PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WRITING AND PRESENTING A TECHNICAL PAPER
Juliet Shaffer, IPWEAQ e-Learning Coordinator
As the esteemed 1980s philosopher, Ferris Bueller once said, ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it’. And while this could be true in many areas of our lives, it is true of keeping up with industry developments and remaining on the cutting edge. IPWEAQ provides many options for you to remain connected to the public works sector, such as our conferences, technical and non-technical professional development, our Engineering for Public Works journal and the Knowledge Centre. However, while keeping informed is one necessary element of understanding our sector, the opportunity to contribute in writing a technical paper and presenting at our conferences is another avenue we strongly encourage you to undertake. There are many benefits to you and the public works sector community when you write a technical paper and present at our conferences – some altruistic and some personally beneficial. Firstly, the process of researching, writing, and presenting can earn you up to 45 CPD hours – necessary either to gaining your RPEQ registration or to the maintenance of it. This
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is a worthwhile process in itself at almost a year’s worth of the required CPD hours. However, the value in writing a technical paper and presenting at a conference exceeds this single benefit. Secondly, establishing a name for yourself in our sector as an accomplished and credible professional is invaluable for your career and personal standing. In
an industry that has considerable direct impact on the public, being highly regarded for your content knowledge, specific expertise and skillset allows for career longevity and improves the likelihood for promotion and broader employment opportunities. Being a published author in our highly respected Engineering for Public Works journal and Knowledge Centre
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021
