VIEW FROM THE CHAIR

MUSINGS FROM THE CHAIR OF THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERING DESIGNERS

‘My three years in the Chair have passed quickly. I’ve witnessed progress both internally and externally, and news on various projects that are currently under way will appear in the magazine as they bear fruit’

In his final View, Colin Ledsome CEng FIED looks back

on his time as Chair and forward to the IED’s future

BY NOW YOU WILL probably have noticed some changes to our magazine. We have a new publisher and a new editor, and Engineering Designer has grown to 44 pages. It will now be published on a quarterly basis and you will also soon begin to receive more frequent news and information direct to your computer or phone. We would love to know what you think about the changes.

I will be moving out of the Chair at the annual general meeting in July in order to make room for my successor, Dave Castle, so this will be my final ‘View’. The IED Chair’s job, as is traditional, is to make sure that everyone on the Council has a chance to speak and to try to find a consensus on the way forward. It also involves representing the Institution at external events and writing these pieces for Engineering Designer. The wider IED Council is an all-volunteer group made up of a mixture of old hands, including several ex-Chairs, a few Chairs of other committees and a number of newer members trying to work out what’s going on. Should you wish to join us, you would be most welcome.

All of this takes place in partnership with our CEO, Libby Meyrick, and the rest of our small staff, who work together to keep the IED’s activities running and developing as the Council requests. As a group, we have the big advantage of being designers. We are all familiar with conceiving and analysing our options in order to find a sensible way forward. The Council has the expertise and experience to examine the details of any proposals, so suggestions need not necessarily be thoroughly thought out before being put forward; even the crazy ones can spark a practical idea.

My three years in the Chair have passed quickly. I’ve witnessed progress both internally and externally, and news on various projects that are currently under way will appear in the magazine as they bear fruit.

Of late, the disruption caused by Covid-19 has concentrated our minds. Remote meetings have attracted a larger audience, reducing both travel expenses and our carbon footprint. In future, it’s likely that we will hold most meetings remotely. The Institution’s membership has grown during the lockdowns, probably because people have found more time to sort out their applications, with the incentive that an extra qualification can have in a changing job market.

As things slowly return to something approaching ‘normality’, the companies that have safely navigated this difficult period are going to want their products to compete successfully in a re-expanding market. That will mean more design work across all sectors. And with that in mind, it’s my firm belief that we can be optimistic about the IED’s future and the role that it plays in supporting good design practice.

Last, but not least, I would like to wish my successor all the best for his time in the Chair. Have fun Dave! ■

GET INVOLVED If you would like to contribute to any discussions, write to: Dave Castle, The Institution of Engineering Designers, Courtleigh, Westbury Leigh, Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 3TA; or email: chair@ied.org.uk.