When I took office in May this year, I wanted the Institution to demonstrate what engineers have to offer society, and to broaden public awareness of how engineers are improving the world we live in.
I also wanted to help galvanise action to inspire the next generation of engineering innovators and work hard to encourage more diversity in the industry.
As 2014 draws to a close, I would like to reflect on how the Institution has focused on these ideals, increased its global reach and celebrated the successes of engineers.
Membership growth
Membership has continued to grow during 2014, and at the end of November the total membership of the Institution stood at 110,210, compared with 106,277 at the end of 2013. During the first 11 months of 2014, we welcomed 375 new fellows, 1,631 new CEng members, 351 new IEng members and 461 new EngTech members.
EngTech schemes and university or college accreditation schemes are an important part of raising the profile of young engineers, helping their employability and recognising their skills. At the end of this year, there were 192 Approved Apprentice schemes and more than 270 accredited MPDS/company schemes in place, ensuring that professional engineers can maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills.
International focus
Engineering is a global industry with a mobile workforce, with international experts who are keen to share best practice. With today’s technology it is increasingly easy to be in close contact with our members wherever they are in the world, and an engaged global membership base means we are helping to develop engineers across the globe.
I was very pleased to welcome over 4,300 new members to our international network, drawn from 140 countries. It was rewarding to see increased membership particularly in our strategic areas including the Gulf States, India, Hong Kong and Europe. Over 280 international events were held in 2014, a third of which were held collaboratively with other organisations. These included a number of new initiatives this year to engage and support young members of the Institution in the Asia Pacific region. In addition, the publication and launch of the Theme Report, ‘A tank of cold: cleantech leapfrog to a more food secure world’ took place in India with a range of press conferences around the country, which generated substantial national and regional press coverage for the Institution.
Setting the agenda
The Institution continues to set the engineering agenda and aims to raise public awareness of the role of engineers. The Institution’s Theme Managers produced reports on energy storage technologies, cold chain technologies, bio-medical engineering, and STEM engagement with the next generation, they are all now available to download from www.imeche.org/reports. We also provided expert contributions to the public debate on HS2, the response to flooding and nuclear power.
Next year, the Institution plans to publish reports on global water usage, nanotechnology, and its annual Engineered in Britain report. Alongside these, we will be releasing a new ‘case study’ format which will address current issues of public interest, including sports engineering and robotics in agriculture.
The Institution’s reputation for political impartiality and academic rigour was in high demand, influencing debate and policy on engineering matters. The Institution teamed up with the Guardian newspaper in early 2014 to work on the UK energy trilemma, a term coined by the World Energy Council to sum up the difficulty in finding secure energy supplies while meeting rising demand, but without prices becoming unaffordable. These issues are compounded by the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through the year, we staged 11 roundtable events, including three at the Party Conferences to gather opinion and evidence from policy makers as well as industry representatives.
Inspiring the next generation
The Institution is a sponsor of the Bloodhound Supersonic Car project, which has caught the imagination of the public. Bloodhound has provided a platform for a massive outreach programme delivering inspiring engineering workshops to schools. We have used our sponsorship to raise the profile of UK engineering to the media, politicians and the next generation. Next year will see the first record attempt in South Africa. The Institution is planning a number of UK and South African projects to maximise our sponsorship, and further promote the excitement and opportunities of an engineering career.
Volunteers
The regional activities of the Institution are a source of great strength for our engineering network. Working within the local communities around the world, they link engineers, encourage the sharing of best practice and nurture young talent. Our volunteers who work tirelessly to organise visits, seminars, and keep their local members engaged are to be commended as a fantastic force within the Institution.
Virtual library
Our virtual library has increased in popularity in 2014 and is approaching 200,000 downloads of information this year. We also created a popular resource to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, exploring advances made by engineers at that time.
Expert events and conferences
This year saw the creation of the Knowledge Transfer function, which co-ordinates the traditional lecture and conference calendar for the Institution, but also explores new ways of sharing information between engineers from all over the world. This year we held approximately 35 lectures, 30 seminars, five conferences and the Formula Student event, which together attracted over 101,000 delegates. Highlights of 2014 included the International Vehicle Aerodynamics Conference and the flagship Railway Annual Luncheon. Next year promises to be just as busy with the launch of a new on-demand video platform featuring expert conference and event content.
Learning and development
Our London based training business had another successful year, with 1,095 public course places sold (compared with 898 in 2013), and an increase in revenues of 25%. We now also offer public courses in London, Manchester, Bristol, Aberdeen and Glasgow. We will close the year with 70 different employer customers, compared with 47 in 2013.
Next year will see us further develop our portfolio with courses planned in topics as diverse as Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerance along with the launch of our first purely online courses in project management.
We will add the Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry to our course locations in 2015 and have relocated the schedule of Bristol courses to the National Composites Centre (NCC).
ARL and Sonaspection
ARL and Sonaspection have had an incredibly successful year. ARL has seen growth of around 10% on last year as a result of the uptake of examinations, Level 3 Services and courses. ARL continues to develop its international presence with courses, examinations and consultancy now provided in around 20 countries. Next year ARL will launch its first online NDT and inspection courses, and will continue to expand its international presence through work with new partner examination centres. Our Sonaspection sites have also been busy in 2014 and we are particularly pleased to have completed significant amounts of work for clients in China.
Awards
Recognising excellence in engineering and innovation is key to inspiring the next generation, it helps foster pride in engineers, highlights amazing engineering developments and encourages young people to enter the profession. The Vision Awards, Prestige Awards and Manufacturing Awards once again showcased engineering talent.
Also the Institution’s Engineering Heritage Awards (EHA) programme celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014 with the presentation of the 100th award to Old Furnace at Coalbrookdale. Throughout the year, the Institution awarded 10 artefacts or sites with an EHA, including G-Lynx (the world’s fastest helicopter), Anderton Boatlift (the UK’s oldest boatlift), and the Rover Safety Bicycle (the first modern design bicycle).
Looking forward to 2015
Next year, the UK will be dominated by the General Election in May. To accompany this, the Institution will be publishing its engineering manifesto in January based on the membership consultation held in 2014. The manifesto will focus on how to address the engineering skills shortage in the UK, with an innovative solution-led format.
In 2015, I would like the Institution to continue to set the agenda on engineering matters and be the first port of call for media wanting informed engineering opinion. We will support the engineering profession through education, inspiration and great role models. By building and supporting an international engineering community, the Institution will enable society to move forward and flourish.
On behalf of the Institution, I would like to thank you for your support and wish you and your families a safe and happy festive season and a prosperous 2015.