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Engineers in Britain should speak with one voice through a single organisation
representing the profession, according to John Fairclough, the chairman
of the Engineering Council. Fairclough, a former government chief scientist,
suggested last week that the body might be called the National Institute
of Engineers.

‘We need a single authority to set professional standards for the individual
engineer, standards of academic training and subsequent professional development,
standards of conduct, and standards of working practice,’ Fairclough told
senior officials of the 46 existing engineering institutions.

The initiative marks a tacit admission that the Engineering Council
does not itself provide a powerful enough focus for Britain’s engineers.
Nor does it have the muscle to resolve power battles between institutions.

‘We face a crisis of confidence in the future of British engineering,’
said Fairclough, who will meet the presidents of the institutions on 15
January to discuss the plan.