What a week! With over 3,000 delegates and participants from over 75 countries, the World Engineers Convention in Melbourne delivered some great insights from many international experts both engineers and non-engineers.
Most exciting was the privilege to deliver a presentation ‘Engineers on Boards: Your opportunity to make a difference’ outlining how engineers are well-suited to the boardroom and can help achieve sustainable outcomes.
Our future prosperity, standards of living and quality of life relies heavily on engineers as the creators of the world around us. We are all beneficiaries of engineering, receiving constant benefits like clean water, medical aids, housing, phones, cars, transport, entertainment etc and the list goes on. Paraolympian Dylan Alcott highlighted his appreciation of the profession for his sporting equipment and winning gold.
This week reinforces the essential role engineers creativity, great thinking and good decision making plays in addressing some of the big challenges facing our futures. It’s awesome and as highlighted this week, it’s sexy!
No need to think you’re missing out on all the action. If you’re:
– a student, think about the difference you want to make.
– a parent/carer, recognise the problem solving potential of children (at any age) and encourage it.
– a teacher, seek to know and share with others what engineering is and what can be achieved.
– the supervisor of an engineer, allow them to tap into their full set of skills.
– a chairperson or ceo, consider recruiting an engineer to your Board.
– a politician or public service officer, seek and listen to the advice of a range of engineers.
– an investor, ask for engineering input into all types of decision making.
– lost your way, consider engineering as a new career.
– an engineer, be proud of your work, share your achievements, stand up and be visible.
For everyone else, recognise and love what engineering continues to provide for you and celebrate the newly declared annual World Engineers Day on 4 March.
A fabulous showcase of the capability of the profession and Engineering a Sustainable World: the Next 100 Years, with a focus on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
