In his Presidential addressl, David Lee showed a diagram which indicated that the number of corporate members in age bracket 25-35 was approximately half that for any other comparable age group, such as 35-45, 45-55, 55-65. It is suggested that the decision to make full-time education the principal route for potential engineers has led to this decrease in the number of young members. This precondition to Part 3 has meant that all potential members enrol for civil engineering courses, with the result that few graduates consider joining the Structurals until after becoming members of the Civils. As subscriptions continue to increase, engineers will think twice about joining two sister organisations, as well as having to register with the Engineering Council. Furthermore, one of the main sources from which the Structurals used to recruit new members has virtually dried up, i.e. the training under agreement or apprenticeship schemes coupled with good part-time education at the local technical college. For example, in the past as an apprentice in the steel industry, the only Institution one thought of joining was the Structurals. The recent poor Part 3 examination results has drawn the comment that graduates should gain more practical experience before attempting Part 3. Of course, this comment has more than a grain of truth in it when one remembers that graduates’ training does not start until they leave university/college, while the early school-leaver used to gain at least 4-5 years’ experience before reaching 21. Also, with most examinations nowadays, the standards are becoming higher than those of yesteryear, with the result that the average age for election to membership is about 27-28.
L.J. Morris