Negative Press for Engineers

United Kingdom (UK) based International Companies issue Press Releases on a daily basis that are degrading to their Professional Engineers. Many of them refer to their manual workers as Engineers in their Press Releases. In the case of Television Press Releases, this is normally supported by degrading visual footage. As well, some of these companies employ non-accredited so-called Engineers as a cost-saving exercise. Most United Kingdom (UK) Banks classify Engineers as non/semi-skilled workers. In The Royal Corps of Signals (UK), Engineers fall into the category of Soldier Trades.

Sadly, Professional Engineers in these companies seem to facilitate the above in one way or another.

The reason that International Engineers are concerned about all of this is that the UK Electronic Media, especially the BBC, is bombarding the International Community, who have appropriate Engineer-standards, with this poor UK Engineer-image on an hourly basis, and ironically, Engineers and ETechnicians facilitate the transmission of these programs. UK Engineers are doing little or nothing to rectify the problem except to pay lip service, if questioned.

Most of the Companies mentioned below use such titles as repair Engineers, sewer Engineers etc., for their manual workers. Why not call them repair workers, sewer workers, maintenance workers, etc ? Volkswagen AG have an advertisement running on Radio at present where they refer to a so-called sewage repair Engineer who is driving a Volkswagen. Then we have the SKY Media Group, under CEO James Murdoch, polluting Europe with their low Engineer-image by calling their semi-skilled installers and manual workers Engineers. SKY arrogantly and disrespectfully promotes these so-called Engineers in other countries, irrespective of local standards. British Telecom (BT), under CEO Ben Verwaayen, do the same. Sadly, SKY and BT Professional Engineers put up with this situation and do nothing about it.

Also, we have the International, UK based Utility, British Gas led by Phil Bentley who have an advertisement running on TV Channel VH1, the UK Cartoon Channel (CN) and other channels, where they call their Tradesmen such as Fitters, Mechanics and Electricians * EXPERT ENGINEERS * and they say that they have 8,000 + of these. Does Bentley not know the difference between Manual Workers, Handymen, and Tradesmen/women such as Installers, Installation and Maintenance/Service Fitters, Mechanics, Plumbers and Electricians, let alone Professional Technicians, Technologists, or Engineers. There is the same situation in Bord Gais in Ireland.

Despite all of the above, the British Gas Engineering Academy has won an award from the U.K so-called Professional Body, *Women Into Science and Engineering*, for their efforts in training women to become Engineers, i.e., Plumbers, Fitters, etc.,………very professional!

Again, in times of bad weather we are regaled, on an hourly basis on ALL UK TV Channels, with degrading Press Releases and TV footage from Power Companies of so-called Engineers climbing poles and digging trenches while repairing the Electricity Network, after storms. This must surely encourage young talent to become Professional Engineers ! A recent UK TV panel suggested that young criminals and members of gangs should be trained to be Engineers. How charming!! Why not train them as Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, etc?

Most technical companies have Engineers in senior management or even as CEO's or higher. Why are these Engineers not using their influence to change this degrading system? Can they not even influence Press Releases? Despite this, the Engineering Societies accept these Engineers with open arms. The same holds for the different Academies of Engineering.

With present so-called Professional Engineers happily facilitating and supporting the degrading of Engineers on an on-going basic, how can we expect to draw top-class young talent into the profession?

Engineers. Wake up and act as Professionals. The other Professions are doing it for decades !

Young Graduates....... Have a good think before you decide to join a company. See sample lists below. Some employers woo young graduates to their company by the pretentious showing of a great interest in their professional career and development. This can be purely related to the asset the graduate could be to their company. At the same time, they consciously neglect to mention the company's on-going serious degrading of Professional Engineers.

Beware of some Utilities, especially, who show total disregard for Professional Engineers by their insistence on calling their manual workers and Tradesmen/women, Engineers.

If your employer is not going to show respect for you, maybe you should think of going elsewhere. There are plenty of respectful employers waiting for you !

