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IET Scotland still alive?

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
Is the IET still alive in Scotland?


I've been a member since the late 90s.   Joining the IEE when I was at uni.   Today, I have the renewal pack through for £ 170+ and I'm wondering is it worth renewing?


Reports that the Teacher Building has closed, I walked past late 2018 but I haven't been for an event in years.   But I'm not seeing many events being advertised for Scotland either.


I've always felt that the IEE / IET have been too London centric.   When the Teacher building opened I hoped it would act as a mini-Savoy place where you could get publications sent up for you to read from the library, but that never happened.   Now, the reports I have read is that it's closing because it needed £200k of work but there was no hesitation in spending £30+ million on Savoy place.   Surely it would be better value to sell Savoy place and put the money back in to local services?


The recent re-launch of the IET's brand to me looks like a marketing exercise gone wrong.   I have to be careful that I'm not being misunderstood, but the output from the IET recently has been about teaching school children about STEM and with a bias towards the female gender.   Both valuable, although I would argue that it should be gender-neutral.   The pink "=" sign in the new logo doesn't suggest neutrality!   I think the IET is missing touch with promoting engineering excellence for all.


So is the IET still for professional engineers?   Or is it more focused upon girl-school teachers?   The output suggests the latter.


Sadly, after 30+ years of membership I think my time in the IEE / IET is coming to an end.   I've opened discussions with the IEEE and they have confirmed with me I am not alone.   They state they've heard from a good number of disillusioned IET members wishing to move to the IEEE.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    John,

     Disappointed to see you are considering leaving the IET. I don't know which area you are from but you should be receiving regular emails advising you of events/visits in your area.

    I regularly attend those held in Edinburgh (S.E. area) and Perth (North area) to keep the "little grey cells" active.
  • 0
    I'm hoping to manage to start participating in IET Scotland activity again in the near future

    Erik

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Jack Lord:

    John,

     Disappointed to see you are considering leaving the IET. I don't know which area you are from but you should be receiving regular emails advising you of events/visits in your area.




    I'm afraid to say that I am.


    I'm considering what do I get?   When I joined we got a journal in the area of interest you selected and the regular magazine.   Now, just the magazine and many of the articles are just rehashes of something published elsewhere.   Such as the tear-down that you can get on ifixit.   I'm not seeing value of being in the IET.


    The current output doesn't seem directed at engineers but school kids, and even then, it is lightweight stuff.   The connection to what we do as engineers is tenuous at best.   Recent photography competition was a good demonstration and whilst the winning photo did have an engineering connection, the rest did not.   (Actually, the winning photo was superb and a worthy winner.)


    I've also checked on the IET website for future events in the south west and there's nothing listed.


    Probably been a member for over 30 years now and I increasingly have been wondering why?   Looking at the output on social media is convincing me that the IET no longer represents engineers.   The last few years I've been saying to myself just renew and see how the next year is.   This year, I'm really questioning is the IET membership worthwhile?

     

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Erik Maceachern:

    I'm hoping to manage to start participating in IET Scotland activity again in the near future

    Erik

     




    For a time I was in the Young Members organising committee and arranged a very successful papers evening and also partly helped arrange the ever popular technical to the Tennents Wellpark Brewery for the University of Paisley contingent.

     

  • 0
    Hi John Sorry to hear that you are thinking about leaving the IET. I am the new chair of IET Scotland and we are rebuilding the IET in Scotland. Contact me at Carol.marsh@ietvolunteer.org and we can discuss this more. Carol
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    Carol Marsh:

    Hi John Sorry to hear that you are thinking about leaving the IET. I am the new chair of IET Scotland and we are rebuilding the IET in Scotland. Contact me at Carol.marsh@ietvolunteer.org and we can discuss this more. Carol 




    Email set as requested.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Sadly, I have not had a compelling reason to stay in the IET.   In fact, I'd say there's been a lack of response to my concerns upon the direction the IET is taking.


    So after about 30 (probably 33) years of membership I'm off.


    Each year it became more and more difficult to justify the membership fee.   I think what do I get?   A magazine which is increasingly becoming more irrelevant to engineer with lighter and lighters articles that you have already read about in general media.    When I joined the IEE we got a journal specific to the area you were interested in, but that stopped many years ago.


    IET events?   I haven't been to one in many years.   Just not seen any that would justify my time attending.   I've travelled to many industry organised events during that time, but none organised by the IET for engineers.


    Then there's the current output.   To put it bluntly, it seems that the IET now is focused upon encouraging young school girls in to engineering.   This isn't something that I disagree with, but it seems to be at the cost of encouraging all school children.   There's a bias towards encouraging young women engineers with special awards, but no equivalent for all young engineers.


    If I had any doubts on this biased agenda the pink equals sign in the new logo confirmed it.


    After many years of telling myself just pay the fees and see how the IET is this year, I simply can't justify my £170 membership fee.   I'm getting nothing from IET membership.

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    John, I wholeheartedly agree. The IET has fundamentally lost its way and has neglected its core membership. I also cannot justify the cost of the IET as I am outside UK and have to pay for professional licencing and my professional practice. It's very sad that the organisation that spurned me to forge a path of becoming a Chartered Engineer is now losing its way. This year will be the first year in which I will not be renewing and I will take another look in 12 months time. I see that others are moving to the IEEE and this may also be the way I will go, as it seems to be much more focused on my discipline. No amount of rebadging of the organisation will  fix this issue and its foollhardy to believe another rebranding will have a positive effect .  For your interest there is a 'Value proposition paper' circling around the IET for more than 3 years that has been introduced but has not been acknowledged at committee levels and which seeks to address these issues. The fact that it was member generated and has been largely ignored really shows the disdain of the organisation. I just wanted to show that you are not a lone voice on this.
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Gareth,

    thank you!   Your reply is very much appreciated.


    I think the IEEE is the way forward.   But I haven't done enough research in to that yet.   I had a look on the Engineer Council for chartered and which bodies you can gain registration through, but IEEE wasn't listed.   I suspect that will change.


    The rebranding essentially confirmed to me that the direction the IET are taking isn't one that I think represents their current members.


    I'll have to have a look for the "value proposition paper".


    Thank you again for replying.

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