Council Election
On 13 May 2010, the Council elected Ir Prof Reuben P K Chu as President of the Institution for Session 2010/2011, in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution.

At its special meeting held on 21 April 2010, the Council resolved to nominate Ir Raymond K S Chan and Ir Lee Ping-kuen as candidates for election as Vice President on the day of the 35th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 28 June 2010. The re-election of incumbent Vice Presidents Ir Dr Chan Fuk-cheung and Ir Choy Kin-kuen will also be conducted on the same day. There are five vacancies for Elected Ordinary Members up for election on the day of the AGM and the nomination will close on 7 June 2010.

Members are invited to attend the AGM and show your support.

Proposal for the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Hall of Fame
Following the adoption of the three-year rolling plan for Sessions 2010/2011-2012/2013 submitted by the three Vice Presidents at the last Council meeting, the detailed proposal for the introduction of a Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Hall of Fame, planned for Session 2010/2011, was recommended for consideration.

The Hall of Fame will honour outstanding members who have made exemplary contributions and outstanding achievements to the Institution, the engineering profession and the community as a whole.

The Council supported the proposal. Nominations start on 1 June 2010 and details are available on page 24 of the Journal.

Benchmarking and review of the standards of the qualifying process and outcomes
The Council approved the adoption of the proposal for full competence-based assessment of experience and professional competence at Corporate Members' level. Following the approval, a Working Group will be formed to develop and review the process necessary for implementing competence-based assessment and submit a report to the Qualification & Membership Board (Q & M Board) in order to take the proposal forward.

Proposed Agreement of Co-operation with the Institution of Engineers, Pakistan
On the recommendation of the Learned Society Board, the Council approved the proposed Agreement of Co-operation between the Institution and the Institution of Engineers, Pakistan.

Copyright Consent Form
The Council approved the copyright consent form together with the explanatory notes for papers and works submitted for HKIE publications and conference proceedings.

Observers to the Council meetings
The Council approved that Ir Dr Raymond C T Ho is to continue to sit on the Council and the Executive as observer during his term of office as Legislative Councillor representing the engineering functional constituency and Ir Dr Samson W H Tam is to continue to sit on the Council as observer during his term of office as Legislative Councillor representing the IT functional constituency.

Development of competence-based assessment
In our previous issues, we reported on observation visits to UK institutions, Engineers Australia and Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia. The purpose of these visits is to review the standard of the HKIE with a view to benchmarking with partnering authorities, in particular those who have established reciprocal recognition agreements with the Institution.

Following the visits, the full competence-based assessment approach for assessing Corporate Members' experience and professional competence at different levels within the qualifying functions of the HKIE was thoroughly deliberated. With the Council's approval for the adoption of full competence-based assessment, a major revamp of the Institution's qualifying functions is anticipated.

In terms of the HKIE's accreditation functions, we are pleased to report that a lot has been done and that changes of the accreditation criteria towards competence-based assessment have by and large been completed.

To dovetail with the move towards competence-based assessment, in the coming Session we will also study the feasibility of embracing CPD activities under this approach.

CPD requirements for candidates applying to become Corporate Members via General Experience Route
We are pleased to inform members that with the approval of the Q & M Board, the CPD requirements for candidates applying to become Corporate Members under the General Experience Route has been amended as follows: "A minimum average of 45 hours per year for the six years immediately prior to their application for Professional Assessment." This amendment would help to streamline CPD requirements leading to Corporate Membership via different routes and also facilitate candidates preparation of their CPD submissions in a timely manner in the course of their membership application.

President's Protege Scheme
Looking to the future, the incoming President has crafted various initiatives and the President's Protege Scheme is the first one to be revealed. This Scheme, similar to the President's Apprentice Scheme introduced last year, aims to engage young members who will be selected to shadow the President and gain insight into how senior figures in the industry operate. Applications start on 1 June 2010. Please refer to page 61 of the Journal for details.