Memorandum 11
Submission from the United Kingdom Association
of Professional Engineers (UKAPE)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. This submission concentrates on the role
of the Chartered Engineer within Engineering and has been prepared
by the United Kingdom Association of Professional Engineers (UKAPE).
UKAPE is the section within Unite the Union which represents Professional
Engineers.
2. The submission notes the extent to which
modern society depends on the products of Engineering and on continuing
innovation if it is to survive and prosper.
3. It deals with the qualifications required
to become a Chartered Engineer in the UK and compares this with
the position in continental Europe.
4. The submission briefly covers the statutory
regulations and requirements as they currently exist, and points
out their illogical and unsatisfactory nature.
5. In conclusion, the submission recommends
an overall review of Engineering activities to determine where
there should be statutory controls over the competence of the
individuals involved and thereby ensure improvement to public
safety. In particular it should examine where there is a requirement
for a suitably qualified Chartered Engineer to actively participate
in design processes and technical decisions. It should also look
into possible mechanisms to achieve this.
1. Introduction
1.1 This submission has been prepared by
the United Kingdom Association of Professional Engineers (UKAPE).
UKAPE is a registered Trade Union (part of Unite) which represents
employees within commerce, industry and the public service who
fall within the category of Professional Engineer.
1.2 For the purpose of this submission,
the definition employed by UKAPE of a Professional Engineer is:
A person who has successfully undertaken a course
of study to a minimum level of first degree or its equivalent,
and has either been elected or is working towards election to
Corporate Membership of a recognised Engineering Institution.
2. Value of Engineering in a Modern Developed
Society
2.1 Engineering forms the bridge which converts
the results of pure scientific research into the products and
systems which society values. It then produces them and maintains
them at a price people are prepared to pay.
2.2 The physical manufacturing process which
is a part of the total engineering activity is a stabilising influence
on a modern economy because it cannot be relocated at short notice
to take advantage of a transient economic advantage.
2.3 Professional Engineers generate the
innovation, the valuable Intellectual Property, on which the engineering
activity is built. They are the high skill, high added-value part
of the total activity. This is the part of engineering activity
where a developed country is best able to compete in the global
economy. Engineering is one of the major wealth generators which
fund the health, education and other services which we all enjoy.
2.4 The way a modern society functions is
totally dependent on the maintenance of these products of engineering.
Its future prosperity is equally dependent on constant engineering
innovation.
2.5 In spite of this the average salary
of a Professional Engineer, based on data from the Office for
National Statistics for 2006, is about half that of a similarly
qualified Medical Practitioner and two thirds that of a solicitor.
These relative salary levels influence the career choices made
by our best young people, to the detriment of Engineering.
3. What is an Engineer?
3.1 In the United Kingdom, and in most of
the English speaking world, the term "Engineer" has
come to mean any person involved in the engineering field, particularly
in the areas of manufacture or maintenance. In the United States
it also means the driver of a railway locomotive.
3.2 This situation is unlikely to change
in the foreseeable future, and as things stand at present, anybody
from a gas fitter to a bridge designer can legitimately call themselves
an engineer. As a consequence the general public see no distinction
and this has a negative impact on the campaigns to encourage school
leavers into the engineering profession.
3.3 Other professionals, for example Architects,
Dentists and Veterinary Surgeons have their job title protected
in law so that, for example, only a person suitably qualified
in Architecture can legally be called an Architect. Others employed
in this field and not suitably qualified are known as Architectural
Technicians.
3.4 If Health followed the Engineering example
everyone who "doctored" people would be referred to
as a doctor. This would include for example Consultants, GPs,
Nurses, Health Visitors, Physiotherapists, Dentists, Opticians
plus many others.
4. Qualifications to become a Professional
(Chartered) Engineer
4.1 Situation in Continental Europe
4.1.1 As far as the Engineering Profession
is concerned, the position in continental Europe is similar to
that described in paragraph 3.3 above. In other words, there are
clear definitions regarding the level of qualification required
to fulfil the style of address or job title that goes with it.
4.1.2 Taking the French model as a suitable
example of the situation referred to in paragraph 3.3; there are
three distinct levels of "Engineer", which are:
Ingénieur which indicates a University-qualified
Professional Engineer.
Technicien which indicates a tradesperson,
for example an electrician or a plumber.
