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BY RON TENOVE, P.ENG.
APEGGA President
Welcome to 2003! By the time you read this edition of The
PEGG, I suspect your commitment to New Year's resolutions
has come and gone. Nevertheless, I hope each of you took the
time to revisit your three-to-five-year plan as you get ready
for the future.
APEGGA starts the new year with several course adjustments
that will serve us well as we move forward on the strategic
directions set forth in the APEGGA Business Plan.
· President Elect Mike Smyth, P.Eng., is defining the
scope of his leadership priorities, having attended the CCPE
meeting of association/ordre presidents in November.
· Executive Director and Registrar Neil Windsor, P.Eng.,
has unveiled a reorganization of the APEGGA management structure,
which will streamline and focus activities on two areas -
legislated responsibilities, and development of corporate
and member services.
· Geoscience members will soon have a Calgary-based
geosciences manager working within APEGGA. This person will
provide leadership in registration, communication and services
to geologists and geophysicists.
· The Calgary office has been relocated and a very
functional conference centre added, which will provide a meeting
place and an improved profile for the 55 per cent of our members
residing in the Calgary region.
For myself, as the term enters the last segment, there is
a lot to do to further enhance the visibility and effectiveness
of our professions in the provincial economy and national
landscape.
· Mobility - the process of making it more expeditious
for engineers and geoscientists in good standing to practice
in other jurisdictions - will be at the forefront. In February,
meetings of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region will bring
legislators and association representatives together from
Alberta, B.C., Yukon, Alaska and the four northwestern states
to table the merits of a P.E.-equals-P.Eng. bilateral agreement.
· A guideline for the NAFTA Agreement on mobility of
engineers has been approved in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
· Geoscientists are working aggressively to improve
mobility across Canada. Between Ontario and Quebec, inter-provincial
movement without registration compliance is allowed for limited
work periods.
· CCPE has received federal funds to develop a model,
Consideration to Integration, to better facilitate the immigration
of foreign skilled engineers into Canada. The project is aimed
at assisting interested, qualified persons to determine the
opportunities available, and then integrating them into the
workplace and community destinations.
· APEGGA and the Consulting Engineers of Alberta are
exploring means to increase awareness of users of consulting
services on "getting value for money" and better
understanding of engineering value.
· APEGBC and ASTTBC are moving forward with their application
to government to have engineers, geoscientists and technologists
under one act. The CCPE Technologists Task Force (which the
APEGGA president is a member of) is facilitating national
awareness and input on this issue.
· More provincial engineering associations are expanding
their advocacy perspective as the public expresses increasing
interest in the views of engineers on technology advancement;
solutions for improving environmental sustainability and the
more efficient use of resources; and much more.
Speaking of the future, have you speculated lately on what
changes will occur during your career and the raising of your
family? When you consider all the hype generated by best selling
demographic futurists, it is either pretty scary or a real
opportunity - depending on your mood of the day.
A friend of mine, Larry Staples, P.Eng., recently sent me
an article he wrote in 1992 speculating on changes to the
engineering workplace in 2017. Note how many have occurred
in just 10 years, not 25.
· Energy efficient electric car transportation
· Laser scanning of palm/eye for security access
· Job sharing and three-day weekends (I wish)
· Use of interactive videos for public consultation
surveys
· Laser disks with capacity to hold three slide presentations
· Interactive work stations to video-conference with
team members around the globe
· Computers with 4GB memory, holographic displays and
fully interactive
Back in 1992, a task force on the future of engineering (and
geosciences) also made some predictions of the skills needed
to stay at the forefront; these too have become essential
in our everyday professional work and community environment.
· Engineers, geologists and geophysicists will evolve
into technology and team managers
· Communication and people management skills will be
of utmost importance
· EGGs will increasingly deliver innovative solutions
to non-routine problems with the focus on net benefit to society
· EGGs will interpret technology for the public (is
this advocacy?)
· Continuing education will not be optional to maintain
competence and professional stature
Maybe it is time for each of us to speculate about the unimaginable,
divide the ramp-up time by three and get prepared. I believe
the exercise will serve you and our professions well.
I look forward to dialoguing with you - on these or other
matters that arise -- during my President's Visits around
Alberta, over the next two months.
HIGHLIGHT BOX 1:
SITES TO VISIT
www.pnwer.org
for information on the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region
www.apeg.bc.ca
for information on the APEGBC/ASTBC merger proposal
www.ccpe.ca
for information on the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
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