Engineering as a
Profession
Noreen E. Calderbank, P.Eng.
Manager, Prelicensing Programs
Notes for Noreen E. Calderbank, P.Eng.
Manager, Prelicensing Programs
Professional Engineers Ontario
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Professional Engineers Ontario
u Professional Engineers Ontario website
www.peo.on.ca
u PEO Student membership website
www.engineeringstudents.peo.on.ca
u ncalderbank@peo.on.ca
I would like to thank Professor __________ for
inviting me to speak to you today with an
introduction to the profession of Engineering.
To start, here are some contact avenues that you
should note. If you have any questions, I
encourage you to ask during the presentation. If
they come to you later, visit PEOs websites or
contact myself or my assistant, Margaret Walcott.
An important component of PEO's role as the
regulator of professional engineers, is licensing. I
am part of the L&R department.
The Student Membership Program connects
students enrolled in each of Canada’s and more
specifically, Ontario’s accredited engineering
schools to PEO in order to help you learn more
about your future profession, the benefits of
licensure and the admissions process.
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About Professional Engineers Ontario
Mandate:
u
“Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) licenses
professional engineers and
u sets the standards of practice for professional
engineering in Ontario,
u “in order that the public interest may be served and
protected”.
PEO is the signature of the Association of
Professional Engineers of Ontario, the organization
that sets the standards and regulates the practice of
professional engineering in Ontario.
It is a self-regulated association that licenses and
disciplines professional engineers and professional
engineering firms under the Professional Engineers
Act.
The Act covers requirements for admission to the
profession, adherence to a code of conduct or
ethics, and the use of titles.
PEO administers the Act on behalf of the Ontario
public and is accountable through the Ministry of the
Attorney General.
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Engineering
u ”The professional art of applying science to the
optimum conversion of resources to benefit
humanity".
This is a very fancy way of saying that engineers make the things
happen that society functions within. This is incredibly important
and yet not very visible to most person.
At best, most of us hear about engineering as an occupation,
muddled up somewhere in the sphere of ‘high tech’.
Why is it that most of society is not aware of engineering as a
licenced profession? Basically, the public doesn’t see us doing
what we do – we are the invisible profession, because we are not
generally hired directly by individual members of the public like
doctors and lawyers are – we work behind the confines of industry.
Be that as is may, we can’t hide behind these walls in terms of our
duties to the public. This was brought forward to me during a
recent course in archeology showed me that what remains of a
society after hundreds or thousands of years, are the remnants of
engineering.
Think about how profound that can be. Do you want to be part of
creating pyramids or toxic waste sites? Many employers may ask
that we do things that may not be the best for society and how are
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Professionalism
A complex set of characteristics involving:
u
Specialized knowledge
u
Intense preparation
u
Dedication to public service
u
Autonomous decision-making authority in matters
of importance to society.
This leads me to the concept of "professionalism".
Professionalism can be described as a complex set
of characteristics involving specialized knowledge;
intense preparation; dedication to public service;
and autonomous decision-making authority in
matters of importance to society.
In addition, and more often implied, professionalism
can be understood to include high standards of
achievement, conduct and responsible behavior.
Okay, we all know that engineering requires
specialized knowledge and intensive preparation.
Plus, there is no doubt that the engineering
profession has a very strong organizational
structure, as witnessed by the many professional
and learned societies, educational institutions with
accredited programs and the provincial regulator in
the form of PEO.
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Fundamental Questions
What does it mean to be a professional?
Why is ethical behavior important to society?
How are these concepts important
to me?
I became a licensed practitioner of engineering following
the completion of my bachelors of Chemical Engineering
plus 4 years of engineering experience followed by writing
and passing the Professional Practices Exam on Law &
Ethics. My engineering degree was only the first step
towards becoming a licensed professional engineer.
Completing the degree alone does not give anyone the
right to refer to themselves as an ‘engineer’.
Why did I find it necessary to become a professional?
At the time, it was mostly driven by the need to complete a
journey that I had begun many years before. Later, the
value of the ethics underlining each profession began to
take root.
All individuals who subscribe to a profession agree to take
on the mantle of the expected behaviour of that profession.
Basically, for society to ‘trust’ a particular profession, that
group must create a template to which all practitioners
subscribe.
