822P90215PCE UAE (ADM)(NEWSLETTER2009No03)(AM)                                                   CHECK WEB: www.pceuae.net

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Dear Colleague

 

The economic and related job situation seems to be getting worse rather than better with recent news that one firm here has made 25 000 redundant of which 5% are skilled Managers and Engineers.  One applicant for Chartered Professional Review (CPR) interview who has spent much time preparing application forms ready for signature by a Chartered Engineer sponsor has seen that individual being made redundant in UAE and is now isolated in Iraq.  One other CPR applicant has had his initially planned CPR interview postponed due to delays in getting documents out of UK due to the severe snow there.

 

One aspect of all this depressing and negative activity is that Professional Qualifications meeting Engineering Council (EC) requirements set out in The EC UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC) should mean more to potential employers as these illustrate a combination of academic theory, practical experience and personal skills and as the EC states in a poster headed:

‘Boolean logic for engineers – If you become a CEng or IEng then you can look forward to Higher Earnings and Greater Influence and Enhanced Status – a proven formula for career success’.

Do let us have your comments and any specific facts relating to such statements.  We know some employers increase pay for such qualifications and one member a few years ago gained Dhs 4000 per month as CEng.

 

After the ‘Top Ten Topics’ survey in January when we invited members to select their personal interest and priority from a list of about 80 topics the Top Ten Topics included Project and Construction Management, Detailed design and Management Skills – specifically Management Delegation and Time Management.  

                                                                                                  

At the well attended PRP session at Ghantout on Tuesday 2009 01 27 members chose to view video case studies on ‘Management Delegation’.  We have selected ‘Time Management’ as the main Topic for March.  Details are included in the attached NOTICE for March and will be added to the PCE UAE web pages along with other recent and pending confirmed events. Eg

Tue 2009 01 27 – 19:00                     Ghantout, PRP Meeting Revised UK-SPEC & video ‘Delegation’

Tue 2009 02 03 – 19:00                     Abu Dhabi, ‘De-watering’ by Dr Toby Roberts of WJ Groundwater

Tue 2009 02 10 – 19:00                     Dubai, a repeat of the above interesting presentation

Tue 2009 02 17 – 16:00                     Dubai, a visit to de-watering at the Trade Centre site 

Tue 2009 02 24 – 19:00                     Ghantout, PRP meeting help for CPR members due to sit CPR Interviews

Tue 2009 03 03 – 19:00                     Abu Dhabi, Video seminar & Case Studies on ‘ Time Management’

Tue 2009 03 10 – 19:00                     Dubai, Video Seminar & Case Studies on ‘Time Management’

Tue 2009 03 17 – 16:00                     TBC possible site / office visit

Tue 2009 03 24 – 19:00                     Ghantout PRP TBC plus IMechE CPR Interviews and possibly HKEYM

 

The attached NOTICE for March events contains some details of the ‘Time Management’ Seminar. 

PCE UAE Committee members will be present to lead discussion regarding individual:-

Skills           – Oral & written communication, Delegation, Organisation, Creativity, Presentation

Attitude       – To others, Confidence/Esteem, Positive/Negative, Commitment, Responsibility

Education   – Formal – degree, Professional, Technical, Language, Computers / IT

Home life    – Spouse/partner, Children, Relations, Friends, Social activities, House/holidays

Own time    – Hobbies, Music/art, Cooking, Gardening, Sport, Other interests

Body           – General health, Appearance, Weight, Physical fitness, Smoking, Drinking, Eating habits, 

 

Working Together

There are many accrued benefits of working together – especially when the Engineering Profession is being hit as part of the Credit Crunch and projects are being put on hold or just scrapped.  That combined with the drop in oil prices has hit UAE hard.  In some ways it is similar to the situation in 1985 when oil dropped and later in 1995 when we had the Fairclough Report titled ‘Unification of the Engineering Profession’.

Also, the respective Councils of ICE and IMechE agreed to accept a plea from their members in UAE to dissolve their respective Branches and give the lead to form a unified Group - PCE UAE - as the first and only - fully multi-discipline International Group linked to the Engineering Council.(EC) licensed Institutions.

 

In 1995 a great deal of voluntary thought, time and effort went into the preparations by the interim Committee and all were delighted when a Senior Senator of the EC flew out to give support and attend the inaugural lunch attended also by the British Ambassador to the UAE.  PCE UAE has survived for 13 years and has met many of its commitments for members despite setbacks and limited sponsorship and financial support.

