MNG 425.2 Professional Practices
Chapter 3: Roles of Professional Associations (1 hr)
3.1 Regulation of the Practice of the Profession
One of the fundamental roles of professional associations is to regulate the professional practices of the persons or institutes engaged in a particular profession. For example, the Federation of Contractors’ Association of Nepal (FCAN) regulates the ways contractors, whether persons or a companies, act when performing duties related to their profession, through:
(a) developing guidelines and procedures to be followed by its members,
(b) developing minimum standards of profession,
(c) developing and issuing codes of conduct to be followed among FCAN members,
(d) developing and approving written and unwritten rules of the profession,
(e) preparing standard procedure and formats of preparing and submitting bids,
(f) monitoring and evaluating compliance of the rules, and
(g) taking actions against those who break of the rules and/or code of conduct.
Similarly, the Nepal Engineering Council (NEC) tries to regulate engineering profession by developing policies, plans and programs for the smooth functioning of the engineering profession and to execute them. The NEC also regulates higher engineering education in Nepal through evaluation, recognition and monitoring of academic institutes providing formal engineering education.
3.2 Licensing:
OBJECTIVES
The objective of Nepal Engineering Council is to make the engineering profession effective by mobilizing it in a more systematic and scientific and also to register the engineers as per their qualifications. Its duties and responsibilities are:
- To prepare policies, plans and programs for the smooth functioning of the engineering profession and to execute them
- To set norms and standards for engineering education in Nepal
- To grant permission and approval to carry out engineering education to those engineering colleges and institutions that meet the required norms and standards and to honor their degrees and certificates
- To monitor and inspect the quality of engineering education provided by the engineering colleges and institutions
- To fix the qualification necessary in order to practice engineering profession and to register their name in the Council
- To remove their name from the registration of the engineering council if found to violate the code of ethics.
Licensing is one of the means of regulating the profession. The organizations providing engineering services, for example, are expected to obtain approval from professional organizations before starting their business, apart from fulfilling the legal requirements. FCAN classifies its members into different categories/classes like A, B, C and D; the contractors of each category are limited in the financial amount of work they can bid for.
Licensing for individual engineers is provided by NEC, in the form of registration. As per clause 11 of NEC Act, “no person shall practice the engineering profession without getting his/her name registered in the Council”. Offenders are subject to fine to Rs. 3000 or jail up to three months or both.
Two of the objectives of NEC related to the licensing of engineering professionals are:
- To fix the qualification necessary in order to practice engineering profession and to register their name in the Council
- To remove their name from the registration of the engineering council if found to violate the code of ethics.
Objectives of NEA: (source NEA website, http://www.neanepal.org.np/showmodule.php?what=objectives&under=aboutnea)
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1. To promote development of the engineering science and technology in Nepal.
2. To promote fellowship goodwill and cooperation assistance among the Nepalese engineers and safeguard their rights and interests.
3. By utilizing, to the highest extent possible, the participation of the national engineering manpower of the country in the national development activities of Nepal, make effort towards ending foreign dependency in this regard.
4. To continuously enhance the highest professional ideals among the members and widen it.
5. To develop relations, fellowship and goodwill with international engineering associations and institutions.
Similarly, SCAEF deals with approval to provide engineering consulting services, and the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) deals with approval to provide software development services in Nepal.
Differences between NEC and NEA
NEC / NEAStatutory body, established under NEC Act, in 1999 / An NGO, established in 1962
Must register before practicing engineering profession / Registration/membership is voluntary
Executive body by election and nomination / Executive body by election
Evaluates and approves establishment of academic institutes offering engineering programs / No such provision
Offers different categories of engineering profession: general, professional, foreign / No such provision
Monitors academic institutes offering engineering programs (every year for temporary approval and every other year for permanent approval), and cancels approval if found not up to standard / No such provision
The directives and code of conduct issued are mandatory / The directives and code of conduct issued are voluntary
3.3 Guidance for Training New Entrants into the Profession
Another major role of the professional associations is to guide new entrants into the profession by
(a) providing orientation and training,
(b) guiding on the conventions of the profession,
(c) providing information on the dos and don’ts of the profession,
(d) potential pitfalls when the Code of Conduct are not followed, and
(e) linking the new comers with established members of the profession.
