From: George F McClure Date: May 3, 2010 9:22:33 AM CDT To: "r3-excom2010@ieee.org" Cc: "g.vaughn@ieee.org" , "sec-R03@ieee.org" Subject: GR Report - Career Workshop Government Relations Report At its meeting this weekend, the Career & Workforce Policy Committee of IEEE-USA announced that it plans to hold a one-day Workshop, "Career Survival for Engineers and Scientists in the 21st Century" in central Florida in October. This has been a successful event given several times per year, most recently at Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute. It was developed by CWPC in cooperation with the Employment and Career Services Committee of IEEE-USA. The preferred date is Saturday, 16 October, with the following Saturday as an alternate date. The location is open, but Melbourne, FL, would seem to be preferred over Orlando for ease of access by the workers to be laid off by NASA and its contractors as the space shuttle program ends. Topics covered: * Globalization and your Career - how you can adapt * Developing a Career Strategy - finding the right job opportunities; networking, informational interviewing, continuing education * Resume development - how to identify your "value added" and market yourself; recasting your accomplishments * Interviewing Skills - the process and networking * Emerging Future Jobs - an overview * Wrap-up and Program Evaluation Box lunches are included, and there is a luncheon speaker. The topic at VA Tech was "Todays' Engineering Workplace and What Can IEEE-USA Do for You?" If any of the NASA folks to be terminated have a security clearance, that is a definite plus for many jobs. Attendees receive a hard copy of the materials used, as well as a CD. A modest registration fee covers the costs. Ed Kirchner's advice will be invaluable in selecting the venue and suggesting ways to promote the workshop. At the same CWPC meeting Dennis Ray of the PES outlined the need for more power engineers to replace those retiring soon. In five years, 40 percent of PES members could retire. He thought that engineers with a power background who had worked on shuttle power systems or power distribution would have a head start in transitioning to commercial power utilities. In earlier correspondence, Jim Howard had mentioned a continuing need for IT types in the power utility industry. John Twitchell had been working on a Globalization Tool Kit for engineers a couple of years ago. Dr. Ralph Fehr at the University of South Florida in Tampa leads power systems education there and is assistant director of the Clean Energy Research Center (CERC).. He was named Outstanding Engineering Educator for 2009 by the Florida Council of IEEE. A new program of training for certification for engineers trained in critical infrastructure protection for the power industry has been developed with the National Energy Regulatory Commission. A webinar will be developed by IEEE-USA to sensitize members to this opportunity. A security clearance is a plus. George McClure g.mcclure@ieee.org