I am also very disappointed with Journalists who buy into this culture and mirror the Press Releases. They too are Professionals and I expect them to be discerning and show respect for Engineers. Do they honestly think in this technological age that manual workers are Engineers ?

Most professions have had humble beginnings but have been allowed to evolve into modern respected self-regulated professions. Engineers have not been allowed to do this. The blame rests with the Media and Engineers themselves. Then we have the editor of the International News Media, SKY NEWS, state publicly that as far as he is concerned all engineering workers are Engineers. Allegedly, the CEO of the SKY Group, James Murdoch, also supports this view by calling his semi-skilled installers, Engineers. What hope can we have, as a profession. As well, the Media do not allow us to get credit for our achievements for some reason or other. For example, when the NASA Mars Pathfinder was launched some years ago Donna Shirley, the Press Release Officer for NASA, strongly stated on the Larry King show on CNN that it was Engineers who designed and launched the spacecraft and not Scientists. Despite this, the media stated that it was Scientists who did so. We need to get credit for our achievements if we are to prosper and move the world forward in the interest of mankind. Very rarely do you hear Professional Engineers mentioned in the Media for engineering achievements. It is normally Scientists, Designers, or Experts who get the credit, and not Engineers.

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This Article is being distributed daily on an on-going basis to Engineers, Engineering Students, School-leavers, and tens of millions of the general public, Worldwide.

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The following is a sample of Companies who employ Professional Engineers, and who allegedly degrade Professional Engineers on an on-going basis or allow their agents or their subsidiaries to do so, in one way or another, and the names of the countries who facilitate this.

Young Graduates.......if your employer is not going to show respect for you, maybe you should think of going elsewhere. There are plenty of respectful employers waiting for you !

ADT Alarm Company - http://www.adt.com ( UK, IRL mainly ).

Alcatel - http://www.alcatel.com - President, COO, Mike Quigley, ( Engineer ) - ( Worldwide ).

Atlas Copco Group - http://www.atlascopco.com - President and CEO, Gunnar Brock ( Worldwide ).

Babcock & Wilcock Company - http://www.babcock.com ( US, Ca, mainly ).

BAE SYSTEMS - http://www.baesystems.com - CEO, Mike Turner, CBE - ( Worldwide ).

Baltec ( UK ) Ltd - http://www.baltec.co.uk ( Europe, Japan, Far East ).

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) - http://www.bbc.co.uk - Director General, Mark Thompson.

Bord Gais - http://www.bordgais.ie - ( IRL, NI + ).

British Gas - http://www.britishgas.co.uk - Managing Director, Phil Bentley.

British Telecom Group (BT) - http://www.bt.com - Chief Executive, Ben Verwaayen ( Worldwide ).

Caterpillar Inc - http://www.cat.com - Chairman, CEO, Jim Owens ( Worldwide ).

Centrica - http://www.centrica.com - CEO, Sam Laidlaw.

Digiweb Ltd - http://www.digiweb.ie /.co.uk - CEO, Colm Piercy ( Ireland, UK, Europe ).

Eircom Ltd ( Ireland ) - http://www.eircom.ie - Chairman, Engineer Pierre Danon ( International ).

Electrolux Group - http://www.electrolux.com - President, CEO, Hans Straberg ( Engineer ) - ( Worldwide ).

E.ON, UK (Power Gen) - http://www.pgen.com - Chief Executive, Engineer Paul Golby ( Worldwide ).

Epson Global - http://www.epson.com - Chairman, CEO, Saburo Kusama ( Engineer ) ( Worldwide ).

Europlex Technologies Ltd - http://www.europlex.ie ( UK, IRL, US, Ca ).

Fujitsu - http://www.fujitsu.com. Vodafone Group - http://www.vodafone.com - Chairman, Sir John Bond ( Worldwide ).

GE Security - http://www.geindustrial.com ( Worldwide ).

Honeywell International - http://www.honeywell.com ( Worldwide ).

Hotpoint - http://www.hotpoint.com ( Worldwide ).