3.4 Advice and Assistance to Engineering Colleges
In Nepal, the NEC plays the crucial role in advice and assistance to engineering colleges. Three of the objectives of the NEC related to engineering education in Nepal are:
· To set norms and standards for engineering education in Nepal,
· To grant permission and approval to carry out engineering education to those engineering colleges and institutions that meet the required norms and standards and to honor their degrees and certificates, and
· To monitor and inspect the quality of engineering education provided by the engineering colleges and institutions
The NEC’s role in engineering education in Nepal goes beyond just ‘advice and assist’ the engineering college. As the statutory body, NEC has developed the following for regulation of higher engineering education in Nepal.
i. Regulation to Recognize Institutes Providing Engineering Education, 2066
ii. Norms and Standards as Appendix 7 of RRIPEE 2066
iii. Regular Monitoring as part of implementation of Engineering Colleges
iv. Inspection Guide with Scoring Template
v. Regulations to Recognize Graduate Engineering Programs, 2067 (yet to be approved)
vi. Norms and Standards for Post Graduate Engineering Programs
vii. Students’ Registration Form (for monitoring student enrollment)
NEC has provision of providing temporary and permanent approval to engineering colleges based on the numerical score. The colleges receiving a score between 70 and 89 will receive a temporary approval, and the colleges receiving a score above 89 in NEC’s evaluation will receive a permanent approval to run engineering programs. NEC monitors the engineering college every year if it has temporary approval; the colleges with permanent approval are monitored once every other year.
Other professional associations can also play important role in ‘advice and assistance’ to engineering colleges in Nepal, especially in
i) developing and regular updating higher level skill oriented curriculum,
ii) jointly developing “expected learning outcomes” of each subject and overall objectives of engineering programs,
iii) jointly developing guidelines for student evaluation,
iv) providing internship opportunities for college graduates in industries,
v) coordinating between potential employers and university officials for bridging the gap in academic training and industrial skill requirement,
vi) assisting in tracer study of university/college graduates, and
vii) providing funding mechanism for scholarships, fellowships, research grant, and project grant.
3.5 Perspective on Morals, Ethics and Professionalism (TBG, pp. 13-15), see section 2.2 of lecture notes.
3.5.1 Code of Ethics for professional engineers, as per NEC (RPA p45)
Discipline and honesty
Politeness and secrecy
Non-discrimination
Limit service in concerned expertise
Abstain from work which harm engineering profession
Professional responsibility
State name, designation and registration number
No publicity and advertisement
3.5.2 Code of Ethics for a consulting engineer, as per SCAEF (RPA p47)
A consulting engineer will:
· be honest and fair and will serve the client and the public with devotion
· dedicate himself to the advancement of the competence of the engineering profession
· use his knowledge and skill in the service of humanity
3.5.3 Code of Ethics for a contractor’s engineer, as per FCAN (RPA p51)
3.5.4 Code of Ethics for a contractor’s engineer, as per NEA
3.5.5 IEEE code of Ethics (for electronics and electrical engineers)
There are similar codes of ethics in other branches of engineering.
