Professional Status for Engineers Petition

[Spinal]

The petition to recognise Engineers are professional/skilled workers has now closed,
( http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Engineer-Status/ )

Some petitions are responded to even before they close - this one seems to have been left unanswered so far. Why do I have a sneaky suspicion that either it will remain un-answered or it will have a stock "there is a chartered engineer status out theer" answer?

Michele

 

[stevesey]

The alternative is to call youself a Consultant to distinguish yourself from the plumbers and mechanics.

 

[Engineered]

I find it really irritating, usually at work, to arrive at the coffee machine, or some other appliance – to find it broken, with a note appended….
“Coffee machine broken, engineer called”.
Whenever I see this I cross out the word “engineer” and write in “technician”.
I am an Professional Engineer (with a capital “E”) and resent the public perception that the man who fills the coffee machine or changes the pump on a washing machine is an engineer.
Trying, in vain, to persuade my kids to take Engineering an university, I found out the true perception from them and their peers…..
“Why would I want to be an Engineer?...Isn't he the man who fixes the photocopier…”
If I was a nurse, I wouldn't be allowed to call myself a doctor.
I legally couldn't call myself an Architect, even if I drew house plans.
(No offence to photocopier or coffee machine technicians everywhere….)

 

[Satch]

Anybody can call themselves and "Accountant" but not "Chartered Accountant" etc

Same for Engineers:

"The engineering profession in the United Kingdom is regulated by ECUK through 36 engineering Institutions (Licensed Members) who are licensed to put suitably qualified members on the ECUK's Register of Engineers. The Register has three sections: Chartered Engineer, Incorporated Engineer and Engineering Technician. These titles are protected by the Engineering Council's Royal Charter and may only be used by registrants. "

http://www.engc.org.uk/About_ECUK/Default.aspx

It really comes down to improving the public perception and understanding, not trying to stamp out common usage of the term.

 

[Spinal]

Anybody can call themselves and "Accountant" but not "Chartered Accountant" etc

Same for Engineers:

"The engineering profession in the United Kingdom is regulated by ECUK through 36 engineering Institutions (Licensed Members) who are licensed to put suitably qualified members on the ECUK's Register of Engineers. The Register has three sections: Chartered Engineer, Incorporated Engineer and Engineering Technician. These titles are protected by the Engineering Council's Royal Charter and may only be used by registrants. "

http://www.engc.org.uk/About_ECUK/Default.aspx

It really comes down to improving the public perception and understanding, not trying to stamp out common usage of the term.

So, I can call myself a doctor or a surgeon, but not a chartered doctor nor a chartered surgeon?

 

[Satch]

So, I can call myself a doctor or a surgeon, but not a chartered doctor nor a chartered surgeon?

No. In the UK it is a criminal offence to impersonate a Doctor or to otherwise claim or imply that you are in possession of medical qualifications when that is not the case.

Same goes for a impersonating a Solicitor.

 

[Spinal]

No. In the UK it is a criminal offence to impersonate a Doctor or to otherwise claim or imply that you are in possession of medical qualifications when that is not the case.

Same goes for a impersonating a Solicitor.

Ah, so they are "special" but people like me who did 4 years of college (or in my case, 4 + whatever my postgrad at Oxford will take...) to get a degree in Engineering are classified as "barely educated"

 

[kjay]

I find it really irritating, usually at work, to arrive at the coffee machine, or some other appliance – to find it broken, with a note appended….
“Coffee machine broken, engineer called”.
Whenever I see this I cross out the word “engineer” and write in “technician”.
I am an Professional Engineer (with a capital “E”) and resent the public perception that the man who fills the coffee machine or changes the pump on a washing machine is an engineer.
Trying, in vain, to persuade my kids to take Engineering an university, I found out the true perception from them and their peers…..
“Why would I want to be an Engineer?...Isn't he the man who fixes the photocopier…”
If I was a nurse, I wouldn't be allowed to call myself a doctor.
I legally couldn't call myself an Architect, even if I drew house plans.
(No offence to photocopier or coffee machine technicians everywhere….)

Oh, please!!

 

[DansSlk]

Ah, so they are "special" but people like me who did 4 years of college (or in my case, 4 + whatever my postgrad at Oxford will take...) to get a degree in Engineering are classified as "barely educated"

Depends what sort of Doctor you want to call yourself.

 

[marcos]

No. In the UK it is a criminal offence to impersonate a Doctor or to otherwise claim or imply that you are in possession of medical qualifications when that is not the case.

Same goes for a impersonating a Solicitor.

So Doctor Fox who used to be on Capital Radio was either a real doctor or a law breaker

 

[rf065]

So Doctor Fox who used to be on Capital Radio was either a real doctor or a law breaker

he certainly wasn't much of a DJ.....................

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

The alternative is to call youself a Consultant to distinguish yourself from the plumbers and mechanics.

The frightening thing about plumbers is that you can become a "Chartered Plumber".

