Membership voice, September - October 2006
TWI Technical Groups are discussion forums covering specific areas of technology. Attendance at meetings is free of charge to Industrial and Professional/WJS Members.
Most groups meet once or twice a year. A meeting programme normally comprises a number of presentations by carefully selected speakers. Technical Groups are a cost-effective means of keeping in touch with developments in both technology and practice, and for sharing problems and exchange experiences.
The following Technical Groups are currently active:
TG1 - Advanced Structures
TG2 - Arc Welding
TG3 - Materials
TG4 - Offshore Oil & Gas
TG5 - Pressure and Process Plant
TG6 - Structural Integrity
TG7 - Polymers
Look out for notices of forthcoming Technical Group meetings in the Connect calendar or contact wjs@twi.co.uk for further information. Technical Group meetings are recognised Professional Development events.
In May 2006 TWI was awarded a grant for a joint pilot project with the Engineering & Technology Board (ETB). The aim of the project is to assess the potential for growth in Engineering Council (UK) registration amongst engineering professionals in the UK. The ETB is a registered charity, which exists to promote the collective voice of scientists, engineers and technologists in the UK.
The project has the following key activities:
- Selecting 12 TWI Industrial Member companies that are significant employers of engineering professionals covering all three sections of the ECUK Register - Chartered Engineer, Incorporated Engineer and Engineering Technicians.
- Contacting these companies to establish:
- Current professional development arrangements for their engineering staff
- The number of registered and registrable staff and the spread between the categories of registration
- The company's support for staff seeking registration
- The number of potential new registrants in the company
- Establishing the engineering institutions, eg Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Institution of Engineering & Technology, Institute of Materials, Mining & Metallurgy as well as The Welding Institute, that would be the likely vehicles for individuals to achieve ECUK registration.
A report will shortly be submitted to the ETB summarising the findings and suggesting ways forward to enhance professional development for staff and promotion of the ECUK register. One of the main initial findings has been that most companies concentrate on encouraging graduate staff to achieve Chartered Engineer status but much less is done to encourage their technician staff to obtain professional qualifications.
Fred Delany - Head of Industrial Membership