Dépanneur which is the term used
for a repairer, for example a person who deals with photocopiers
or washing machines.
In the UK all these are considered to be "Engineers".
4.1.3 As UKAPE is only involved with Professional
Engineers this submission deals only with the first category in
paragraph 4.1.2, that of Ing
nieur. Briefly, in order to achieve this, it is necessary
to undertake a recognised course, normally of five years duration,
leading either to a Masters Degree or a Dipl¼me d'Ing
nieur, either of which allows the holder to use the
title Ing
nieur, which is a style of address protected in law.
4.2 Situation in the UK
4.2.1 The Engineering Council UK (ECUK)
also gives three distinct qualifications, as follows:
Chartered Engineer (CEng) is similar to
the French Ing
nieur and requires an accredited integrated MEng
degree or an accredited Bachelors degree with honours in engineering
or technology, plus either an appropriate Masters degree accredited
or approved by a Professional Engineering institution, or appropriate
further learning to Masters level a second degree and Corporate
Membership of an appropriate Engineering Institution.
Incorporated Engineer (IEng) requires
an accredited Bachelors degree in engineering or technology or
a Higher National Certificate or Diploma or a Foundation Degree
in engineering or technology, plus appropriate further learning
to degree level and Associate Membership of an Institution.
Engineer Technician (EngTech) is reserved
for those with suitable qualifications such as a National Certificate
or National Diploma in Engineering or Construction & the Built
Environment and the City & Guilds Higher Professional Diploma
in Engineering.
4.2.2 The above qualifications are protected
in law, but the essential difference between the UK and the Continental
system is that in the UK there are very few situations in which
there is a legal requirement to appoint a Chartered Engineer.
This means that complex engineering plant, eg chemical works,
oil refineries, etc. can be designed and subsequently operated
by anyone who claims to be competent, regardless of their true
qualifications.
5. Need for and Current Status of Statutory
Control
5.1 In the UK there are some specific areas
where there is statutory regulation but it has grown up over many
years and is applied in a piecemeal and illogical manner. For
example, there is statutory control over the competence of the
technician who installs a gas appliance (CORGI) but no similar
control over the designer of the appliance, or the person who
writes or approves the instructions to which the installer works.
Similarly, there is statutory control over the technician who
tests and approves a domestic wiring installation, but no control
over the design and manufacture of the appliances used with it.
5.2 There is a clear and immediate public
safety issue with the installation of gas appliances and electrical
wiring, but the regulation is only applied to the practical installation
and not to the decisions leading to it.
5.3 There are other examples of public safety
issues. In the rail industry, there was no statutory control over
the competence of those who decided to introduce the harder and
better wearing, but more brittle, rails which were the root cause
of the Hatfield crash. The most recent major example is the explosion
at the Buncefield depot that resulted from failures in the total
system design which allowed a predictable sequence of events to
lead to very serious consequences.
5.4 For many years there has been a legal
requirement to arrange for annual inspections of pressure vessels
(boilers, heat exchangers, etc) and lifting equipment (cranes,
lifts, escalators, etc) by a "competent person". The
courts have accepted that the "competent person" can
be an insurance company, but there is no requirement to establish
the competence of the person undertaking the inspections, or of
the person ultimately responsible for those inspectors within
the company.
5.5 A further example of piecemeal legislation
is the statutory requirement that dams above a certain capacity
must be designed, inspected and supervised by specialist engineers
licensed under the Reservoirs Act 1975. Legislation on dams was
first introduced in 1930 in response to a number of dam failures
that had resulted in loss of life where the original designer
was unlikely to have had any formal qualifications.
5.6 It appears that the UK framework generally
concentrates more on addressing the issues of liability and compensation
after an accident rather than that of preventing the accident
in the first place.
6. Conclusions and Recommendations
6.1 It is clear that this whole situation
needs urgent review to establish a logical regulatory framework
to replace the current piecemeal arrangements.
6.2 It is recommended that where decisions
are taken which could affect the public or public safety, a Chartered
Engineer should be part of the decision-making process.
6.3 It is further recommended that those
Engineers be subject to regular review and should be legally required
to undertake regular Continuing Professional Development studies,
which at present are voluntary in the case of most Professional
Institutions.
6.4 It is hoped that the results of this
Review called for in 6.1 will also raise the profile of engineering
and increase its attractiveness to the next generation.
March 2008
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