OSPE's General Assembly and Annual General Meeting Provoked Opinions and Rallied Attendees

May 5 , 2009 - Credit Ryan Clarke, the president of Advocacy Solutions, for providing the underlying message at OSPE’s May 5, 2009 General Assembly and Annual General Meeting. “Do nothing, and I guarantee the result,” he said. While Mr. Clarke is a lawyer-turned-lobbyist, his statement resonated with the more than 100 OSPE members and guests who attended the event. Professional engineers are currently challenged by an economic recession in Ontario, one that has transformed this province into a “have-not” within Confederation. Then there is the global economic recession affecting a variety of industries from cars and auto parts to electricity. If that uncertainty was not enough, the Ontario Government is set to launch a “green revolution” to change how energy is obtained and to reduce current consumption.

Within this increasingly turbulent environment, Geoff Smith, the president and CEO of EllisDon, a construction services company, offered his company’s changing approach as an example. “Fast, fluid and flexible,” he said in his entertaining presentation as the AGM’s guest speaker. “I don’t think you try and predict, I think you seize.” Whereas engineers were once viewed as enemies by the builders, including his father, Mr. Smith recalled, the two sides are now merging regardless if they want it to happen.

That anecdote supported one of the major findings unveiled in the Engineering and Technology Labor Market Study, in which OSPE played an important role. The study’s author, John O’Grady of Prism Economics (pictured right), documented that as an engineer progresses in his or her career, the relative importance of non-technical skills increases. Mr. O’Grady’s report delivered an important wake-up call to affect substantive changes to replenish the ranks of engineers, alter undergraduate education, include more female engineers as a regulated profession and retain its standards. To emphasize his point, he pointed out that less than 50 percent of Canadian engineering graduates are now working in their field of study.

The employment issue, particularly for younger engineers and for internationally-trained engineers, dominated the Open Forum facilitated by Michael Monette, OSPE’s President and Chair (pictured left). Several members urged OSPE to boost its profile with engineering undergrad and with members of the public. Regarding the students, one member was particularly critical. He said there’s limited hope for current graduates, and the help from OSPE is not there. “If you lose [the graduates], the industry fails,” he said. In terms of the public, the shared concern was a lack of appreciation for the importance of engineers and their technical skills. “We’ve just never been loud,” another member said.

Should that volume be raised to reach the public, Jim Gray (pictured right), a communications skills coach, suggested several points to improve public speaking and outreach. According to Mr. Gray, speakers must be prepared, full of certainty, passionate, engaged, authentic and humorous. They should also dress not to be noticed. Though billed as “How Leaders Speak”, he believes his lessons are applicable to everyday scenarios. “In every communication situation you have, you can learn from these principles,” Mr. Gray said.

Certainly, OSPE’s members will need to speak clearly to articulate their issues to MPP's and bureaucrats in the coming months. The challenges presented by the economy and the Green Energy Act cannot be ignored.