In just a couple of weeks, we’ll be into Q4 and it seems that again this year, time will not be waiting for us.
January saw the launch of the inaugural Every Community
Needs and Engineer calendar which highlights the types of projects public works
engineers deliver for Queensland communities. So far this year, we’ve
celebrated coastal projects (January), airport projects (February) and
parklands and open spaces (March). Many of the projects featured in the calendar
have won IPWEAQ excellence awards or were nominated. Given how quickly this
year is passing, it is not too early for you to nominate a project to feature
in the 2022 calendar, ideally, a type of engineering not represented in the
inaugural calendar. It doesn’t need to be infrastructure; it can be a service,
however it needs to be able to be represented by a single image. If you haven’t already, please download
the calendar and post each month on the walls of your council or
organisation for everyone to appreciate what public works engineers
do for us. Hard copies also available. Our monthly campaigns to date promoting the
featured types of projects are published in the 2021 March issue of Engineering
for Public Works.
Also launched this year are 16 career cards
featuring the various roles available in the sector to inspire high school
students and graduates and mid-career change professionals. The cards are
available for high school career days which can be used with the accompanying
Activities Pack which includes ideas for engaging with students in an
interactive and meaningful way. If you would like to present a set of career
cards to your local high school(s), please don’t hesitate to contact us. Additionally,
if you are available to present to your local high school(s), please also
contact us.
The 2021 Excellence Awards were launched by last year’s
Project of the Year winners, Sunshine Coast Council at the 2021 President’s
Breakfast. There are 13 project categories this year including two new Road
Safety categories: Community Road Safety and Road Safety Infrastructure. We
have also introduced a new category for Projects over $20 million given the
amount of infrastructure spend likely in our sector over the coming years.
In addition to our five people awards, we have introduced
two Employer Awards: Employer of the Year (Private Sector) and Employer of the
Year (Public Sector). We are pleased to recognise organisations and employers
that have developed leading workplaces which maximise the full potential of
their workforce. We expect these awards will be hotly contested with a number
of stand-out councils and consultancies offering exceptional programs to
support the ongoing development of their professionals at all stages of their
careers.
And the latest launch for the first two months of the
year – the new Track My CPD portal. Upload
your CPD hours in any of the categories whether it is attendance at a course or
conference, preparing and presenting a paper for a conference, reading Engineering
for Public Works or viewing conference papers in the Knowledge Centre. An
hourmeter shows your progress towards 150 CPD hours and a chart tracks the
types of hours recorded. If you have signed up for IPWEAQ’s CPD Scheme, we will
auto-audit your progress to ensure you will comply with the CPD hour
requirements.
Ahead in the next quarter, we have branch conferences in
Chinchilla, Maryborough and Townsville, an Asset Management Symposium in
Brisbane and a Rural Roads Forum in Dalby – plenty of opportunities for you to
connect with like-minded professionals to advance the knowledge and expertise
of our sector.
I look forward to seeing you at any of the above
forthcoming events or at our new facilities in Eagle Farm!
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