Professional Engineers Roles and Responsibility
Ab Saman Abd Kader, PhD
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
Skudai, Johor
Abstract - This paper highlights the scope of Scientists study the world as it is, engineers creat
engineering education and their relevant to the world that never has been (Theodore Von
engineering profession being globally practiced in Karman)
various sectors of development. The main objective
of this discussion is to create awareness on the From all these definitions, engineering contents can
importance of engineering education in terms of be further broken down into numerous details.
their contents in responding to the work place Some of the following are relevant in one way or
requirement. It is to know about engineering the other:
profession by and large and also their scope of
works in relation to engineers roles and i. Engineering is an art
responsilities. The contents of engineering Aesthetics as well as function found in the
education and their dynamic development provide Great Wall of China, Pyramid and other
the tools for engineers to play their signifant roles wonder of the world is trully an
and responsiblilities accross a multidiscipline of engineering genius in the form of art.
engineering profession. The behavioral of
professional engineers through a standard code of ii. Engineering is an approximation
ethics should create engineers ability to The mathematics of engineering system
troubleshoot problems under various circumstances are often used to solve Engineering
and propose a solution through a number of problems are under-defined, there are
approaches to the benefit of community, nation as many solutions, good, bad and indifferent.
well as global integration. The art is to arrive at a good solution.
This is creative activity involving
imagination institution and deliberate
1.0 Introduction choice (Ove Arup)
iii. Engineering is measurement, estimation,
1.1 What is Engineering forecast and projection
River flow, noise and vibration from
There are various definitions on what is transport system, earthquake, traffic
engineering and how it relates with the teaching volume, pollution and others.
and learning environment. Some of those can be
expressed as follows; iv. Engineering is about modeling and
simulation
Engineering is all around us, so people often take Validation and verification of an analysis
it for granted, like air and water. Ask yourself, can be tested through modelling and
what do I touch that is not engineered? computer simulation.
Engineering develops and delivers consumer
goods, builds the networks of highways, air and v. Engineering is a communication, technical
rail travel, and the internet, mass produced report writing and presentation
antibiotics, creates artificial heart valves, builds Making presentations, producing technical
lasers, and offers such wonders an imaging manuals, co-ordinating team of large scale
technology and conveniences like micrwave ovens project are all fundamental to engineering
and compact discs. In short, engineers make over practice.
quality of life possible (William A.Wulf,
President of the National Academy of Engineering) vi. Engineering is finance
Design, construction, operations, repair
Engineering is the application of science to the and maintenance costs, hiring, chartering
common purpose of life (Count Rumford) and others determine the viability of the
intended projects.
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vii. Engineering is an invention and design i. Nuclear technologies
processes Nuclear technologies provide a new
New devices, material selection and viable source of electric power and new
processes are developed by engineers to capabilities in medical research and
meet the requirement that existing imaging as well as for unwarranted
technology do not address. Engineers military use.
identify and apply the most suitable
system to solve engineering related ii. Lasers and fiber optics
problems using appropriate decision Pulses of light from lasers are used in
making tools which were acquired through industrial tools, surgical devices, satellites,
a number of circumstances. and other products. In communications for
instance, a single fiber-optic cable can
In general, engineering is the art of transmit tens of millions of phone calls,
applying scientific and mathematical data files, and video images.
principles, experience, judgement, and
common sense. Engineering technologists iii. Petroleum and gas technologies
use their knowledge to help design and Petroleum has been used to providing fuel
make bridges, buildings, computers, for cars, home, and industries.
electrical appliances, power plants, Petrochemicals are used in products
transport infrastructures, etc that we utilise ranging from aspirin to zippers.
at present. Engineering is also deal with Engineering in oil exploration and
the process of producing a technical processing, petroleum products have an
product or system to meet a specific need enormous impact on world economies,
to benefit mankind. people, environment and politics.
1.2 Who is Engineer iv. Health technologies
Medical professionals have an arsenal of
The following are some of the definitions diagnostic and treatment equipment at
on who is an engineer. Engineer is; their disposal. Artifical organs,
replacement joints, imaging technologies,
i. A person who were trained in the and bio-materials are but a few of the
design, construction, and use of engineered products that improve the
engines or machines, or in any of quality of life for millions.
various branches of engineering:
a mechanical engineer, civil v. Imaging technologies
engineer, electrical engineer, Imaging technologies have expanded the
chemical engineer, etc. reach of our vision. Probing the human
ii. A person who operates or is in body, mapping ocean floors, tracking
charge of a power plant system in weather patterns are all the result of
term of operation, repair and engineering advances in imaging
maintenance. technologies.
