Alasdair Coates BEng(Hons) MSc CEng FICE MCIHT CMIOSH, Chief Executive Officer of the Engineering Council, spoke this week at the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) Annual Conference & Exhibition.

The theme of the conference was Developing Professional Practice and Responsibility and Alasdair’s presentation on “Setting the Standard in Professional Practice” highlighted how the Engineering Council works to maintain internationally recognised standards of competence and commitment for the engineering profession. High standards are incredibly important to safety in construction and this was reflected by many of the speakers during this two day conference. Alasdair set out the value of professional registration to employers and society, as well as to individual registrants, and encouraged those eligible to apply through one of the many available routes.

The keynote address was given by Prof. John Nolan BSc MSc DEng(Hon) CEng FIStructE FICE, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council, who is a Fellow of both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers, indicating the mix of engineering knowledge and skills at work in the construction sector. Other speakers included Claire Curtis-Thomas PhD(Hon) CEng FIMechE FIET who discussed “Setting the Standard for Products” and Darren Wright CEng MCIBSE MIHEEM, Director of Ove Arup and Partners Ltd, who spoke about the future of construction in “New Technology – More Complicated Buildings”.

The CABE conference explored professional responsibility and practice, which the Engineering Council believes are key areas in maintaining high standards. Guidance for engineers on ethical principles has been produced jointly by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Council and can be found, with our other guidance for engineers, at www.engc.org.uk/standards-guidance/guidance