 

Only a few of that original PCE UAE Committee are still in the Emirates but they and others believed we could better provide a service to members – especially those in the newer and often smaller of the then 40 Institutions, many of which had little or no representation in the country and warranted support.  The PCE UAE aims included the support of the older and bigger PEI with their relatively vast resources helping the newer, smaller and less represented PEI and their member colleagues in UAE. 

 

In 1996 PCE UAE contacted directly all 40 EC licensed PEI and invited them to join with others and support their members in the UAE.  In line with Regulations for Groups of Professional Engineers sponsored by ICE, IMechE, IEE/IET , IChemE and other PEI,  ICE agreed to Administer and liaise with other PEI in UK on behalf of the Group.  Many PEI are now represented by PCE UAE.  Economic and Infrastructure Planning suggests that members of other PEI will soon be here eg the Nuclear Institute where UAE is planning for Nuclear Power generation and Railway Engineers where The Dubai and Abu Dhabi Metros may be linked by a rail line from Ras Al Khaimah  to meet up with the Saudi Railway at Dammam – and possibly even the former Hejaz Railway to Iraq.  As Chair I have a particular interest in such developments having lived at the Rail Head in Dammam and driven the Hejaz line from the Jordan border to Medina en route to Jeddah. 

 

We have just received e-mails including short videos from a former engineering student colleague now based in Canada.  One shows construction of the French ‘Millau’ Bridge 2460m (8071ft) long and 342.9m(1125ft) high‘ and another of poor car parking arrangements at frozen lakes ie they sank!  If we cannot add these to the NEWSLETTER then I might be able to forward a copy if asked.

 

Marketing - PCE UAE, EC, PEI, PA and other Professional Institutions

The Regulations for Groups of Professional Engineers sponsored by ICE, IMechE, IET, IChemE and other PEI on which the PCE UAE Constitution is based states, among other things that the Group (and of course members of the Group) should:

·         Stimulate interest in the work of the Sponsoring Institutions

·         Promote the sponsoring Institutions locally

·         Provide a forum for all engineers in the area of the Group in matters pertinent to the Sponsoring Institutions

·         Perform where appropriate, similar functions for any other societies who are represented within the Group in accordance with their regulations and with the Group constitution

  

At the PCE UAE meeting in Dubai last Tuesday evening 2009 02 10 we had in attendance members from nearly ten different Institutions including IMechE, IET, IChemE, ICE, IStructE,  but surprisingly not from CIWEM when the topic was ‘De-watering’ by Dr Toby Roberts PhD, CEng, FICE, CGeol, FGS, MCIWEM!   He illustrated the talk with slides of good works, bad works and absolute failures.  The illustrations of good works included a site at the Trade Centre in Dubai which is the visit arranged by the Project Manager Graham Kite for Tuesday 2009 02 17 (050-426 3926)

 

Institutions - Engineering Council (EC) licensed PEI & PA

With the above PCE UAE remit it falls to us to help members to know and ‘market’ the EC, PCE UAE and its over 50 linked Institutions and EC Professional Affiliates and others with which we deal on many projects.  We therefore attach a list of PEI, PA plus the UAE Society of Engineers (UAESE) sometimes referred to as SOE which is already The Society of Operations Engineers (SOE) founded 1944 some years before the UAE in 1972 12 02 or indeed the Society of Engineers (SoE founded 1854)!

 

The PEI are listed roughly in descending order of EC Registrants to show the basis for our statement that PCE UAE potential membership exceeds 2000 (If we would only work together).  Personally as PCE UAE Chair I aim to be interested in all disciplines, used to be a member of BCS, applied, as a former RAF Pilot,  for Corporate Membership of RAeS (but was turned down) and when it comes to Nuclear Engineering, Shipbuilding and Engineering completed assignments for Nuclear Submarines and Power Stations and spent some time in at least six Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering companies – some still in business!

 

Here in UAE where PCE UAE exists we also have separate branches of RINA, IMarEST, RAeS, BCS and other PEI which seek to ‘go it alone’ with separate committees and non co-ordinated programmes of events.

 

Regards, Alister            

Er Alister I M Macmillan, Chair, PCE UAE                                                           UAE   2009 02 16