Strategies to enhance well-being of civil engineering profession

In a prior paper, the close interrelationship between seven key professional aspects in influencing the overall well-being level of the civil engineering profession was demonstrated. Here, operating on each of these aspects, a number of strategies are studied to assess their potential in enhancing the health of the profession. These address the need to (1) Improve public profile; (2) attract the best students to engineering; (3) graduate excellent students; (4) control the quality of professional engineers; (5) change market conditions for civil engineering services; (6) improve employment conditions; and (7) promote innovation, and research and development. The advantages of each strategy as well as the constraints acting against their implementation are identified. A consolidated solution of the most promising strategies is proposed. It is argued that short of this concerted effort, little incentive exists to affect major changes in the status of the profession. The immediate implementation of this comprehensive action plan is advocated.