The Institute of Plumbing is affiliated to the Engineering Council in exactly the same way as the Civils, Mechanicals, Electricals, etc., so that title carries exactly the same status as "Chartered Engineer". So plumbers are "professionals" in the UK.

I am a Chartered Engineer (Civil) and I used to care deeply about the poor status of professional engineers in the UK. But when I realised that plumbers would always carry the same status because of their affiliation to the Engineering Council, I stopped worrying about it and took up another career instead.

 

[HughJarse]

No. In the UK it is a criminal offence to impersonate a Doctor or to otherwise claim or imply that you are in possession of medical qualifications when that is not the case.

Same goes for a impersonating a Solicitor.

No youre wrong, as its not always impersonating.
A doctorate is not just medical.
If I want to call myself Doctor of my socks then I can.

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

No youre wrong, as its not always impersonating.
A doctorate is not just medical.
If I want to call myself Doctor of my socks then I can.

You would need to have a PhD in "socks".

And there's an apostrophe in "you're", also in "it's". Doctors are so illiterate these days.

 

[glojo]

I've heard of a pop singer who calls himself a Prince and what is to stop someone from changing their name by deed poll to Doctor, Duchess, Queen and of course Duke which is indeed a much used christian name?

Regards
John

 

[TonyVianoAmbiente]

I've heard of a pop singer who calls himself a Prince and what is to stop someone from changing their name by deed poll to Doctor, Duchess, Queen and of course Duke which is indeed a much used christian name?

Not to mention "Lord" Sutch.

You're right, John. People give their children all sorts of crazy names, whether they are in showbusiness or from the local council estate. And then, as you say, you can change your name nu deed poll to more or less whatever you want.

I prefer the Portuguese system, where parents have to register a baby's birth with a name from a list of officially recognised names. No Fifi Trixibelles in Portugal!

It's a long list, so you get a wide choice.

 

[mark.t]

when i was very young 6 or 7 years old we had a large practice ....we all played doctor's and nurse's .......nobody asked me for my qualification's

 

[scumbag]

Don't the associations that are allowed to use Chartered, have to be chartered by royal assent or something.

I have Chartered Management degree somewhere in a box. I have found out that all my current directors don't have one. They are a bit suprised as to how I have managed to create such a problem with their incompentant abilty to mismanage any situation they have been presented with since i was taken on!

I may produce aforementioned degree in court, should we end up there. They obviously never fully the read my CV.

I belive it would be illegal to offer medical doctoring services without a licence, but anyone can all themselves Doctor. Its best to have some evidence to prove you are indeed a doctor of something before you go off to do such a thing tho.

Doctor Clarkson is only a doctor by virtue of an honourary degree twice it seems. He can be called Doctor.

Medical Consultants are called Mister. These are doctors who have qualified to become consultants, not consultants to the medical profession. They are called Advisors.

 

[grober]

The social and therefore economic status of the engineering profession has been a problem for a long time. It stems from a time when jobs involving "getting your hands dirty" were reserved for people of the "lower " classes. This is probably because these activities have definite elements of risk associated with them and thus were deemed unsuitable for the delicate sensibilities of the upper classes. Ironically the intellectual demands of an engineering degree are far greater IMHO than many other qualifications since they involve a large mathematical content (or they certainly used to) and quite a high load in terms of practical and project work. It has perhaps over the years been an economic strategy of employers to maintain the low status of engineers in order to pay them less but inevitably this has had an effect on British Industry. The status of engineers at all levels of qualification in countries like Germany and Japan has always higher than the UK and this is amply demonstrated by the success of their motor manufacturing companies. I would hesitate to run down the humble photo copier repairman. If he's any good at his job he is worthy of the title "engineer " The problem is that society does not value his skills as much as "managers" walking around in suits attending "focus group meetings", sending memos about car parking , agonising about "mission statements" and the customer "service desk interface".
The conversation might go like this.

The photocopiers broken.
Can you repair it?
A "MAN" comes in to repair it.
Well phone the service company.
They said to open the cabinet to clear the paper jam by releasing the loader roller.
Well have you done that?
They said to open the cabinet with a philips screwdriver.
And?????
Well I spoke to Philip in marketing and he said he hasn't got a screwdriver!!

I rest my case!

 

[scumbag]

We have a engineer and chif engineer in the department that we are under.

One goes out and inspects the roads, does the spraying on the bits that need repairing and works out the requirements and stuff, sorts out the finances and then instructs the man in the roads department to send out the men who repair it.

The other draws big maps and plans, and then goes to inspect the road after repair. He is also working on the relief road (By-pass but we are not allowed ot call it that of the councillors will be voted out).

Now we also have Mechanics who fix cars, trucks and build metal things for us.

Would any of them quailfy as engineers? Or professional engineers?

I don't know. What I do know, is the chief engineer is the brother in law of a councillor and he really is pretty rubbish. He is unable to multitask thats for sure.