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Vette ate Lit it
Page 50
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Your Leader and the report from the Chartered Institute of Transport (CM May 27) will make most interesting reading to most members of this Institute, and, no doubt members of the Chartered Institute of Transport and of the Institute of Tfaffic Administration.
We share a significant number of joint members; about 200 belonging to all three bodies; in addition about 400 are joint CIT and IRTE members and 200 are loTA and IRTE jointly. Members who pay an annual subscription to support more than one body are naturally a most useful source for comparisons and contrasts and we rely extensively on this particular source for many administrative and particularly educational decisions.
Flattered
We were both fortunate and .flattered when our Council and many other full members were invited personally to join the CIT as part of their 50th anniversary expansion in 1969.
It was a surprise, to me (then with only six years experience in these matters) to find "Chartered" membership was not snapped up by all our" invitees.
There is, however, the other side of the coin, our joint membership with the Auto Div of the IMechE. We have 400 Chartered Engineers who also pay an IRTE annual subscription and take a very active part in our activities. Over one third of the Council are C.Eng.
The major factor, in my opinion, in the affairs of and apparent attraction of IRTE membership is a common occupational interest. We are all "in" or closely connected with a relatively narrow sector of the transport industry. This opinion can be put to a practical test of strength of the "cement" which holds the membership of any professional body together_ I invite anyone who is interested to work out the "loyalty factor" of the body(ies) which he supports by regular payments of subscriptions.
In general terms, the higher the factor figure, the greater the annual average loss of members. All members musts of course, get a -newnumber on joining. Comparative figures may be of interest to many of your readers and might be publicised?
Our experience of "we're all in it together" so far as the Engineers Registration Board, which was formed under the Royal Charter of the Council of Engineering Institutions, is one in which "it" has a variety of interpretations This may be an interesting and useful example of policy committees (including their paid officials) taking decisions, particularly in respect of educational qualifications, which in our case did not and still do not equate with the real needs of 'lour" part of the industry. Judging by the total number of non-Chartered registrants, personal considerations are much the same elsewhere.
It is lard work interpreting how best to serve the membership in the relatively tight occupational interest of Road Transport Engineering so the larger multi-occupational mem ber bodies must find it extremely difficult (impossible?) to decide on the best policies in the interests of all their members' diverse occupational activities. Where personal (members) interests are concerned big is not always beautiful!
It needs to be repeated over and over and over again to elected honorary representatives, and especially the secrete-riots of professional bodies that they must somehow "read, mark, learn and inwardly digest"' the corporate wishes of their whole membership; not always the largest or most pressing sector of it, not necessarily the strong "honorary" personalities on the management committee but to the average practising operational member who makes the transport industry work and keeps the Institutes alive by his personal support.
Professionalism based on sound 'education and training blended with experience and all the other ingredients for a useful and satisfying career in a successful organisation is what most of us want.
There must be areas where amalgamation of members interests can be achieved. But the organisation, representation and delegation of "occupational" decisions of any conglomeration of professional bodies must have as paramount -response to members wishes, views and opinions. . With respect. the vital things, in my opinion, are the individual and personal considerations in any form of corporate effort.
J. A. FLETCHER, National Secretary, Institute of Road Transport Engineers, London SW7.