NCEES NEWS RELEASE: 6-23-2009
Contact: Jerry Carter, Executive Director
jcarter@ncees.org

NCEES sees growth in engineering licensure exam candidates

The number of candidates attempting NCEES exams has risen in recent years, with a particularly sharp increase in candidates sitting for the Principles and Practice of Engineering examinations this year.

According to NCEES records, 26,193 candidates attempted the PE exam during the October 2008 and April 2009 exam administrations. This is more than a 5 percent increase from the previous year’s numbers and is the largest one-year increase in PE candidate numbers since the 1998–99 exam administrations.

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(From the NCEES publication LICENSURE EXCHANGE, June 2009, ISSN NO. 1093-541X, VOLUME 13, ISSUE 3 - PAGE 9)

     The FE exam is a breadth-and-depth exam that requires examinees to select an afternoon module matching their academic major. While the majority of examinees fit into the larger disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering, others major in engineering disciplines in numbers that do not justify the creation of a separate module. For these, a general afternoon module exists.
     However, many examinees from disciplines that have afternoon modules choose the general module over the module corresponding to their major, despite data indicating that pass rates are consistent across the modules. This practice causes performance feedback that NCEES provides to engineering programs at colleges and universities to be less precise. To better convey the nature of the module and its intended examinee pool, the EPE Committee recommended that the general module be renamed “other disciplines.” The Board of Directors approved this change, which will go into effect in April 2010.

AUTODESK PRESS RELEASE

Autodesk Assistance Program Offers Help to Displaced Workers

Designers, Engineers and Architects Can Receive Software, Training, Certification and Other Company Resources to Help Extend Their Skills and Improve Employability

 
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – Recognizing the impact of today’s economic challenges, Autodesk is launching the Autodesk Assistance Program. The Autodesk Assistance Program will provide Autodesk customers and partners with design software tools, education and resources that will help them to enhance, maintain and develop their 3D design technology skills and remain competitive in the marketplace. The program will offer free* student software term licenses, free online training and a path to certification to unemployed architects, designers and engineers in all industries.

“Everyone has been touched by the economic downturn,” said Steve Blum, senior vice president, Autodesk Americas sales. “Autodesk has a tradition of supporting the needs of its customers and partners. The Autodesk Assistance Program is a fast-tracked way for our customers to improve their productivity and competitiveness during this challenging and volatile time by accessing the multiple resources we offer them to best position themselves for the future.”

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NCEES NEWS RELEASE

Release: 5-15-2009
Contact: Tim Miller, P.E., Direcor of Exam Services
tmiller@ncees.org

NCEES announces changes to architectural engineering exam

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is introducing new specifications for its Architectural Engineering PE exam. They will first be used for the April 2010 administration of the exam.

Exam specifications indicate knowledge areas to be tested and their relative weights of emphasis. As the developer of the exams used for engineering licensure in the United States, NCEES periodically conducts surveys of licensed engineers working in industry, government, and academia to gather information about the knowledge and skills required of professionals in a particular discipline. NCEES uses the results to update its exam specifications.
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(From the NCEES publication LICENSURE EXCHANGE, April 2009, ISSN NO. 1093-541X, VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2)

President’s Message (Henn Rebane, P.E. - NCEES President)

Inaugural NCEES Engineering Award raises campus exposure for licensure

As members of NCEES, we work toward an ideal in which all working engineers are licensed P.E.’s. Imagine the benefits for society if this were the case. The public and the profession would certainly benefit from the knowledge that all engineers in every engineering discipline had met the same standards in education, experience, and examination.

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National Instruments has recently posted a free five-part webcast series on GREEN ENGINEERING.  In addition a closing keynote address by Dr. James Truchard, CEO and Co-founder of National Instruments, is  also made available.

They introduce this presentation that explores topics around green engineeringas as follows: “Concerns about global climate change, soaring energy prices, and increased government legislation are driving the demand for all things “green”. National Instruments provides a wide range of measurement and automation tools that can help engineers and scientists design, develop, and improve products and technologies resulting in environmental and economic benefits.”

The webcasts can be viewed here: http://www.ni.com/greenwebcastseries/

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