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Importance of Ethical Behavior
u Individual
• Moral obligation
• Legislated requirement
• Vital building block—your reputation, your
livelihood
u Societal
• Reduce vulnerability to failure
• Maintain trust
Eventually, this behaviour which may have begun out of a
legislated requirement or imposed or moral obligation
becomes something much more when you realize that as a
professional, you carry a duty to continue to enhance the
reputation of all of the other engineers in the group. When all
members of the group agree to this, then the need to check
for mistakes becomes reduntant and the overall quality of
the work skyrockets.
This, of course, leads to the creation and maintenance of
societies’ trust factor of the profession.
This works in your favour as your individual need to prove
yourself becomes less important when those around you
recognize that you are an engineer.
Trust equals enhanced value which leads to personal
achievement, fulfillment and other benefits.
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Common Ethical Dilemmas
u Confidentiality
u Conflict of interest
u “Spirit” vs “letter” of agreements
u Fiduciary duty
u Intellectual property
Of course, there is the flip side to these responsibilities and
here are a few of them. I will try to discuss how these can
be eliminated as potential problem areas.
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Ethics - Internal Tools
u How do I feel about this?
u Would Mom be proud of me?
u How will my boss/client react?
u Will this enhance trust relationships?
u Could I explain this to a judge?
u What would the National Enquirer say?
Basically, the best solution when dealing with ethical
situations is the gut approach. Here are some questions
that you can use when determining the best direction to
take.
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The Arch of Professionalism
This illustration puts it all together.
This arch illustrates how the knowledge and skills meet with
the ethical conduct to create the full professional with the
end results that go along with it.
(discuss some aspects of this slide)
What do you think would happen in terms of reputation,
value, respect and trust if you take away either of the
pillars?
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Professional Engineers Act of Ontario
Under the Act, PEO
u licenses and disciplines individual professional
engineers and consulting engineering firms,
u determines admission requirements to the
profession,
u adherence to the Code of Ethics and
u the use of professional titles, like P.Eng.,
"Consulting Engineer" and the term "Engineer"
itself.
Now, let’s get to the legal issues behind all the ‘feel good’
aspects of engineering.
The Professional Engineers Act regulates professional
engineering in Ontario. This Act was first enacted in 1922. It
was a registration law only and provided engineers with the
right to title. In 1937, a newly revised Act upgraded the
standards and subsequently the level of responsibility of a
professional engineer and included the right to practice.
The collapse of bridges in the 1930s convinced the
government of the day, that the public was indeed put at risk
when poorly skilled practitioners practiced engineering.
Under the Act, PEO licenses and disciplines individual
professional engineers and professional engineering firms
and determines admission requirements to the profession,
adherence to the Code of Ethics, the use of professional
titles, like P. Eng., "Consulting Engineer" and the term
"Engineer" itself.
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Self-regulation
u Self-regulation is a privilege granted to certain
occupational groups and is tied to specific statutory
requirements.
u In engineering, these requirements are set out in
the Professional Engineers Act and its supporting
regulations.
u PEO is governed by elected members of the
profession and government appointees. These
elected and appointed representatives form a
governing Council that is responsible for
administering the profession under the Professional
Engineers Act.
Professional self-regulation means that PEO is
governed by elected members of the profession as
well as government appointees from the lay
community - within strict legal parameters. These
elected and appointed representatives form a
governing Council that is responsible for
administering the profession under the Act.
The PEO president, which is an annually elected
position, chairs this governing Council. Like a
corporate board of directors the Council is
responsible for setting policy.
To support this governing structure, PEO has a
permanent staff of about 80 led by a CEO, Kim
Allen, who manages the operation. Another 1000
volunteers from our membership participate on
committees, local chapters and a score of task
groups.
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Professionalism means Leadership
u Leadership
u Instilling trust through having the conscience,
courage and conviction to make decisions that
reflect professional values and reinforce trust.
u Accepting not only responsibility for your decisions,
but also personal accountability.
Professionalism is about leadership, about instilling trust through
having the conscience, courage and conviction to make
decisions that reflect values and reinforce trust. It's also about
accepting not only responsibility for your decisions, but also
personal accountability.
Today, many engineers in emerging fields must manage similar
risks to the public as those working in traditional areas and it is
therefore just as important for them to be licensed.
Up until a very few years ago, most persons involved in the
computer industry were computer scientists. Today, new
categories of engineering disciplines have sprung from that
scientific stream. Identifying and quantifying the differences
between the pure science and the engineering specialities
required intensive study by teams of experts in the industry and
acceptance by the regulating authorities.
