IET succeeds IEE and IIE

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has been launched as the successor to the IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers) and the IIE (Institution of Incorporated Engineers), whose members voted last year to merge. The combined body has more than 150,000 members around the world, making it Europe`s largest professional society for engineers, and the second largest in the world.

Speaking at the IET`s launch, the new institution`s president, Sir John Chisholm (above), said: "We have come into being at a time when the demands on engineering and the expectations of the public about our profession have never been greater.

"Our institution will commit itself to use the skills and experience we have to promote the contribution engineering and technology makes to the well-being of society," he added. "It helped to transform people`s lives in the last century, and it will do so again in this one."

In addition to its sites in the UK, the IET has offices in New Jersey, Beijing and Hong Kong, and plans to open an office in Bangalore, India, later this year. It has active networks of members in 37 countries.

Sir John said that engineers have major contributions to make to tackle challenges facing the world, such as climate change, Third World poverty, wealth creation, and national and personal security.

"If we are to succeed, we need to ensure a flow of able, motivated young people into the profession," he continued. "To achieve that, we must work even harder to persuade them of the attractiveness and the rewards of a career in engineering."