Can you please tell our readers about Engineers Australia in a broad sense?
Engineers Australia is the largest professional engineering body in Australia and provides a national forum for the advancement of engineering and the professional development of engineers. It has 85,000 members across the country.
There are 18,000 members in Queensland across 47 groups. The Oil and Gas Facilities group is a new addition to these 47 groups.
What is the focus of the Oil and Gas Facilities Group?
The group focus will be on facilities of the oil and gas industry. The Society of Petroleum Engineers covers the sub-surface aspect of the industry and this new group will cover the surface aspect from upstream all the way to downstream such as production equipment, gathering systems, processing plant, high-pressure pipeline, refinery and LNG plant.
How can people become a member of the new oil and gas special interest group?
To be a member of the Oil and Gas Facilities Group, the individual needs to become a member of Engineers Australia, which involves paying an annual fee, following which they can join the Oil and Gas Facilities Group for free.
The group will develop, promote and support the personal and professional development of engineers in the oil and gas industry specifically. Members of the group can attend technical presentations, social networking sessions, speaker nights, and share lessons learned and success stories of their projects.
What benefits do members receive?
Members of the Oil and Gas Facilities group can come along to monthly events at a subsidised rate. They also have the chance to network with their counterparts in the industry and to attend technical forums that are specific to the oil and gas industry. Normally technical forums are not offered by associations.
We allow the hours spent attending our forums to go towards attendees’ Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Charter Status.
Why did you decide to establish the Oil and Gas Facilities Group?
There are a lot of other associations in the oil and gas industry but not all of them can offer the same services that our group can. There are industry bodies that offer conferences and exhibitions but not any technical event and they attract corporate members (not individual members).
Engineers Australia is recognised by State and Federal Government as a professional body for engineering in Australia. Engineers Australia is also one of three professional bodies appointed by the Board of Professional Engineering in Queensland for
the assessment of engineers.
A group in Western Australia was established in 2007 and there is dialogue underway for groups in South Australia and Victoria. Similar to Queensland, those groups will organise personal and professional development opportunities, with the hope of establishing a National Committee to look into national events.
The national group will also address some industry issues such as the engineering skills shortage, training and programs for oil and gas professionals, and the curriculum of undergraduate/postgraduate courses for engineering students.
What is the structure of your group?
The Oil and Gas Facilities Group is classified as a special interest group within the Queensland division of Engineers Australia. The committee includes a Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary who will meet once a month to organise events.
