CHAIR’S REPORT: Getting the “New Brand of Engineer” we need

As many parents know, communicating with teenagers can sometimes be quite a challenge. Eighteen months ago, ACEC took on such a challenge when it assumed the leadership of a multi-stakeholder project to interest a broader range of young Canadians in considering engineering as a career. That initiative, which is called Generation-E, has just been launched and has proven to be successful in capturing the attention and imagination of those who may become our future colleagues (see next page).

Part of the campaign for this project consists of a national promotion conducted in conjunction with MuchMusic/Musique Plus with $40,000 of computer equipment in prizes. In the first three weeks, more than 5,000 young Canadians had entered the contest. This rate of participation clearly demonstrates that our efforts to adapt the campaign to the tastes and culture of teenagers is paying off.

We express our sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada, which funded this project through Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). Special thanks go to the chairman of the steering committee for the project, Dr. John Boyd, who oversaw the entire planning, coordination and implementation of the project. We also extend our thanks to the members of the steering committee, which was composed of representatives from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers; the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science and Technology; the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students; the Ontario School Counsellors’ Association; the Canada Career Consortium and individual educators.

From ACEC firms we thank Suzanne Boyd of SNC-Lavalin Group and John MacDonald formerly of Giffels, as well as Wendy Cooper, the Executive Director of Consulting Engineers of Alberta. ACEC also congratulates Robyn Osgood of Blueprint Public Relations for her outstanding work as project manager. Finally, I want to express our gratitude to the members of the coordinating committee: Tim Page, who remained on the committee after his departure from ACEC; Glenna Benson of CCPE and Claude Paul Boivin of ACEC.

PIERRE SHOIRY, P.ENG., CHAIR

ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS OF CANADA