Engineers are relevant to the system
The number of vocational baccalaureates and first-year students in the construction sector is declining sharply. The shortage of skilled workers is putting additional pressure on the engineering sector.
"We engineers are relevant to the system". With these words, Andrea Galli, the new President of the Swiss Association of Consulting Engineering Companies suisse.ing, opened this year's General Assembly in Bellinzona. With an annual gross fee income of around 2.5 billion Swiss francs, the members of suisse.ing make a significant contribution to the Swiss economy. Swiss francs, the members of suisse.ing provide a major share in the construction sector. "Engineering services secure and develop our infrastructures, communications, mobility and access to technology. Accordingly, we engineers should not only be valued as facilitators, but should be even better recognized as guarantors of the success of Switzerland and the Swiss economy," explained Andrea Galli.
FEDRO director speaks to engineers
Jürg Röthlisberger, Director of the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), underlined the role of the federal government as a partner of engineering companies on an equal footing in his guest appearance before the who's who of the engineering industry. Röthlisberger pointed out the high costs of public transport and called for greater cost efficiency in this area. Individual transport, Röthlisberger said, will continue to play a central role in the future and accordingly requires ongoing investment. "It would be a mistake for politicians to play individual transport off even more against other modes of transport," Röthlisberger was combative.
Ticino in a special role for the engineering industry
The engineering industry also plays an important role in the canton of Ticino as a guarantor of economic development, infrastructure expansion and as an employer. Representing Ticino were, among others, Ticino's Director of Construction, Planning and Environment, State Councilor Claudio Zali, Head of the Dipartimento del territorio, and Mario Brandi, Mayor of Bellinzona. Pietro Brenni, president of the suisse.ing regional group Ticino, described it as one of the greatest challenges of the construction industry to reuse materials and existing structures in such a way that they will be available for future generations.
Threatening development of study and vocational baccalaureate numbers in the construction sector
Urs von Arx, president and initiator of the bilding foundation, showed that system relevance will become even more important in the future. The number of first-year students in the professional categories of civil engineering, building technology and energy continues to fall, he explained. The same applies to the number of vocational baccalaureates in these fields. Due to the shortage of skilled workers, engineering companies in Switzerland are under strong pressure.
It was gratifying that the expert jury of the bilding Foundation sent a clear signal with this year's Silver Circle award. They awarded the Silver Circle to the young engineer Sora Padrutt, Business Unit Manager at Holinger Zurich, as a personality who is committed to the engineering industry and its young talent in a variety of roles.
New composition of the Executive Board
The delegates approved all the proposals of the board. New members of the suisse.ing Board are André Flückiger, eicher+pauli AG, Berne, and Dario Bersiga, AFRY Schweiz AG, Fribourg. Agostino Clericetti, CSD Ingenieure AG, Lugano, Pierre Epars, BG Ingénieurs SA, Lausanne, and Stephan Tschudi, bbp geomatik ag, Gümligen, were confirmed for a further board period.
Sources and further information: suisse-ing.ch, building.ch
