Thanks Mehmood , my colleague requested some fresh credentials and I have received an e-mail.  

 

You and others will probably be aware, that I was at one time quite involved with and supportive of Engineering Council.  However, following decisions taken to downgrade IEng registrants and in particular to adjust regulations in a way that impugned my professional credibility and that of other experienced IEng, I felt that I had to take a different stance. Perhaps an analogy would be that, rather than leave the house, I moved symbolically to the “opposition benches”.  

 

This train of thought led me to reflect on the latest political fiasco. Whilst I wouldn’t equate a professional slight, with the adverse consequences suffered by some members of our community with Caribbean roots, there are parallels in process. A policy was developed to end the “different but equally valuable” idea and make clear that some members of the registered engineering community should be considered as of “lower value” than others. The intention of some may have been to offer a “progressive ladder” to new entrants which could be laudable, but instead it was implemented by downgrading veterans who were arrogantly informed that they should apply for an “upgrade” and prove what they were doing decades ago. Modern engineering in practice (not theoretical thinking) always begins with a risk assessment of who could be harmed and how it this harm can be eliminated or mitigated. Politics by its very nature is about favouring some over others, with lawyers kept busy when harm inevitably arises as a result.

Thanks Mehmood , my colleague requested some fresh credentials and I have received an e-mail.  

 

You and others will probably be aware, that I was at one time quite involved with and supportive of Engineering Council.  However, following decisions taken to downgrade IEng registrants and in particular to adjust regulations in a way that impugned my professional credibility and that of other experienced IEng, I felt that I had to take a different stance. Perhaps an analogy would be that, rather than leave the house, I moved symbolically to the “opposition benches”.  

 

This train of thought led me to reflect on the latest political fiasco. Whilst I wouldn’t equate a professional slight, with the adverse consequences suffered by some members of our community with Caribbean roots, there are parallels in process. A policy was developed to end the “different but equally valuable” idea and make clear that some members of the registered engineering community should be considered as of “lower value” than others. The intention of some may have been to offer a “progressive ladder” to new entrants which could be laudable, but instead it was implemented by downgrading veterans who were arrogantly informed that they should apply for an “upgrade” and prove what they were doing decades ago. Modern engineering in practice (not theoretical thinking) always begins with a risk assessment of who could be harmed and how it this harm can be eliminated or mitigated. Politics by its very nature is about favouring some over others, with lawyers kept busy when harm inevitably arises as a result.