Genghis,
I absolutely agree that people employed in engineering should have more access to professional development. There is the CEI route to Chartered Engineer but with no disrespect, and although the difference is quite subtle, that's not quite the same thing as a degree. Engineers may know what it means but the general public have no idea.
My own solution to the intellectual development problem was to follow the Economics/Management route to a degree by distance learning while staying in the industry, but this isn't the same as an engineerig degree either. I now have a trained intellect that is restricted by technician level engineering knowledge. Very frustrating! I'd love to do a part time engineering degree but as an expatriate I'm restricted to distance learning.
What is needed is a degree programme that allows people to study the academic elements at home or "night school" and then complete laboratory work during weekend or holiday seminars at a university.
How do we convince a university to set up such a course? I already tried to convince the University of London through Convocation that the Internet should be used more in the delivery of their existing external programmes. They simply don't have enough lecturers to cope with the additional workload. Perhaps you could you have a word with your friends in the RAeS bar one day about the possibility of the CEI organising an engineering degree in association with a university, lets say Imperial College for example, rather than in-house Institutional Qualifications?
Sadly, New Britain seems to be no longer interested in engineering. Perhaps a new name would help? Can anyone suggest a new, dignified name for engineering? One popular novelist characterises engineers as "Cunning Artificers" Thats about right, but we need something more dignified.
**********************************
Through difficulties to the cinema