PACE Coordinator Report

Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 23:57:05 -0500 (EST)
From: galaxy@magicnet.net (George F. McClure)
Subject: PACE Coordinator Excom Report
To: r3-excom1998@ieee.org

Subject:        PACE Coordinator's Report
From:           George F. McClure

Region 3 PACE Coordinator
Report to EXCOM
Savannah, Georgia
17 January 1998


Having just been appointed to this post, I plan to carry forward the excellent plans and programs that Lee Stogner has been supporting.

A perennial problem that I plan to address is the relative invisibility of IEEE-USA to the average member.  Much of the work is done by committees in influencing government policies.  The member becomes aware only when there is a legislative alert or other call for grassroots action to mobilize our membership.  But another area receiving emphasis now is career quality and viability.  By acquainting the members, through section programs, with this work, we can assist members in career management, while improving the members' perceptions of the value of IEEE-USA's work relative to the member dues assessment.

A speakers' bureau list will be compiled for all committees having them, and the list provided to the 42 U.S. sections in Region 3 to aid in planning programs centered around U.S. professional activities.

The new professional journal, "Today's Engineer," will be promoted further among members.  The first issue will be out in February.  This publication will be a valuable resource for member communication on professional topics.

At the recent IEEE-USA strategic planning retreat,  participants prioritized nine areas of activity by importance to the IEEE-USA mission, as follows:

1-  Technology policy
2-  Issues of coordination/structure in cooperation among IEEE boards
3-  Member communications
4-  Career vitality
5-  State and local lobbying [more important with the trend toward devolution of responsibilities from federal to state and local levels]
6-  Role of volunteers
7-  Electronic communications
8-  New IEEE-USA products and services
9-  Industry/government/university relations with IEEE, and the public image of IEEE

Under career vitality, defined as creating and providing products and services that support the career development and vitality needs of electrotechnology professionals, ten initiatives were identified:

* Preparation and dissemination of unbiased engineering manpower demand forecasts per specialty, to serve as a basis for rational career selection, with publication as a paper in "Today's Engineer".  [Stories about a shortage of 345,000 workers in information technology are sometimes mistakenly interpreted to mean a shortage of 345,000 engineers.]
* Promotion of awareness and action plans to assist in career vitality for engineers over the age of 50, to be presented first in a paper in "Today's Engineer," and later as a guidance book on career currency.
* Development of a catalog of training courses available from multiple sources, of interest to members, to be presented on the web, with advertising to underwrite the cost.  [Possible foundation support to be surveyed.]
* Promotion of the Career Asset Manager produced by the Education Activities Department, soon to be on the web.
* Promotion of the Retirement Asset Manager software, developed by IEEE-USA [and now available through the Financial Advantage Program]. 
* Development of a module in the Member Professional Awareness Conference offering on the need for Life Long Learning through continuing education as an essential element in career vitality.
* Development of a package of information and tools for evaluating and selecting member career alternatives (e.g., consulting).
* Development of a career roadmap brochure modeled after one available from the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics.
* Use of technology forecasting tools to identify career trends, and to reflect the results in engineer demand data.
* Development of age- and topic-specific tables in a catalog of IEEE-USA products and services.

At the section level, extension of the PACE network into a grass roots network for influencing government policy will be a priority.  District visits are important; congressmen say that as few as eight visits or individually written letters get their attention on key issues.

Contact information below can be used to reach me to set up section programs or PACE projects.  Topics of personal interest for talks include member benefits, employee pension and health benefits, workforce issues, U.S. competitiveness, and the information technology workforce 'shortage'.


George F. McClure					1730 Shiloh Lane
Region 3 PACE Coordinator			Winter Park, FL  32789-5849
E-mail: g.mcclure@ieee.org			Phone 407/647-5092
							Fax  407/644-4076