Engineers will vote to elect three members to represent them on the Engineering Board next week, with the profession hoping to avoid the controversy sparked by elections in 2020.

Warranted engineers will be able to cast their vote at the Public Works Ministry in Floriana on Monday, August 22 between 3pm and 7pm. Three members will be elected as engineers’ representatives.

The last election to be held, in 2020, saw a record number of engineers cast their vote.

But the outcome was marred by infighting and partisan bickering that even led to two members filing court action against the board’s chairperson. 

At the time, the engineering profession was troubled by a dispute over the recognition of MCAST engineering graduates. While the government wanted such graduates to be eligible for receiving their professional warrant, engineering associations said their degree was not up to scratch.

The impasse was eventually resolved after a German consultancy firm was brought in to assess the MCAST course and advise on changes to be made to it.

In a statement urging members to vote on Monday, the Chamber of Engineers said that the elections “should not be an occasion for further fragmentation and should be only contested by the nominee warrant holders that genuinely have the profession at heart.”

“Our future representatives are expected to highlight their intended efforts to re-instate harmony within the Board and work with stakeholders,” the chamber said.

Any warrant holder who wanted to “obtain a factual and transparent picture” of the local engineering profession was welcome to contact it, the Chamber said.

Voting will be held at the Public Works Ministry, at Triq Francesco Buonamici, Belt is-Sebħ.