IBM Corporation ( Computers ) - http://www.ibm.com - Chairman, CEO, Samuel Palmisano ( Worldwide ).

Indesit Company SpA - http://www.indesit.com - CEO, Engineer Marco Milani ( Worldwide ).

Ingersoll Rand International - http://www.ingersollrand.com - President, Chairman, CEO, Herbert Henkel-Engineer (Worldwide )

Lexmark - http://www.lexmark.co.uk ( Worldwide ).

Microsoft Corporation - http://www.microsoft.com - Chairman, Bill Gates ( Worldwide ).

National Grid Group plc - http://www.nationalgrid.com - Executive Director, Steven Holliday ( UK + ).

NCR Corporation - http://www.ncr.com - President, CEO, Bill Nuti ( Worldwide ) .

NEC Group - http://www.nec.com - CEO, Tomohiri Yagi ( Worldwide ).

OTIS Elevator Company - http://www.otis.com - President, Engineer Ari Bousbib ( Worldwide ).

Parker Hannifin Corporation - http://www.parker.com ( UK + ).

Peter Brotherhood Ltd - http://www.peterbrotherhood.co.uk - Managing Director, Stephen Fitzpatrick ( Worldwide ).

Pheonix Natural Gas - http://www.pheonix-natural-gas.co.uk - CEO, Peter Dixon ( UK + ).

Philips Global - http://www.philips.com ( Worldwide ).

Robert Bosch GmbH - http://www.bosch.com ( Worldwide ).

Rolls-Royce - http://www.rolls-royce.com - Chief Executive, Sir John Rose ( Worldwide ).

Sanyo - http://www.sanyo.com - Chairman, CEO, Tomoyo Nonaka ( Worldwide )

Schindler Elevator Company - http://www.schindler.com ( Worldwide )

Scotia Gas Networks (SGN) - http://www.scotiagasnetworks.co.uk ( UK + ).

Shell Group of Companies - http://www.shell.com - Chief Executive, Jeroen van der Veer ( Worldwide ).

Siemens AG - http://www.siemens.com - Chairman, Prof., Dr-Ing., Engineer ( Worldwide ).

SKY News and Sky 1 - UK based - ALL SKY Channels - Chief Executive, James Murdoch ( Worldwide ).

Tyco International Ltd - http://www.tyco.com - Chairman, CEO, Edward Breen ( Worldwide ).

United Utilities - http://www.unitedutilities.com - Chief Executive, Philip Green ( UK + ).

Viridian Group plc (NIE) - http://www.viridian.co.uk - Managing Director, Laurence MacKenzie ( UK + ).

Vodafone Group plc - http://www.vodafone.com - CEO, Arun Sarin ( Worldwide ).

Volkswagen AG - http://www.vw.com - Chairman, Engineer Bernd Pischetsrieder ( Dr. and Ing ) ( Worldwide ).

Wales & West Utilities (WWU) - http://www.wwutilities.co.uk - Chief Executive, Graham Edwards ( UK + ).

Whirlpool - http://www.whirlpool.com ( Worldwide ).

Xerox Corporation - http://www.zerox.com - Chairman, CEO, Anne Mulcahy ( Worldwide ).

Zanussi-Electrolux - http://www.zanussi-electrolux.com - President and CEO, Hans Straberg ( Worldwide ).

A study reveals that the United Kingdom ( UK ) is one of the MAIN centers in the world for a culture that degrades Engineers. This low-image culture is being blatantly propagated by SOME Companies, with total disrespect for Professional Engineers, for commercial gain and appeasing industrial relations, as they diversify into other countries where proper standards exist.

Engineers themselves are partly responsible for the survival of this culture by their lack of assertiveness. The so-called Professional Engineering Institutions, who represent Engineers, also suffer from a lack of assertiveness which has existed for 300 years. Do they not know that a Softly Softly approach does not work in the above circumstances ?

 

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Some Companies who are Engineer-friendly.

ABB Group of Companies - http://www.abb.com - Chairman, CEO, Jurgen Dormann.

Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc - http://www.altairnano.com - President, CEO, Dr. Alan Gotcher.

Altera Corporation - http://www.altera.com - Chairman, CEO, John Daane ( Engineer ).

American Superconductor Corporation - http://www.amsuper.com - Chairman, Founder, CEO, Gregory Yurek, Ph.D ( Engineer ).

American Technology Corporation - http://www.atcsd.com - Chairman, Founder, Elwood Norris ( Engineer and Inventor ).

Analog Devices - http://www.analog.com - President, CEO, Jerry Fishman ( Engineer ).

Apple Computers - http://www.apple.com - Co-founder, Steve Wozniak ( Engineer ).

Audi - http://www.audi.com - CEO, Martin Winterkom.

Aura Technology Corporation - http://www.aura.com - President, CEO, Richard Sandell, Ph.D.

Array Systems Computing, Inc - http://www.ns.array.ca - President, CEO, Stuart Berkowitz ( Engineer ).

ATI Technologies, Inc - http://www.ati.com - President, Co-founder, CEO, Ky Ho.

BMW Group - http://www.bmw.com - Prof. Dr - Ing Buckhard Goschel ( Engineer ).

Boeing Company - http://www.boeing.com - N-E.Chairman, Lewis Platt ( Engineer ).

BP Amoco - http://www.bp.com - Chairman, CEO, Sir John Browne ( Engineer ).

British Nuclear Group - http://www.britishnucleargroup.com - Managing Director, Paul Hamer ( Engineer ).

BWX Technologies, Inc - http://www.bwxt.com - President, COO, John Fees ( Engineer ).

Cable & Wireless - http://www.cw.com - CEO, Francesco Caio.

Channel4 Broadcasting, UK - http://www.channel4.co.uk.

Chevron Texaco Corporation - http://www.chevron.com - Chairman, CEO, David O'Reilly ( Engineer ).

Consolidated Edison Inc ( Con Edison ) - http://www.coned.com - Chairman, CEO, Eugene McGrath ( Engineer ).

Creative Technology - http://www.creative.com - CEO, Founder, Sim Wong Hoo ( Engineer ).

DamlerChrysler - http://www.daimlerchrysler.com - Chairman, Dr. Dieter Zetsche ( Engineer ) - Head of Mercedes Car Group.

Dana Corporation - http://www.dana.com - President, CEO, Michael Burns ( Engineer ).

Dell Corporation - http://www.dell.com - Chairman, Michael Dell.

Dimatix, Inc - http://www.dimatix.com - President, CEO, John Batterton ( Engineer ).

Dow Chemical Company - http://www.dow.com - President, CEO, Andrew Liveris ( Engineer ).

Du Pont - http://www.dupont.com - Chairman, CEO, Charles Holliday, Jr., ( Engineer ).

Ericsson - http://www.ericsson.com - Dep. Chairman, Sverker Martin-Lof ( Engineer ).

ESB International - ( Subsidiary of ESB ) - http://www.esbi.ie - CEO of ESB, Padraig McManus ( Engineer ).

Esnatech - http://www.esnatech.com - President, CEO, Mohammad Nezarati ( Engineer ).

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company ( EADS ) - http://www.eads.net - CEO, Louis Gallois.

European Space Agency ( ESA ) - http://www.esa.int - Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain ( Engineer ).

Eurotunnel ( Anglo-French Group ) - http://www.eurotunnel.com - Chairman, CEO, Jacques Gounon ( Engineer ).

ExxonMobil - http://www.exxonmobil.com - Chairman, CEO, Rex Tillerson ( Engineer ).

Fiat Worldwide - http://www.fiat.com - CEO, Sergio Marchionne.

Ford Company - http://www.ford.com - President, CEO, Jacques Nasser.

General Electric - http://www.ge.com - Chairman, CEO, Jeffrey Immelt.

General Motors ( GM ) Worldwide - http://www.gm.com - Chairman, CEO, Rick Wagoner, Jr.

