Just heard from the engineering council, one needs to be a member of an appropriate institution, so to leave the IET one must join another institution first.

Job now is to find a non-woke institution, that may be a tall order.

That's absolutely correct. One must be a member of a Professional Engineering Institution (PEI) to maintain their professional registration status with the Engineering Council (EC). The PEI has responsibilities bestowed by the EC to assess candidates for professional registration and ensure they maintain appropriate CPD, ethics and other professional practice throughout their career.

You can transfer EC registration once you have joined another institution, but as stated, you must have a membership with a PEI.

Howard Leamon: 
What does “non-woke” mean?

It's one where, in all the publicity materials, professional engineers are middle-aged white men.  Trainees may be young white men instead.

People from other groups are allowed to apply for membership, but not encouraged to do so.

I like your riposte Simon. 

However, I’m not sure there is any proper definition of the term, which seems to be bandied about as an “insult” towards those who are perceived to be “socially liberal”. I would welcome Rob explaining why he thinks that the IET is “woke” and why that discomforts him to the extent that he wishes to resign his membership. He has every right to express an opinion on the issue and be heard respectfully. 

In my experience of them (50+ years) those organisations affiliated to Engineering Council have a well-deserved historic reputation for being “socially conservative” and very much part of “the establishment”. Consisting of mainly white males, who gained “social capital” or advantage through upbringing, or a university education when that opportunity was much rarer than in more recent years.  However, this simply reflected a self-defined “elite” fraction of those engaged in “skilled” engineering, which consisted of very few women. I’m less sure about ethnicity, does anyone have valid data?  

I support The IET’s efforts to “modernise” and encourage equal participation in engineering and technology, by all those who have the motivation and aptitude. It is our collective mission to encourage excellence and personal development in engineers and technicians throughout their careers. ie “professional home for life”.  

I am not myself that comfortable with an excess of “political correctness” and the rights of older “socially conservative” engineers, to pursue collaboration in a way that they enjoy, are equally valid to those of other groups. A very large international organisation like the IET, will inevitably be diverse, with many different perspectives, which deserve respect.     

If someone is an overt racist or sexist for example, then they have a right to make a fool of themselves and to gain the opprobrium that they deserve. I hope that Rob has just been discomforted by something like perhaps a “populist” newspaper column?      

Roy Bowdler: 
 

However, this simply reflected a self-defined “elite” fraction of those engaged in “skilled” engineering, which consisted of very few women. I’m less sure about ethnicity, does anyone have valid data?       

Hi Roy, 

If (and apologies if I've misread this) you're meaning that the “skilled” engineering consisted of very few women I would put a major caveat on that. In skilled electronics assembly, and precision mechanical assembly, I have seen a largely female workforce in every company I've worked in since the late 1970s (which have covered quite a range of different manufacturing industries). What was always interesting was the assumption that any men who joined those roles “should” quickly move on to e.g. test and potentially higher technical roles. Which does take us back to your point which I totally agree with.

Sorry, taking the thread off topic again…but on the other hand the OP's question has been answered.

Thanks,

Andy

A good point Andy, which probably illustrates my experience being biased towards “heavy industry” and construction. 

I also erred by saying “50+ years”, it should have been 40+, although I’m aware of the landscape before that. You also illustrate an assumption in my answer, that “skilled” was at or about the threshold for Engineering Council registration Eng Tech. 

It is important in this this context, that we all question our assumptions and recognise those of others.  

Roy Bowdler: 

….. I’m not sure there is any proper definition of [woke"], 

A common meaning is to be alert to injustice and discrimination in society, especially racism. It comes originally from US concerns about racism in society.

Andy has noted something similar in another thread. I would consider myself alert to injustice and discrimination in society, manifestations of racism included. I would hope that we all are, but it may be that some of us are not.

Much of the debate about the term concerns what counts as racism and why. We don't necessarily have to go there (especially in some of its US academic manifestations).  There is some occasionally entertaining commentary at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/09/woke-word-meaning-definition-progressive