Feature | SAE-A Survey
You’re the voice SAE-A members have spoken
The demise of Australia’s only car brand Holden is definitive proof that the Australian automotive landscape is prone to rapid and abrupt change for engineers, and as automotive companies one-by-one left manufacturing in this country it caused an upheaval that impacted greatly on the SAE-A. These factors alongside a host of other elements shattered the SAE-A however, as proof of its value and standing, the SAE-A has remerged stronger, facing the challenges of the past and present. Now it must look forward and plan for its future and the future of the vehicle engineers it represents. That’s one significant change; SAE-A now represents vehicle engineers not only automotive engineers but engineers of a range of mobility vehicles. Part of the landscape change internationally is that nowadays we talk of mobility vehicles due to the huge variations that have been introduced in that sector; there are hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, self-driving vehicles, hydrogen powered vehicles – no doubt with more variations to come. As automotive manufacturers closed their plants in Australia engineers either retired or moved on to other fields where their engineering expertise was needed, such as truck and bus engineering, aerospace and defence, and working in niche manufacturing such as Carbon Revolution which is mentioned elsewhere in this magazine. But this diversification was difficult to evaluate hence, the SAE-A saw an immediate need to uncover the truths behind its membership; where they were, what they did and how could the SAE-A serve them better.
Over a period of months in 2019 kin8 was commissioned to research and report on these and other issues. These are the results and also the broad base of what the SAE-A will focus on in the future. Survey company kin8 conducted research with corporate members with an online survey as well as a 45-minute in-depth telephone interview, student members were each given a 10-minute in-depth interview and private members who participated were provided with the online survey and then a 45-minute telephone interview. Just over 85 members chose to be part of the survey and while reading this report on the outcomes, if it does not align with your views or if you have other input, the SAE-A welcomes your opinions and is eager to hear from you, please contact Rose D’Amicis on 0403 267 166.
This is what matters to members Corporate memberships were largely renewed based on personal relationships and the SAE-A was not perceived by those members as being deeply engaged with industry, government or legislation. “The core business of an association is to represent member groups to government and the public. SAE-A needs to address this. They used to be a peak industry body and need to rebuild that credibility.” Student members were in the most part aligned with the SAE-A due to their experience with Formula SAE-A. Not surprisingly those who did well and gained good job prospects from the competition were likely to remain positive about the SAE-A. Those who were disappointed with
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