I read with interest the recent letters from RJ Oughton (BSj 03/05) and Ian Brown (BSj 04/05) on the subject of membership applications and the experience of interviewers and membership committee personnel.

While I welcome open and frank debate on the issue, I feel the two letters unnecessarily criticised the people who fulfil this role. I have experienced at first hand the thorough and competent way membership applications are dealt with. Throughout the process, every encouragement is given to candidates and the professional interview I experienced was fair, very searching in its questioning and very efficiently carried out – in no way would I describe it as a lottery.

Obviously I cannot comment on other people’s applications, but in my experience the assessment procedure is well thought out, robust in its application, and, I understand, audited by the Engineering Council. I would encourage any engineer to apply for the appropriate grade of membership in CIBSE, sure of the fact that their application would receive a fair and thorough assessment.

John Bettison CEng, FCIBSE, MSLL

Source

Building Sustainable Design