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The BD Division proudly hosted its annual Fellowship Dinner on 5 December 2024, at the Craigengower Cricket Club in Happy Valley. This esteemed tradition fosters connections among Committee Members, Discipline Advisory Panel Members, supporters, and key figures in the building industry. The Dinner ensured a relaxed environment conductive to networking and collaboration.
The evening commenced with a reception in which pre-dinner drinks are served, allowing attendees to mingle and reconnect with colleagues and friends. Following this session, Ir Sammy Lai, Chairman of the BD Division, delivered a warm welcome address, emphasising the importance of unity and collaboration within the profession in advancing the building industry. Ir Paris Wong then presented an engaging slideshow that highlights the Division’s past activities and achievements. The presentation not only celebrated the Division’s successes, but also reminded attendees of the shared goals and initiatives that drive their work.
standout moment of the evening was a memorable saxophone performance by Ir Dr The Hon Lo Wai-kwok, GBS, MH, JP, who captivated the audience with a wonderful saxophone rendering of the traditional Chinese piece “彩雲追月”. In his introduction, Ir Dr The Hon Lo emphasised the saxophone’s unique role in music history, illustrating how it bridges Eastern and Western cultures. This unique interlude added a delightful touch to the evening, enhancing the overall experience for all attendees.
Another highlight was the introduction of the Korean drinking game “APT,” which infused a lively and interactive element into the gathering. Participants embraced the fun, further strengthening their connections in a spirited atmosphere.
In conclusion, the BD Division extends its heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to organising this successful event. The evening underscored the importance of collaboration and camaraderie within the engineering profession, leaving all attendees with lasting memories and revitalised connections that will undoubtedly benefit the community moving forward.
The BD Division organised the captioned seminar on 9 December 2024. Over 400 participants attended, some physically at the Institution’s Headquarters, others online. We invited two speakers, including an experienced HKIE professional assessor, Ir Philip Kwok, and a young engineer, Ir Eva Lee.
In the first part of the seminar, Ir Kwok explained the routes to the HKIE membership, including Formal Training Route, General Experience Route and Mature Route (for those over 35 years of age), with the relevant requirements for academic qualifications and required number of years of experience.
Those following the Mature Route would be required to submit a training and experience report with drawings and documents outlining examples of their recent work. Ir Kwok explained that some candidates failed to demonstrate the work mentioned in their report as their own work, or had only a superficial knowledge of statutory requirements, leading to failure in their assessment.
In the second part of the seminar, Ir Lee shared her own experience in preparing for her assessment. She applied via the Formal Training Route, also known as Engineering Graduate Training Scheme “A”, and obtained the professional qualifications as MHKIE in the fifth year of her career path.
She encouraged young engineers to start Scheme “A” training as early as possible, since a structured training guideline would be provided under this Route. This means that graduate engineers will know what they should learn and experience during their two years of training to become a professional building engineer and thus could obtain a professional qualification within four years’ time at the earliest.
She also shared tips on preparing a training report. She suggested candidates should choose a topic they were most familiar with and then study the related statutory requirements, such as Practice Notes and Code of Practices, as the report’s details will be the subject of the interviewer’s questions and also expected in the essay.
There was a fruitful question-and-answer session after the seminar. Ir Kwok revealed that there would be another seminar on case studies in professional review assessment in the upcoming months and asked the participants to stay tuned.