Robin King HonFIEAust CPEng(Ret) is an Emeritus Professor at the University of South Australia and a Consultant to The Australian Council of Engineering Deans. He strives to advance and improve the engineering profession by volunteering in a number of capacities, with a particular focus on education standards and accreditation.
“I began volunteering in engineering in the UK in the late 1970s, after working in Papua New Guinea.
That had been a seminal experience for me. Grappling with the engineering challenges of a developing country strengthened my realisation about engineering being a profession. I saw the importance of establishing, improving and upholding standards to enable engineers to make their contributions to society.
My primary volunteer activity has been around accreditation, and education standards associated with that. My proudest achievements have been to assist in maintaining and raising the standards of our graduates.
I worked with the International Engineering Alliance, especially for the Washington and Sydney Accords. That gave me opportunities to assist Sri Lanka and other Asian countries on their journey to Washington Accord status. I really do take a lot of pride in that.
I have a firm belief in engineering being about making continuous improvements to meet the future requirements of society. If we can, through volunteering, improve the quality of engineering practice then it’s marvellous, we’re giving back.
Volunteering has improved my engineering practice as well as given me an enormous number of friendships and networks. I’ve been thrilled to see people prosper and flourish as engineers.
One ex-student of mine, who I ran into on an aeroplane, said one thing he liked about me is that he knew I always wanted him to succeed and to accept hard challenges. And he certainly did.”
Read more about Engineers Australia’s volunteers here.
