friends, each of whom had a common interest, which was centred around engineering and technology.



Persons expressed an interest in being more involved and knowing when the next event would be scheduled.