Engineers doubtful about rejig

Most university heads of engineering still have "profound" reservations about Engineering Council plans to overhaul qualifications and training, according to the Engineering Professors' Conference.

In a letter to the council, EPC chairman Barry Plumb says the review reveals a "misguided confidence" in the demand for its new third tier of qualification, the Incorporated Engineer, in an already unpopular profession.

Instead of the tough entry qualification proposed by the council to raise standards, the EPC wants the quality of courses to be judged on the capabilities of students at the end of their studies. The conference says it would only be willing to consider the council's new entry standards if they were an interim measure while ways of measuring output standards were developed.

Mike Heath, chairman of the Engineering Council, responded that he was "pleased" that the EPC had agreed to accept entry standards as a way forward.