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Introduction
A
review of the Forum’s activities and achievements over the
past four years was carried out by the Board of Directors in the
Spring of 2009.
The motivation for the Review was to enable the Directors
to judge whether or not NFEC could apply its resources more
efficiently, and in so doing, more effectively provide for the
present needs of its members and for its own longer-term
sustainability.
The
Directors concluded that change was not only desirable, but it
was also essential.
Conclusions
of the Review
In recalling the many successes of
NFEC, prior to incorporation, in comparison to the relative
performance of the last four years, the Board recognised (and
accepted) the need to return to the earlier NFEC focus and
approach that had made it so successful prior to 2005.
That earlier focus and approach saw
the then NFEC Executives (the Trustees of the Charity) getting
directly involved in the solution of the problems confronting
Members and the Sector.
A much greater proportion of
Members’ subscriptions were at that time directly applied to
the provision of services and achievement of outcomes for the
membership.
Although
managing the delivery of activities and events that will be of
direct benefit to Centres of Engineering, pursuit of project
funds is not key to NFEC’s role.
It in fact represents a very significant distraction from
its central aims and the very reason for its existence.
Changes
that would be made
In the light of the conclusions of the
Review, the Board saw no alternative but to dispense with the
post of Chief Executive Officer and to distribute the facets of
that post among the Directors.
In addition:
-
Regional Groups would no
longer be led by consultants;
-
Administrative
support staff would work from home;
-
Office space would be
released;
-
New Directors
would be appointed;
-
Management of
NFEC’s systems and operation would be provided on an
expenses-only basis by members of the Board;
-
Involvement in
any discussion forum or group would be evaluated, to assess
its benefit to Members needs.
How the changes are expected to more effectively
support Members’ needs
These changes,
taken together, will not only immediately reduce overheads and
allow members’ subscriptions to be capped for the coming year,
but they would also allow members’ loyalty to be further
rewarded.
Another major
benefit to Members will arise from the move to devolve more
responsibility and control of activities to the regional groups.
Advice and guidance will be available but these Groups
will be able to arrange, site and agree content of their own
discussions. NFEC
expects regional leaders to emerge (as they did in the earlier
years of the Forum). It
was these leaders who were the voice of their regions at the
national level and they who come through to be the later
Directors of NFEC itself.
Directors in the
main have full-time involvement in the delivery of learning in
Engineering and the related technologies.
Despite this, the Board recognized the benefits that this
involvement brings - to a thorough understanding of the issues
that confront members and the generation of appropriate action
plans for their solution.
The Board also
took action to reduce risk in the short term, by inviting
NFEC’s two Life Members to join the Board and to play a
significant part in the implementation of its re-focused
approach. Accordingly,
Bob Clarke (directly involved in the development of NFEC in
1992) and Bob Millington (a Member since NFEC’s launch in
1993) have been tasked with the direct management of NFEC’s
central systems and functions.
These two
management roles are:
Notwithstanding
this move, the Board fully accepts that the overall management
of the Company and the Charity rests with the Board of Directors
(Trustees of the Charity). Thus
development of policy and strategy, and final decision-making,
remains a collective responsibility. The
closer involvement by Directors in NFEC’s on-going activities
can only aid this requirement.
The Role and Membership of the NFEC National Council
The National Council was created by
NFEC to provide a forum in which regional and national issues
could be directly discussed.
Regions could directly integrate knowledge and
understanding and NFEC could gain awareness of issues or
concerns that confronted Members nationally.
This facility is still (very much) required today and
NFEC will enable it to continue for the benefit of Members.
National Council members consist of
Regional Leaders (or their nominees) together with the NFEC
Directors.
NFEC has always recognised the value
of participation in National Council discussions by other key
Organisations, where it is clear that mutual benefits are
likely. Accordingly,
these Organisations are each invited to nominate Associate
Members to represent them.
NFEC’s re-focussing provides an
opportunity to reassess where these mutual benefits exist and to
approach Nominating Organisations accordingly.
In
addition to these two categories of National Council membership,
ad hoc participation by other contributors will be invited,
where this can benefit Council discussions.
NFEC Ltd July 2009
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