This discussion has been locked.

You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Only Ties?

Former Community Member over 7 years ago

Hello,

Set off to the Rohde & Schwarz Demystifying EMC event this morning. Upon arrival at the Silverstone car park, I proceeded to get my IET tie out and promptly put it back in my bag after realizing I was not wearing a post Christmas shirt and the collar was a bit too tight to be kept fastened. That got me thinking along the lines of what else could be made available to fly the IET membership flag ..... and then it came to me, enamel lapel badges!

So how about adding them alongside ties?

Regards,

Jon

P.S. The Rohde & Schwarz event was very good!

Parents

0 Roy Bowdler over 7 years ago

Andy,

Another thought, and this is what took me onto the EC page yesterday: if badges were to be introduced I'd suggest that versions be made that include a discreet but visible "CEng" "IEng" and "EngTech" logo. We need to be promoting the registration grades far more, and this would seem to be an excellent way to do it.

I'm sure that the idea of people showing their registration category is well-intentioned but -

I wore an Engineering Council IEng badge and displayed an e-mail signature “Proud to be IEng” as part of an Engineering Council campaign a few years ago. Although no one directly insulted me as a result, I threw the badge in it in the bin when Engineering Council set about systematically downgrading the category. A majority at Engineering Council had successfully argued that the category should never have been given “equal status” in the first place and that they were returning to “normal”. For a good few senior IEng who probably only held it for sentiment, this proved a last straw, as evidenced in these forums. I’m afraid that for some within the Engineering Council family displaying IEng is similar to having love and hate tattooed on your knuckles and their only reason to sustain it is its usefulness as a convenient inferior pejorative.

Purely personally, I would no longer wear IEng insignia or use the post-nominal other than wholly exceptionally. However, I am still IEng registered and strongly support others in seeking registration in whatever category is most appropriate for them at the time. The IEng standard represents a good "mainstream" professional, at graduate level, but also attainable by progression from craft/technician via work-based learning, it is valued by some major employers and in parts of the Engineering Council family, either for itself or as "CEng lite". Unfortunately however, it is nowhere near the mainstream “mass market” proposition that it should be. Negative prejudice and snobbery (as stated by the Uff Report and previous Engineering Council CEO) has long since poured poison upon it and we need something new that is poison resistant. This is a strategic failure and a strategic solution is needed.

I wear a Fellow’s lapel pin, merely to designate my affiliation to the IET, most certainly not to differentiate myself from any other member. As with many things in most people’s lives, my FIET designation is the result of good fortune, “being in the right place at the right time” and there are many MIET who’s achievements have probably been greater than mine. The same applies to CEng and IEng registrants or high achieving professionals who have not chosen to affiliate for that matter.

When I stopped using IEng, I also stopped using my Chartered and Fellowship designations. I came to perhaps feel that like neck ties, some of this was seeming a bit old-fashioned or self-important. Although I might observe that in the other domain where I'm a Chartered Fellow, I haven't noticed a similar problem. Perhaps because "progression" mostly occurs within career, rather than at school and university before you have even started work! Also in many professions there isn't a convenient pejorative type.

If each were genuinely seen as differently optimised professionals worthy of equal respect, then I might take a different view. This principle is quite widely accepted within the IET generally, albeit not by some members , but in much of the professional institution world the idea would be stoutly resisted, if not always head on.
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Cancel

Reply

0 Roy Bowdler over 7 years ago

Andy,

Another thought, and this is what took me onto the EC page yesterday: if badges were to be introduced I'd suggest that versions be made that include a discreet but visible "CEng" "IEng" and "EngTech" logo. We need to be promoting the registration grades far more, and this would seem to be an excellent way to do it.

I'm sure that the idea of people showing their registration category is well-intentioned but -

I wore an Engineering Council IEng badge and displayed an e-mail signature “Proud to be IEng” as part of an Engineering Council campaign a few years ago. Although no one directly insulted me as a result, I threw the badge in it in the bin when Engineering Council set about systematically downgrading the category. A majority at Engineering Council had successfully argued that the category should never have been given “equal status” in the first place and that they were returning to “normal”. For a good few senior IEng who probably only held it for sentiment, this proved a last straw, as evidenced in these forums. I’m afraid that for some within the Engineering Council family displaying IEng is similar to having love and hate tattooed on your knuckles and their only reason to sustain it is its usefulness as a convenient inferior pejorative.

Purely personally, I would no longer wear IEng insignia or use the post-nominal other than wholly exceptionally. However, I am still IEng registered and strongly support others in seeking registration in whatever category is most appropriate for them at the time. The IEng standard represents a good "mainstream" professional, at graduate level, but also attainable by progression from craft/technician via work-based learning, it is valued by some major employers and in parts of the Engineering Council family, either for itself or as "CEng lite". Unfortunately however, it is nowhere near the mainstream “mass market” proposition that it should be. Negative prejudice and snobbery (as stated by the Uff Report and previous Engineering Council CEO) has long since poured poison upon it and we need something new that is poison resistant. This is a strategic failure and a strategic solution is needed.

I wear a Fellow’s lapel pin, merely to designate my affiliation to the IET, most certainly not to differentiate myself from any other member. As with many things in most people’s lives, my FIET designation is the result of good fortune, “being in the right place at the right time” and there are many MIET who’s achievements have probably been greater than mine. The same applies to CEng and IEng registrants or high achieving professionals who have not chosen to affiliate for that matter.

When I stopped using IEng, I also stopped using my Chartered and Fellowship designations. I came to perhaps feel that like neck ties, some of this was seeming a bit old-fashioned or self-important. Although I might observe that in the other domain where I'm a Chartered Fellow, I haven't noticed a similar problem. Perhaps because "progression" mostly occurs within career, rather than at school and university before you have even started work! Also in many professions there isn't a convenient pejorative type.

If each were genuinely seen as differently optimised professionals worthy of equal respect, then I might take a different view. This principle is quite widely accepted within the IET generally, albeit not by some members , but in much of the professional institution world the idea would be stoutly resisted, if not always head on.
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Cancel

Children

No Data

Only Ties?

Community Rules & Guidelines