Engineer’s Formula For Professional Training

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30054, 12 February 1963, Page 10

Engineer’s Formula For Professional Training

(New Zealand Pres* Association)

ROTORUA. Feb. 11. Engineering must service New Zealand's important rural economy with improved transport facilties. with a conscientious effort to defend the land against rivers and other sources ot srosion. with a reliable supply ™’power and probably with increased areas at irrigation, land drainage and rura.

water, said Mr P. A Laing, retiring president of the Institution of Engineers m his address to the institution s 1963 conference in Rotorua tonight. Mr Laing made a strong appeal to encourage and train sub-professional men for the construction industry The State services had been less than generous in the treatment of those practical skills and they had suffered sadly for their failure to hold such men. he said. Private industries were more generous. Had the Engineering Work Board remained on the prewar pattern. New Zealand might have been able to get along on the 650 engineers-a-million basis, provided adequate sub-professional assistance were developed. Thu had not happened. The demand had already raised the quantum to more than 1000 engineers a million and this was not meeting the need. Mr Laing estimated that 7500 engineers a million should be what he called broad-gauge persons. soundly based technically but with training in management; 350 a million should be broadly based in telecommunications-. structural design, heating and ventilating and specialised industrial works; ..nd 100 a million should be intensively specialised men “The educational authorities are doing their best and some employers are demonstrating opportunities for these middle-group people. The institution is aware of the problem and must give greater encouragement.