Professional Documents
Culture Documents
As usual IEM has organised a multitude of talks and IEM will continue to put emphasis on CDP for engineers
very exciting site visits to see some of the major ground and in October 2017. IEM will be organising 3 workshops
breaking engineering works undertaken in Mauritius of international standard to be run by an international
such as the New Port Master Plan, the Bagatelle Dam, expert in September 2017.
Omnicane Thermal Plant at LEscalier, amongst others.
Please see a synopsis of these below.
IEM has also now set up a new committee on new
and innovative engineering initiatives to highlight and I appeal to you to join hands with the EC of IEM to help
encourage research in engineering fields. lift up the profile of our profession by dedicating some of
your valuable time in mentoring our young colleagues so
We are very pleased that IEM has broken through the
that out noble Profession, unlike any other, is seen in its
glass ceiling by competing at International level and
true colour as the provided of all essential services and
getting a grant of 40,000 pounds sterling from the Royal
builder of our modern society.
Academy of Engineering UK in the context of capacity
building of engineers in Africa. The Africa Catalyst The IEM House is open during day times as from January
Project will run from January 2017 to June 2017 during 2017, the IEM House located at the corner of Hitchcock
which period, IEM will lay down the foundations and and Ollier Streets, Quatre Bornes. You are most cordially
build capacity to eventually seek signatory status for invited to drop in.
Launch Ceremony by the President IEM is looking forward to have closer ties with
of the Republic H.E Dr Mrs Ameenah the Aeronautical Society of Mauritius (AeSM ).
Gurib-Fakim G.O.S.K on the 23rd of
January at Voila Hotel Bagatelle who An MOU was signed by both parties during the
congratulated IEM on its initiative joint meeting of the Royal Aeronautical Society
towards establishing an accreditation (RAeS) and the AeSM on the 25th feb 2017 at the
regime for engineering degree
programmes. President Raj Prayag Boname hall, MSIRI.
spoke about IEMs initiatives and how
The event was graced by the presence of Prof. Chris
IEM was well placed to respond to
the criteria of Washington Accord as a Atkins, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society
potential member of the Washington and President elect of the Engineering Council UK.
Accord, through an eventual engineering
accreditation board that it proposed to
set up.
The broad aim of that conference was to programmes. He also laid special emphasis on
inform and sensitize all stakeholders concerned the special knowledge and skills that Mauritian
with the education, training, professional engineers should have, given that the specific
development, and employment of engineers on global challenges that have been identified as
the implications and benefits of accreditation being associated with island states like Mauritius,
of engineering degree programmes. Professor e.g. cyclones, sea level rise from global warming,
Barry Clarke CEng, FICE, FGS, Professor of tsunamis, or even cost of imported fuel, when we
Civil and Geotechnical Engineering at Leeds have 12 hours of sunshine.
University, Past President Institution of Civil
Engineers UK, delivered the key note address. The Conference also received a strong support
Prof Clarke portrayed a vision of the world in from the Ministry of Education, Tertiary
three or four decades from now and elaborated Education and Scientific Research, through the
on the competence that engineers would require speech of the Permanent Secretary Mrs N
if they are to successfully face the challenges Ghoorah who welcomed IEMs initiative and
of the future for mankind. The knowledge, expressed the Ministrys support to the project,
understanding, skills and abilities as well as the which she said fitted well in Governments
competence profiles that graduates should own policy of establishing Mauritius as an
have can only be guaranteed through persons Education Hub in the Region. IEMs efforts were
graduating from accredited programmes. guaranteed to bring international recognition to
Mauritian University engineering programmes,
Prof Clarke elaborated on the graduates consequently the Ministry was prepared to
attributes or knowledge profiles agreed to extend full support to the establishment of an
by the Washington Accord community for autonomous body under IEM for accreditation of
engineers graduating from accredited degree engineering programmes.
MARCH 2017 IEM NEWSLETTER
The conference also treated to a host of other Mechanical Engineering to Washington Accord
accredited related addresses and presentations, standard,
viz.
(v) Jagadish Soobarah who spoke on the
(i) from IEM president himself on the scope of Challenges towards Accreditation facing IEM and
IEMs pilot project, the Case for Mauritius, and
(ii) Professor S Nair Director Tertiary Education (vi) Mr Anand Gungoosingh who spoke about
Commission on the knowledge and skills gaps difficulties facing Mauritian engineers competing
identified between University degree programmes for international and regional engineering
and the requirements of the industry and how works contracts. He supported the case for
accreditation of engineering programmes should accreditation.
cater for these,
In short there was consensus that Accreditation
(iii) the Chairman of CRPE Mr Roland Fayolle of engineering programmes offered the public
who elaborated on the Registration practices, and and students with an informed choice, with
also expressed himself on the need to recognise students from accredited programmes securing
the contribution of the Technologists in the an employment advantage over competitors from
industry as well as on engineering works sites, non-accredited programmes; for the programmes
and opined that legislation should be amended to providers accreditation to an international
provide for their registration. standard brings recognition to their faculties
and places them in a better position when
(iv) Prof R Ramjeeawon of the Faculty of applying for research funds; employers on their
Engineering (UoM) who elaborated on the side get the benefit of an assurance of better
how the University of Mauritius was tackling performing engineering graduates, and therefore
the problems arising from converting from lessening the burden of training of such recruits;
assessment of Teaching to assessment of learning, universities also benefit from better research
which were surfacing with the UoM-Engineering scholars from among graduates from accredited
Council South Africa collaboration in the programmes.
accreditation of the UoM degrees in Civil and