Basically, all disciplines of engineering require training and
knowledge in two areas beyond the scientific principles - control
systems & economics. An engineer must be aware of the social
implications of his or her work. These include safety &
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Leadership means ethics
Engineers should work to moral and ethical standards
which:
u
Show respect for individuals and their property
u
Help others
u Do not cause harm to others
u Provide equal opportunity
u Conserve the environment
Of course, just like a building that requires a solid
foundation - leadership is built on the foundation of
ethics and ethical behaviour.
These ideas may seem like basic common sense to
you. If they do, congratulations, you are already
there!
If not, it is never too soon to adopt a code of
conduct based on these concepts.
You will soon find that others will begin to deal with
you in the same way that you do with them and the
level of ethical behaviour will increase within your
surroundings.
This is a good experiment that I urge to to try!
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PEO Code of Ethics
u Protect public welfare and the environment
u Be fair and loyal
u Follow high ideals
u Be faithful and honourable
u Avoid or disclose any conflict of interest
u Expose unethical conduct
Following PEOs code of ethics will support the
earlier self-evident leadership qualities.
Again, although you are years away from becoming
a licensed member of PEO, it will stand you well to
adopt these principles.
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PEO Code of Ethics
Practitioners shall:
u Regard public welfare as paramount
u Enhance public regard for the profession
u Express only well founded opinions
u Act as a faithful agent or trustee
u Disclose conflicts of interest immediately
u Cooperate with other professionals
Here is a more detailed look at the Code.
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PEO Code of Ethics
u Review another professional’s work only with that
professional’s knowledge
u Not injure another professional’s reputation
u Not pay or accept bribes or commissions
u Give proper credit for engineering work
u Expose unprofessional, dishonest or unethical
conduct by other practitioners
And again, another more detailed look.
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PEO Code of Ethics – Bottom Line
Being a professional carries certain legal and ethical
responsibilities.
Recognizing ethical dilemmas and determining actions to
address them are important skills for professionals.
Your professional colleagues can assist you to make
ethically sound decisions.
So what is the bottom line?
If you want to experience the benefits of belonging to a respected profession,
you have to follow the rules of such.
And these are not as hard as you may think. Looking at the statistics for
engineers who have ‘misbehaved’, very few have done so when compared to
other professions. In fact, the order of magnitude is down by one or even two
when you compare to lawyers and accountants (case in point – Enron).
The interesting part is that the same things that make you a good citizen and
team player will also make you a good engineer.
It may be difficult to recognize an ethical issue, especially as you begin your
careers, but keep in mind that as part of a profession, you are not alone and
you will be able to rely on other more senior members to point you in the right
direction.
Probably the most important one to remember is to disclose all potential
conflicts of interest and remember to discuss issues that bother you with your
supervisor. It’s also a very good idea to find a mentor within the profession
and have regular discussions on this topic.
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The Future of Engineering
u “In the old economy, engineers build the asset base;
the plants and equipment. In the New Economy,
they ARE the asset base, because it's a company's
knowledge - its intellectual property - that really
counts."
Nuala Beck
You may have heard of the phrase paradigm shift. I am about to
take you on one in this presentation and look at the serious topic of
engineering in the real world.
Paradigm shift essentially means that due to rapidly accelerating
technological changes, all the rules and institutions developed by
our society over the past several centuries are basically being
reinvented.
You may also have heard of the term, New Economy. This was
coined by a famous Canadian economist, Nuala Beck. It has been
adopted around the globe to mean the economic sector based on
technology and the development of knowledge. It includes the
telecommunications industry, new media firms, the internet and
others in our ‘knowledge-based' economy.
Because of these trends, you will probably have the opportunity to
work in a dynamic system of innovation, where the contributions of
engineers can be different from those economic systems which are
based more on commerce alone.
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Myopic Systems of Innovation
u Technological investments undertaken in response
to well-defined market need.
u Managers with finance experience rank higher in
terms of power and prestige than those with
technical competence.
u Science and engineering education focused and
specialized within narrow, specific topics.
(Concepts prevalent in countries such as US & UK)
I’m sure you have heard of the concept, ‘necessity
being the mother of invention’. In the classical
western world, engineers take scientific principles
and apply them to create items to fill the needs or
demands of the economy.
