The economic recession has not left Barbadian engineers unscathed.
And on top of that a number of these professionals have concerns about the process by which they are registered.
That’s according to Barbados Association of Professional Engineers (BAPE) president, Greg Parris, in his review of the six-month period ending last month.
“Within recent times, we have had several queries about engineering registration [fees, process, and so on]. As a result, we have worked closely with the Engineers Registration Board to address these concerns from our members. More on this will follow in the coming year,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the economic climate has continued to affect engineers across several sectors and disciplines. There is no guarantee that this situation will improve anytime soon.
“However, we have to be proactive in ensuring that we continue to advance the engineering profession and ultimately show how engineering is critical in ensuring the economic growth and development of a country,” he added.
Parris also said another challenge for the engineering, manufacturing and science sectors was to “develop and exploit emerging technologies, such as advanced manufacturing and low carbon and environmental goods and services”.
“We can only achieve success in these fields if future graduates have skills rooted in math and the sciences. Additionally, the value that engineering brings to the country has to be quantified financially and economically,” he said.
“This will allow engineers to justify their importance to the economy and have a greater voice in matters of national importance.
An audit of the profession seems to be the way forward in determining its value. This task may be costly and daunting, however, it is strongly needed.”
In his review, the president said BAPE’s drive to achieve the goals it set in 2012 remained the focus when a new committee was elected at the June 6, 2013 annual general meeting.
These goals were “promoting continuing professional development, sensitizing the public to the role of the engineer in our society, [and] creating a mentorship programme for student and graduate engineers”.
(SC)