Singapore’s Institution of Engineers (IES) on Wednesday launched an accreditation programme - the country’s first - to recognize qualified engineers across all sectors at the inaugural World Engineers Summit.
The Chartered Engineer programme will cover all engineers in fields that do not require them to be registered as professional engineers, and act as a quality mark to recognize their professional experience in their engineering disciplines.
Announcing this at the opening ceremony, IES president, Professor Chou Siaw Kiang, said he hopes the scheme will raise the professional profile of engineers and “enhance opportunities for benchmarking and practice here and abroad”.
At the moment, only 5 per cent of engineers here - usually civil engineers - are accredited, IES public relations committee chairman Joe Eades told Eco-Business on the sidelines.
“There are many ‘lost engineers’ that will benefit from the recognition from this voluntary programme and we will benchmark the accreditation to international standards so they are also recognised outside of Singapore,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, speaking to the 1,000-strong audience at Marina Bay Sands, also highlighted the role of engineers and engineering in improving humanity’s quality of life.
The profession has created many innovations throughout history from steam engines to computers, created jobs, spurred economic development and has developed solutions to many real-world challenges such as urban living, he said.
Noting that climate change presents a new set of challenges that can affect food and water security, strain or damage infrastructure and even threaten human survival, Mr Teo noted the “magnitude and complexity of the issues posed by climate change require a multi-disciplinary response”.
Therefore, it is timely that the inaugural summit focuses on solutions to climate change, he said.
The event, held alongside the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) general assembly, which convenes engineers from national engineering associations worldwide, is also located with the 5th International Green Buliding Conference (IGBC) and Build Eco Expo (BEX) Asia.
Organised by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the IGBC brings together 1,000 global thought leaders and sustainability experts from 35 countries to discuss and collaborate on green building solutions.
The BCA will be presenting details of its third Green Building Masterplan at the conference, which will intensify Singapore’s efforts to develop industry skills and raise industry standards for green buildings, as well as improve the quality of the built environment and occupant well-being.
DPM Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, also revealed a new initiative to spur innovation in the building industry. The Singapore’s Economic Development Board (SEDB) will be supporting developers, consultants and suppliers to work together to do joint research and test-bed solutions in building projects in Singapore and across the world.
BCA chief executive John Keung said that “climate change is a global threat that affects every one of us regardless of where we reside, and requires a collective, collaborative effort for it to be effectively countered.”
The events will allow us to “explore oportunities on how we can all work as one to create a greener, more sustainable built environment for all,” he added.
Eco-Business.com’s special event coverage of the International Green Building Conference 2013 is brought to you by City Developments Limited (CDL).