3.6 Upgrading Maintaining the Professional and Technical Competence of Members
The professional associations play the role of upgrading and maintaining professional and technical competence of its members. Some of the ways in which the professional associations in Nepal have been playing this role are:
i. Providing Continuing Education Programs (NEA, SCAEF, FCAN, CAN)
ii. Engineering Staff College (proposed by NEA, not yet fulfilled)
iii. Provision of Professional Engineer (NEC)
iv. Provision of periodic test as part of NEC registration renewal
v. Professional Development as part of evaluation of engineering colleges (NEA)
vi. Organizing professional meetings (NEA, SCAEF, FCAN, CAN)
vii. Organizing trainings, weekly lecture series (NEA)
viii. Organizing workshop on specific issues related to engineering education in Nepal (AECON, OPEN, TUTA)
3.7 Providing Technical Expertise as Requested for the Guidance and Assistance of Legislators
The legislators and other governmental organizations frequently seek technical expertise from professional associations in the development, drafting and amendments to the existing acts, rules, regulations, policies, guidelines, bylaws, provisions, plans and programs. NEC, NEA, SCAEF, FCAN, CAN and other professional organizations provide technical expertise to different government organizations, including legislators, as and when requested. When these professional associations do not have in-house expertise, they coordinate with individual (or institutional) members to provide such services.
3.8 Seeing to the Matter of Safety General Welfare of the Public in Engineering Works
The professional engineering associations are expected to play the role of monitors of quality of works of its members, including the matter of safety and general welfare of the public. When a particular member is found to violate the codes of conduct, compromise on quality of works, and neglect public safety and public welfare, the concerned professional engineering association can warn them, and cancel their membership. NEC is planning to introduce a system of Accountability in Engineering Professional services. The standard design manuals, design procedures, building codes, including professional judgments will be evaluated as a part of safety and general welfare of public in engineering works.
3.9 Engineering Professional Associations in Nepal
i. Nepal Engineering Council (NEC): an autonomous statutory body to oversee practice of professional engineering services in Nepal; established under Nepal Engineering Council Act, 1999. The office holders of NEC are nominated for 4 years; some executive members get elected for 4 years; there is a provision of some NEA executive members to be NEC executive members for the duration of their tenure at NEA. All engineering graduates must register at NEC before they legally practice their profession in Nepal. All engineering colleges must get approval from NEC before they enroll students in their engineering program.
ii. Nepal Engineers’ Association (NEA): a voluntary organization of engineers of Nepal, registered as an NGO in 1962. The executives are elected through voting of all the members of NEA, for two years.
iii. Society of Consulting Architectural and Engineering Firms (SCAEF)
iv. Federation of Contractors’ Association of Nepal (FCAN)
v. Nepal Micro/Mini Hydropower Development Association (NMHDA)
vi. Computer Association of Nepal (CAN)
vii. ICT Association Nepal
viii. IT Professional Forum
ix. ISP Association Nepal
x. Society of Structural Engineers Nepal (SSEN)
xi. Society of Electrical Engineers Nepal (SEEN)
xii. Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA)
xiii. Society of Mechanical Engineers Nepal (SOMEN)
xiv. Society of Public Health Engineers Nepal (SOPHEN)
xv. Society of Hydrologists and Meteorologists (SOHAM)
xvi. Nepal Geological Society (NGS)
xvii. Nepal Geotechnical Society (NGeoS)
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Old Exam Questions from Chapter 3
1. Briefly discuss the code of ethics of Nepal Engineering Council. (8)
2. Explain the code of ethics applicable to engineering profession.
3. What do you understand by the code of conduct? Describe the code of conduct for engineers.
4. How do you judge the ethical standard of Engineers in Nepal? Describe the role of Nepal Engineering Council in maintaining ethical standard of Nepalese Engineers.
5. Differentiate between the NEA and NEC with suitable examples.
6. What are the meaningful roles of professional societies or associations? Why are they needed? Explain.
7. Explain roles of Engineering council and Nepal Engineers Association. In what regards, they are different?
8. What are the general job descriptions of engineers working in public sector?
9. Describe the duties of an engineer.
Short Note Type Questions
a. Objectives of Nepal Engineers’ Association (RPA, p42)
b. Nepal Engineering Council (RPA, p40)
c. Disciplinary action (RPA, p55), (RPA-C p15)