iii. A consultant in their respective
area of expertise vi. Space explorations
iv. A skillful manager who manages The development of spacecraft has
the implementation of the expanded our knowledge base, and
engineering related decision improved our capabilities. Thousands of
making processes. useful products and services have resulted
v. Etc from the space program, including
medical devices, wireless
2.0 Greatest Engineering Achievements communications, etc.
of the 20th Century
vii. Agricultural mechanization
20th century have witnessed a great achievement in The machinery of farms; tractors,
engineering technology in the field of design, cultivators, combines, and hundreds of
information technology (IT), construction, others; dramatically increased farm
manufacturing, robotic, advanced materials or even efficiency and productivity.
the engineering management techniques for
problem solving. Some of the newly and enhanced viii. Electronics
technologies can be described and intepreted as the Electronics provide the basis for countless
following, innovations; CD players, TVs, and
computers. From vacuum tubes to
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transistors, to integrated circuits, engineers
have made electronics smaller, more Engineering encompasses science and art,
powerful, and more efficient. mathematics and creativity, models and
approximations in solving real-world problems.
ix. Aeronautics Engineers integrate their knowledge of the physical
Modern air travel transport goods and sciences with more abstracts realms beyond the
people quickly around the globe, boundaries of current technology in all areas of life.
facilitating personal, cultural and Chemical and bioengineers are working on drug
commercial interaction. related systems that work inside cells at the
molecular level. An environmental engineers
x. Automobiles quantify the particle flow of pollutants through soil
The automobile may be the world major to clean up abandoned industrial sites, oil spills,
transporter of people and goods, and a and other hazards.
strong source of economic growth and
stability. The automobile is a showcase of Engineers have many different types of jobs to
20th century engineering ingenuity, with choose from, including research, design, analysis,
innovations made in design production & development, testing, and sales positions.
safety. Engineering work is also organized by traditional
academic fields of study. Engineers are problem
xi. Electrification solvers who search for quicker, better, less
Electrification powers has literally lighted expensive ways to meet tough challenges.
the world and impacted countless areas of
daily life, including food production and 3.1 Professional Engineer
processing, air conditioning and heating,
refrigeration, entertainment, A profesional engineer is competent by virtue of
transportation, communication, health his fundamental education and training to apply the
care, and computers. scientific method and outlook to the analysis and
solution of engineering problems. He is able to
xii. Training and advancement programmes assume personal responsibility for the development
A strong technical knowledge is essential and application of engineering, notably in research,
for engineering managers, who must designing, construction, manufacturing, managing
understand and guide the work of their and in the education of the engineer. The work is
subordinates, and explain the work in non- predominantly intellectual and requires the exercise
technical terms to senior management and of original thought and judgment.
potential customers. These management
positions usually require work experience Engineers are capable of closely and continuously
and formal education. progressing in their branch of engineering through
assimilation of various information and application.
In most cases. to fill management positions, They are thus placed in a position to make
employers seek engineers who possess contributions to the development of engineering
administrative and communications skills in and its application. The engineering education and
addition to their technical knowhow. Engineers training require a broad and general appreciation of
who prefer to manage in technical areas should get the engineering sciences as well the special features
a Master degree in engineering management, while of his own branch. He is able to give authoritative
those interested in non-technical management technical advice and to assume responsibility for
should get an MBA. the roles and his responsibility.
Engineering managers may progressively advance 3.2 Engineering Professions
to higher leadership positions within their
discipline. Some may become managers in non- The majority of engineers fulfill the key
technical areas such as marketing, human characteristics of professional profession known as
resources, or sales. In high technology firms, follows:
managers in non-technical areas often must possess
the same specialized knowledge as do managers in i. They are required to be expert in a
technical areas. Employers in an engineering firm particular area of activity for which an
may prefer to hire experienced engineers as sale advanced and extended formation is
workers because the complex services can only be necessary and practice in which requires
marketed by someone with specialized engineering a high level of theoretical foundation.
knowledge. ii. They have mastered in a clearly definable
and valuable body of knowledge and
3.0 Engineers Roles and Responsibility understanding.
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iii. They accept responsibility and as Malaysia poised to become the industrialised
accountability for the decisions they make nation by the year 2020. However, several other
against standard conduct and values. reasons as follows can also contribute to the
phenomena namely;
The range of activities covered by engineers is
greater than for most other professions. Engineers i. Job satisfaction
have over many years formed themselves into Is important to find a career that provides
associations, the number of which has grown ones with enjoyment and satisfaction. For
enormously from the founding of the Institution of numerous reasons, some engineering
Civil Engineers (IEM) in 1818 to the present day professions provide a very satisfying
through a process of initiation, division and working environments.
amalgamation based sometimes on technical
disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical and ii. Variety of career opportunities
other engineering disciplines. An engineering degree offers a wide range
of career opportunity. Within the practice
There are now over 80 national engineering of engineering, there is an enormous
Institutions. In 1962, 13 of the largest Institutions, variety of job functions.
each holding a Royal Charter, established the
Engineering Institutions Joint Council to provide a a. For an imaginative and creative,
single forum and representative voice for all design engineering may be
professional engineers. This body changed its name relevant.
to the Council of Engineering Institutions (CEI) on b. For laboratories and experimental
securing its own Royal Charter in 1965. The CEI works, test engineering is
now comprises 16 Chartered Institutions which are relevant.
corporation members and another nine with c. To organize and expedite
affiliate status. projects, look into being a
development engineer.
