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SEPTEMBER 2009 The Newsletter of the Royal Institution of the Naval Architects
CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S COLUMN
IN THIS ISSUE
I
have occasionally suggested to members that there
comes a time a member should think “not what can INSTITUTION NEWS
my Institution do for me, but what can I do for my
Institution” – usually followed by some arm-twisting to Nomination for next Presidents
persuade the member to join a committee, or give their Council agrees its nomination for the next
time to the Institution in some other way. In fairness to President.
members, that time is usually given quite willingly – or else
members have a low threshold of pain!! Of course, without Corporate Partners
the contribution of such members, the Institution would Institution welcomes its first Corporate
not be the internationally respected organisation it is today, Partner member in South Africa.
notwithstanding the work of the Secretariat that I paid
tribute to in the July issue of RINA Affairs. However, I am Engineering Council Fees
sure there are many members asking themselves “what can I do to help the Institution?” The 2010 EC(UK) registrations fees will
– or at least I would like to think so! remain unchanged from 2009.
First and foremost, I would ask and urge members to encourage others to follow their IMO Committee News
lead in becoming members of the Institution. Do you have engineering colleagues who The IMO Committee reports on recent
are directly involved in the design, construction and maintenance of marine structures, meetings of the Maritime Safety Committee
regardless of whether they are naval architects, who are not members? Do you have (MSC86) and the Marine Environmental
colleagues who are not engineers but who are involved or interested in the design, Protection Committee (MEPC59).
construction and maintenance of marine structures? If so, please let me have their names
and a contact email address, and I will do the rest. Safety Committee
The Safety Committee reports on matters
Would your company benefit from a graduate training programme? An increasing discussed at its last meeting.
number of companies are recognising that they must be able to offer a Graduate Training
Programme if they are to attract the best graduates, and seeking the Institution’s (free) Changes to the Membership
assistance in producing a Programme which will lead to Corporate membership of the Class Structure
Institution. Contact me if you would like to discuss how to go about it – not as difficult Members are reminded that following the
or time consuming as you might think. Would your graduates, looking towards becoming changes to the membership class structure,
Corporate members, benefit from the Graduate Member Workshop (held at their place of approved at the last AGM, have now been
work) on the routes to Corporate membership and registration? If so, please ask. implemented.
Would your company benefit from being a Corporate Partner member of the Institution, Royal invitation for
and demonstrating to both employees and clients the company’s commitment to high Headquarters staff
professional standards by its engineers? If so, let me know who to contact and again I Members of the Headquarters staff, were
will do the rest. guests at a recent Buckingham Palace
Garden Party.
Would your company benefit from its employees attending the Institution’s conferences
or by promoting its product or services through the Institution’s publications and NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
conferences? If so, please help to persuade those colleagues who responsibility it is, if
not yourself. Institution gives support to UK Schools
Powerboat Challenge
However, at the very least, I would ask and urge all members to promote the Institution Defence and security technology
– to bang the Institution’s drum. It must be a professional institution worth belonging to, company, QinetiQ, is introducing
otherwise why else would you have you paid your 2009 Annual Membership Fees? You schoolchildren to ship design by organising
have, haven’t you? the inaugural QinetiQ Schools Powerboat
Challenge, supported by The Royal
Institution of Naval Architects.
Chief Executive
RA September 09.indd 1 28/08/2009 15:38:02
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