In this type of economy, engineers have become
servants of the bean counters. Innovations based
on safety and environmental issues are not
necessary accepted. Engineers are often told, ‘We
will build it if it makes good, economic sense for this
fiscal year’. Resources are not valued per se, but
only if the marketplace reflects it. Of course, this
only works when you have abundant resources.
The true cost of such things as pollution are not
fully realized in this type of analysis. This is why
you don’t see full-scale solar and wind energy
systems in place today.
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Dynamic Systems of Innovation
u Emphasis on longer-term performance of
investments in science and technology
u Education system for scientists and engineers
provides exposure to greater breadth of knowledge
(Concepts underlying engineering in countries such as Germany and Japan)
The world economy is changing so quickly, the concepts
employed in economically crippled countries such as
Germany and Japan after the second world war, are quickly
becoming the new norm.
This means that the traditional behaviour of engineers
responding to existing market demands can no longer be
the direction to follow. We must be able to think ‘outside of
the box’.
We must be aware of the greater picture of engineering and
how our work affects not only the current bottom line of the
company, but the future of the resource base.
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Canada
u Canada has traditionally been a resource-based
nation. In the "new economy" sector, which is
becoming increasingly important, dynamic systems
of innovation are critical.
We in Canada have had the luxury over the past
three centuries to behave as if the resources were
all renewable.
Neither is this true in general nor is it true when you
consider the world’s population. We have to think
at a fundamental scale of economy as the world’s
resources become much smaller with respect to
this overall increase in the world population.
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Where is the Engineering Work?
u Low: Basic Science Research, Customer Support,
Trouble-Shooting
u Moderate: Production Process Management,
Specialized Solutions for Customers/Clients
u High: Design of Product or Process
- Canadian Council of Professional Engineers
So, where are engineers likely to find themselves in
this new economy?
The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers,
which is the national federation of provincial
professional engineering associations, recently
surveyed employers in emerging disciplines about
what skills are important for engineers to advance
in their careers.
The employers said it is just as important for you as
an engineer to be able to work well in a team and
communicate your ideas as it is to have top
technical competency.
These low/medium/high items refer to advancement
opportunities, level of professionalism and, surprise,
remuneration. All of which come together again in
the long run.
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u "It is important for engineers to have the right blend
of technical and non-technical skills. If a candidate
applied to us and had A+ on all his courses, he
would not be useful here, unless he had other nontechnical skills to offer. We are looking for strong
team players."
IT Manufacturer - 2,500 employees
Here is a quote from an industry leader that you
should keep in mind.
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u
"We
will take people with two years of experience
and the right 'soft skills' - especially the ability to
work in a team-based environment - over someone
who has 15 years of experience, but is lacking the
soft skills”
- Publicly Traded Environment Employer
… And here is another. Notice they all seem to say
the same thing?
Teamwork and communication are obvious in these
quotes, but what are the other ‘soft-skills’ that they
are referring to?
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Important Non-technical Skills
u Team-related skills
u General communications skills
u Writing skills
u Presentation skills
u Business understanding
u Leadership skills
As I mentioned, teamwork and communication are at the top of the
list, but these are quickly followed by writing and presentation
skills.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that probably the most
important courses in my engineering career have been all of the
english literature and creative writing that I took throughout high
school and as non-technical courses at university.
At least 50% of my time is spent writing or rather, typing.
(Thankfully I have very good keyboarding skills!) When I
graduated, emails did not exist, so PCs were mostly used to
prepare technical reports. Today, these reports still form a large
% of my work but emails have taken over a lot of what used to be
done by phone, fax, more formal memos and physical meetings.
They have greatly increased the number of communications per
day.
The final two items, Business understanding & Leadership, well,
haven’t we been discussing those as well? This brings us full
circle back to ethical behaviour and respect for both people and
the environment.
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Summary
u Broaden your knowledge base.
u Stay current and evolve to be creative and
innovative in a dynamic economy.
u Learn to make responsible, ethical decisions and
accept personal accountability for them.
u Start participating in the profession.
u Join PEO as a student member.
During your educational career, I would encourage
you to broaden your knowledge base because the
ability to be creative and innovative in a dynamic
economy will depend on your ability to stay current
and evolve.
Many surveys have found that the technical skills
that you learn will only be valuable for five years
after you graduate.
The most important aspect about becoming a
professional engineer is learning to make
responsible, ethical decisions and accepting
personal accountability for them.
To start you on that path, start participating in the
profession and join PEO as a student member.
Thank you for your attention.
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