Hello from me15 August 2022

Steve Rees, chair, Institution of Plant Engineers, introduces himself. He writes: my membership in IPlantE began in 2006, when I started a part-time Open University course in general engineering.

The tutors encouraged students to find an institution to gain engineering accreditation. Some of my fellow students had gone with an institution that related to the core discipline, like IMechE, or IET for the electricians, but they weren’t quite right for me. Plant engineering and process plant were my bread and butter.

I had started off working as an apprentice mechanical technician in a refinery in South Wales. When I came to the end of that, I moved offshore to be multi-skilled worker. I took the decision to move away from being a technician to an operator, but retained that discipline; I would operate plant, and if it broke, I went and fixed it. I’ve always been someone who likes to get under the surface of things, and that’s why a lot of my education has been mechanically-based. I have remained in offshore oil and gas since then.

Over my time as a member, one of the many things that has jumped out at me from the IPlantE PSC meetings is growth. It’s massively important. I have a strong passion for developing new engineers and bringing youngsters into engineering, and I really see the role of chair as an opportunity to drive that; to look for engineers of the future, and direct them to the SOE to see what it can offer. I want to show them what engineering is.

If I think back when I was in school, my view of the sheer breadth of engineering was limited. I’m sure there are similarities today. We need fresh perspectives to help us navigate the transition between today’s energy industry and that of the near future. The oil and gas industry has a big part to play; it needs young innovative engineers and technicians to come in and drive that change.

Steve Rees

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