Our volunteers

Chairperson, Young Engineers Society (2007-2009)
Design Engineer, Clifton Scannell Emerson Associates

The activities of the Young Engineers Society are driven by the members.

All activities are proposed and led by the members themselves. While my involvement in the society mostly takes place outside of working hours, my workplace is very understanding in providing the time and support I need to be involved in the committee, when necessary. They can see the obvious benefits that it provides and it’s not as big a time commitment as people might think.

Usually people are involved for a couple of years before moving on to join their respective divisions. We constantly need fresh ideas to continue to serve young engineers well.

Being an active committee member means I am involved in the selection and organisation of courses and talks in Engineers Ireland. So I know when I attend them that I am interested in the subject, they are relevant to my needs, and I will get something out of them.

And it’s not just about organising and attending, you also get to participate…

I chaired a parallel session on behalf of the Young Engineers Society at the Engineers Ireland 2008 Annual Conference. This was a fantastic opportunity for both the society and for me, and I felt that I gained enormously from the experience.

The conference is the leading networking opportunity for the profession, but the Young Engineers Society itself provides many social events such as the Young Engineers Annual Black-Tie Ball.

Liaison Committee Representative, Young Engineers Society (2008-2009)
Process Engineer, Jacobs Engineering

I wanted to get more from my annual membership of Engineers Ireland than just flicking through the Journal!

I also wanted to meet new people and have some influence on the type of events that are organised throughout the year.

Along with adding a line or two to my CV, I think it will have an impact in the longer term. It helps me to develop contacts from an early stage in my career.

I work in an engineering consultancy company so the members of the society might be potential future clients! I think it is great to see the different types of work that members my age are doing. It’s also useful to meet members who are more experienced than me so that I can compare my responsibilities in my work and ensure that I am progressing in the right direction. In this way membership has a very positive career impact.

I was elected Liaison Committee Representative in 2008. This gave me the opportunity to go to meetings chaired by the Vice-President of Engineers Ireland and attended by representatives from all the other Regions, Divisions and Societies, so I was in the same room with lots of potential employers and clients!

Committee meetings are kept quite casual. So there is always a joke or two and the Engineers Ireland Café stays open after our meetings in the evening so that we can stay for a chat.

I think it would be great to recruit more society members and establish more Young Engineers Society sub-committees in different regions in Ireland.