EngineeringSA The South Australia Division’s Newsletter
South Australia Division
May 2011 A Message From The President The recent edition of our Engineers Australia national magazine included the publication Infrastructure Australia 2011, highlighting the vast array of major projects occurring around the country. We are witnessing an unprecedented increase in the number and scale of construction activities, driven by several factors: • the worldwide demand for Australian commodity resources particularly from China and India; • the continued growth of the Australian population towards an estimated 36-42 million people by the middle of the century; and • a significant backlog of infrastructure renewal caused by years of under investment. As long ago as June 2008, Citigroup estimated that Australia would need to fund an investment of $770 billion over the next decade to return the quality of infrastructure to a point that will sustain ongoing national productivity and prosperity. Even at current, historically high levels of government investment, the nation’s infrastructure backlog grew by around $32 billion in the last year alone. All these statistics point to the need for a major increase in the number of engineers engaged in the construction sector over the next decade. In the most recent overview of the engineering profession reported by Engineers Australia (The Engineering Profession A Statistical Overview, Seventh Edition, 2010) unemployment rates in engineering from the last ABS Census (in 2006) were 2.95% compared to the general unemployment rate of 5.24% at that time. Projected demand for skilled engineers based on the Construction Forecasting Council’s estimates to 2018 shows a widening gap between the projected supply of engineers and demand from the construction sector. So what can Engineers Australia do to respond to these challenges? Both nationally and in South Australia we are examining how we can facilitate the training and professional development of engineers in the construction sector, and make Engineers Australia more relevant to these engineers. The National Committee on Construction Engineering (NCCE) is one of five specialist groups affiliated with the Civil College. It represents approximately 5000 members involved in construction engineering. The NCCE is collaborating with Engineering Education Australia (EEA) to research further education and professional development requirements for Construction Engineers. As part of this research, they are conducting a national survey and I encourage any members in South Australia with an interest in construction to respond to this survey. It will take less than 5 minutes of your time, and your response is anonymous. However, by responding you will assist the NCCE to plan further education and professional development activities for the Construction Industry. Please respond to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/59NHDRV.
I encourage engineers who are interested in the construction sector to contact the National Committee on Construction Engineering Committee Administrator via ncce@engineersaustralia.org.au for information about the NCCE activities. Also, at the local level we have set up a Construction Portfolio Group under the South Australia Division Committee, which is examining how Engineers Australia can increase our support for construction engineers here in South Australia. This Portfolio Group is chaired by Mark Jones, Managing Director of LEED Engineering. One of the first actions of this Group is to engage with the senior managers from the major construction firms operating in South Australia, to enlist their commitment to researching the needs of engineers in their companies. The Group is also discussing with the Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) about a program of collaboration with Engineers Australia and CCF. The outcomes of the activities of the Portfolio Group will assist in developing activities here in South Australia to meet the needs of engineers in the construction sector. I encourage construction engineers to make your needs and views known to Mark and his team through the South Australia Division office by email on sa@engineersaustralia.org.au I would also like to take this opportunity to advise members of an upcoming Reconciliation Planning Workshop scheduled for May 2011. The aim of this workshop is to educate our major partners and share experiences in the development and implementation of successful Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs). Through our Strategic Plan and Code of Ethics, the members of Engineers Australia have emphasised their commitment to “use our knowledge and skills for the benefit of the community to create engineering solutions for a sustainable future.” Engineers Australia’s development of a RAP will be our commitment and response to ‘closing the gap’. For more information on the Engineers Australia RAP please visit http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/rap/ or for more details on the Reconciliation Planning Workshop contact Executive Director Caroline Argent via cargent@engineersaustralia.org.au or by calling 08 8202 7100. Dr David Cruickshanks-Boyd FIEAust EngExec President Engineers Australia South Australia Division
News Flash The 2011 South Australian Engineering Excellence Awards Individual Award nominations are now open! The Individual Awards seek to acknowledge and reward engineers who have reached a high level of achievement and involvement in engineering and community affairs and promote the engineering profession and topical engineering issues to the community through the achievements of engineers. Any individual that is an example of outstanding engineering practice, ethics and contribution to the community and that meets the eligibility criteria, is eligible. Please visit the South Australia Division website at www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sa and look under the Awards section for more information and nomination forms.