Himax Technologies - http://www.himax.com.tw - President, CEO, Jordan Wu ( Engineer ).

Hitachi - http://www.hitachi.com - Chairman, CEO, Etsuhiko Shoyama ( Engineer ).

Hitachi High-Technologies - http://www.hitachi-hitec.com - President, CEO, Masaaki Hayashi ( Engineer ).

Honda Worldwide - http://www.world.honda.com - President, CEO, Takeo Fukui ( Engineer ).

i2 Technologies, Inc - http://www.i2.com - Chairman, Founder, Sanjiv Sidhu ( Engineer ).

Intel Corporation - http://www.intel.com - Chairman, Andy Grove ( Engineer ).

JMAR Technologies, Inc - http://www.jmar.com - President, CEO, C. Neil Beer, Ph.D ( Engineer ).

Lucent Technologies - http://www.lucent.com - Chairman, CEO, Patricia Russo ( Hon. Doc. Engg ).

Malvern Instruments Ltd - http://www.malvern.com - Managing Director, Paul Walker.

Marvell Technology Group - http://www.marvell.com - Chairman, President, CEO, Dr. Sehat Sutardja ( Engineer ).

Maxell Worldwide - http://www.maxell.co.jp - President, CEO, Yoshito Tsunoda.

Micron Technology - http://www.micron.com - Chairman, President, CEO, Steve Appleton.

Motorola, Inc - http://www.motorola.com - Chairman, CEO, Edward Zander ( Engineer ).

National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) - http://www.nasa.gov - Administrator, Michael Griffin ( Engineer ).

Network Rail ( UK ) - http://www.networkrail.co.uk - Chief Executive, John Armitt, CBE, ( Engineer ).

Nokia Corporation - http://www.nokia.com - Chairman, CEO, Jorma Ollila, ( Engineer ).

Pratt & Whitney - http://www.pwc.ca - President, Alain Bellemare ( Engineer ).

Praxair, Inc - http://www.praxair.com - Chairman, President, CEO, Dennis Reilley ( Engineer ).

Qualcomm - http://www.qualcomm.com - CEO, Dr. Paul Jacobs.

Radio Telefís Éireann ( RTE Broadcasting, Ireland ) - http://www.rte.ie.

Raytheon Aircraft Company - http://www.raytheonaircraft.com - Chairman, CEO, James Schuster.

Robinson Helicopter Company - http://www.robinsonheli.com - President, CEO, Frank Robinson ( Engineer ).

Samsung Group - http://www.samsung.com - Chairman, CEO, Kun-Hee Lee.

Schneider Electric - http://www.schneider-electric.com - Chairman, CEO, Jean-Pascal Tricoire ( Engineer ).

Sharp Electronics Corporation - http://www.sharp-world.com - President, Katsuhiko Machida.

Sony Corporation - http://www.sony.com - President, Ryoji Chubachi, Ph.D ( Engineer ).

Statoil Oil Company - http://www.statoil.com - President, CEO, Helge Lund.

STMicroelectronics - http://www.st.com - President, CEO, Carlo Bozotti ( Engineer ).

Symantec Corporation - http://www.symantec.com - Executive Vice President, Greg Hughes ( Engineer ).

Texas Instruments - http://www.ti.com -President, CEO, Tom Engibous.

Toshiba - http://www.toshiba.com - President, CEO, Atsutoshi Nishida.

Toyota - http://www.toyota.com - Chairman, Fujio Cho.

Wavecom - http://www.wavecom.com - CEO, Ronald Black ( Engineer ).

YUKOS Oil - http://www.yukos.com - Chairman, CEO, Simon Kukes ( Engineer ).

Zebryk Engineering -http://www.zebryk.com - CEO, Jay Zebryk ( Engineer ).

Zettacore, Inc - http://www.zettacore.com - CEO, Subodh Toprani ( Engineer ).

Zoom Technologies - http://www.zoom.com - President, CEO, Frank Manning, Ph.D ( Engineer ).

More to follow.