ENGAGEMENT ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE
generation who should be going into schools to encourage children to get into engineering.’ Or as Andy Pearson, president of the Institute
of Refrigeration (IoR), put it during a CIBSE-led debate on this topic last year: ‘The best thing we can do is nothing. We need to get out of their way. ‘That doesn’t mean abandon ship, but step
aside and assist. If we are taking up all the seats at the top table and in committees, we are not leaving space for new, fresh ideas and the exuberance of youth.’ The most obvious evidence of how seriously
CIBSE is taking this issue is the development of its Young Engineers’ Network (YEN). This has been going for many years across the UK and abroad and gives young engineers a voice. It has 18 regional centres and has a representative on the CIBSE Council. Currently, that representative is MLM’s Jonathan Page, and he is most concerned about the low profi le of the profession. ‘One of the aims/objectives of YEN is to
engage with universities, colleges and schools to promote building services and engineering as a whole,’ says Page. ‘When speaking to students, teachers, lecturers and careers advisors, we fi nd they have no idea what building services is, what it is about, how important the industry is or how their lives are touched by what we do every day,’ he says. ‘It has been said many times before, but we do
encouragement and confi dence and they will fl y.’ But what do they want from a body like
CIBSE – if anything? The whole question of relevance is crucial here. Arup’s Angela Malynn, who won the CIBSE/ ASHRAE Graduate of the Year prize in 2011, is clearer about what they don’t want: ‘We don’t want barriers,’ she says. ‘Professional bodies make it too diffi cult for young people to join and engage in their activities. It should be easy and cheap to join at any stage of your career and we need to be supported to create our own activities.’ Increases in membership payments
should be staged to better refl ect what young engineers earn earlier in their careers, according to Malynn. She also points out that there are multiple relevant institutions vying for young members. ‘We don’t operate in the old silos – we come
at things from a different perspective – so we are also looking for greater collaboration and interaction with other professions. Also, it is our
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need to raise awareness of what we do and how important the industry is. How many times do we see someone from the industry or CIBSE on the news when there is a related issue to discuss? Rarely, if ever. ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could get into a
position where the fi rst port of call for an article or expert comment was a CIBSE member?’
Promoting a positive image YEN is focusing hard on the whole area of cross- industry collaboration and a number of centres have run joint events with young architects, chartered surveyors and the like. ‘This is important because it gives us all a
better understanding of each other’s work and will hopefully reduce confl icts in projects,’ says Page. Part of YEN’s Mission Statement is to
provide a support network for young engineers and promote ‘a positive and welcoming image’. Giving a platform to people with a fresh perspective and new ideas is also vital for innovation and, therefore, the future of the sector. The secret is to make sure that the novel approaches to design and knowledge exchange encouraged by YEN are also shared with the
older generation who, typically, manage the fi rms young engineers work for. YEN is a way for new industry entrants
to engage with the Institution at the earliest possible opportunity, in a way that seems natural to them as they are communicating with their peers. There are prejudices – ageist and sexist – that continue to hinder development right across the construction-related professions.
There are prejudices – ageist and sexist – that continue to hinder development
Empowering young engineers is a good way of breaking away from outdated views. In its Mission Statement, YEN also states
that its aim is to encourage more women to join the building services profession. As discussed elsewhere in this publication, diversity remains a huge challenge and wasted opportunity for the industry. However, Malynn feels young CIBSE members are better equipped to promote engineering as the new generation ‘is generally more diverse and is, therefore, able to challenge stereotypes’. People from all ages and backgrounds need
to feel they have a long-term future in this profession, particularly young engineers, which is why YEN is so interested in exploring this topic further with other CIBSE members.
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CIBSE membership free to students
CIBSE is committed to supporting the engineers of tomorrow, to help students in their studies and as they step into industry. So CIBSE now offers free membership to students in full-time education. As members, students will benefi t from: ■ Electronic copies of CIBSE Journal; ■ The CIBSE e-newsletter featuring institution news, training and events;
■ Free, unlimited access to CIBSE Knowledge Portal and CIBSE Student Databook;
■ Chance to network across CIBSE groups including the Young Engineers Network;
■ Support through education and training; and
■ Substantial discounts on publications, events and training courses. For more information, visit
www.cibse.org
November 2012 CIBSE Journal
21
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