The major Institutions were originally formed d. To be persuasive, consider a
mainly as learned societies for the exchange of career in sales or service
views and the dissemination of information among engineering.
people with a shared interest in a branch of
engineering. The efforts was made to raise the The engineering analytical skills and
quality of its practical training in terms of technological expertise being developed
educational attainments, practical and their can also be put to use in many other
personal standing in the eyes of their professional relevant fields. For example, an
peers. This was done through the establishment of engineering knowledge and skills could be
membership criteria which specified minimum applied in the field of medicine or law.
requirement for education training and experience Similarly, engineers can also become a
and which also imposed a code of professional politician and use the knowledge of
conduct. technology and science to set important
policy. Ultimately, engineers could also
Engineers held 1.5 million jobs in 2002. Over become an entrepreneur in a related field
190,000 engineers worked in the government such as in construction, manufacturing, or
sectors. About 55,000 were self employed. others businesses.
Electrical engineers hold more jobs than any other
engineer disciplines. Mining engineers hold fever iii. Challenging work
jobs than any other type. The number of jobs for Generally, real engineering problems are
engineers is expected to increase more slowly but quite different from most of the problems
rather steadily. However, job opportunities in to be solved. In engineering work,
engineering are expected to be good in future virtually all problems has no readily
simply because the number of people in answer to choose from. Engineers are
engineering education is expected to grow due to required to devise a solution and make it
forecasted rise of technological development in the applicable.
country.
iv. Intellectual development
4.0 Benefit for Being Professional An engineering education will develop the
Engineers ability to think logically and to solve
problems. These are skills that will be
The reason for choosing engineering as a valuable throughout the life and not only
professional carreer largely attributed to the when solving the engineering problems.
perception of the job security and market demand For example, the problem-solving skills
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can help one to undertake tasks such as The need for engineers to think creatively
planning, finding, organizing and even is greater now than before. Through
purchasing. creativity, engineers cope with changes.
v. Benefit society Engineering is a great profession. There
Engineers benefit the society by is the fascination of watching a figment of
developing clean and efficient the imagination emerge through the aid of
transportation systems, finding new science to a plan on paper. Then it moves
sources of energy, alleviating the worlds to realization in stone or metal or energy.
hunger problems, and increasing the Then it brings homes to men or women.
standard of living through the application Then it elevates the standard of living and
of engineering technology. adds to the comforts of life. This is
engineers high priviledge. (Herbert
vi. Financial security Clark Hoover, Engineer & President of
Financial security should not be the only the US from 1929-1932)
reason for choosing a career in
engineering, Engineering graduates 5.0 Conclusion
receive the most highest starting salary in
any discipline. Engineering exist everywhere in a number
of ways and circumstances. It is part of
vii. Prestige our lives and everything we touch and do,
Engineers play a pretigous role in relate significanly to engineering matters
sustaining our nations international in one way or the other. Engineering is
competitiveness, maintaining our standard about everything around us that are being
of living, ensuring a strong national utilised in a manner that is able to provide
security, and protecting public safety. answers and solution to various problems
that we are facing. Engineering and
viii. Professional environment technology change hand in hand and
In most cases, engineers receive adequate closely integrated to complement each
work space and the tools you need to other.
execute their work, including the latest
computer hardware and software. Quite In order to be meaningful, engineering
often engineers are judged on the education and training programme is
productivity as well as quality and designed taking into consideration of
quantity of their work. global requirement for problem solving
tool with greater freedom of efficiency. In
Enginers have the opportunity to learn and doing so, a standard have been formulated
grow through both on-the-job and formal for such programmes to be accredited and
training. Often, the immediate supervisor recognised paving the ways for a formal
will closely involved on some challenging acceptance as a norm for before putting it
tasks. Engineers are usually allowed to into practice.
attend seminar, conferences and short
course when necessary in enhancing their Bibliography
knowledge and skills. Some employers
provide funds for engineeers to enrol in 1. Website like Labour Market Information,
highern education and training. Engineering an Engineers, 2004
2. Stephen P. Robbins & Mary Coulter,
ix. Technological and scientific discovery Management for Engineers, 1990
An understanding of technology will 3. Board of Engineers Malaysia, Engineer
provide engineers with a better Register Malaysia, 2000
understanding of many issues facing the 4. Herbert Clark Hoover, Engineer &
society and determine the most viable President of the US from 1929-1932
ways in addressing the issue such as 5. Lecture notes on Profesional Engineering
utilising a zero-emission electric vehicles Practice, SZM 4802, 2003
to reduce noise, vibration and pollution.
x. Creative thinking
Engineers develop solutions to a real-
world problems. They employ conscious
and subconscious mental processing as
well as divergent and convergent thinking.
