Vote for the Mayor of London

and support the Polish proposal for an Adaptation Centre for Polish Engineers

The year 2006 gave rise to the London Initiative, which aims to assist the large number of newly arrived Polish technicians and engineers at the start of their professional careers in Great Britain. The principal aims of the London Initiative (LI) are a return to professional work, the utilisation of qualifications obtained in Poland and the gaining of new professional experience in the United Kingdom.

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This initiative has been widely and comprehensively presented to various circles and socio-economic groups in order to arouse interest and to secure help in its realisation.

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This is one of the better prepared projects dealing with the needs of Polish technicians and engineers living in the United Kingdom.

Poland bore the full cost of their education and this cost is therefore saved by the British side, for whom the sole cost of employing this Polish workforce would be the cost of their professional adaptation, carried out within the framework of the project for an Adaptation Centre(it is estimated as £1,000-£2,800 per person), to encompass amongst other things an acquaintance with British standards and procedures used in industry and services, and specific terminology imparted during short specialist courses to be conducted and constitutes a minimal proportion of the cost of full studies in Great Britain (£45,000-£75,000). The example of this project could and should be widened to include other professional groups.

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We would like to encourage all Poles to support this project during the campaign POLES VOTE (Polacy Glosuja) (www.polacyglosuja.co.uk ) to elect the Mayor of London and members of the London Assembly. Do not let us allow ourselves to be distracted by promises of a Polish Festival but let us demand concrete help for the Polish community working and living in London.

Calendar of Events:

2006

June – the Institution of Polish Engineers in Great Britain (STP, founded in 1940) initiates, following the appeal of the former President of the Polish Government –Exile Mr Ryszard Kaczorowski, the 1st Engineering Forum of Poles living abroad and requests co-operation and gains support from the following organisations:

The Institution of Polish Engineers (STP), The Polish University Abroad (PUNO),
The Federation of Poles in Great Britain (ZPWB),
The Polish Social and Cultural Centre(POSK),
The Federation of Scientific and Technical Associations - NOT ( in Poland),
The European Federation of Scientific and Technological Societies of Poles living outside Poland (EFPSNT –in Vienna),
The Polish Professionals,
The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in London.

The 1st Forum fully supports ‘the London Initiative’, and elects a five person resolutions committee under the chairmanship of dr. inż. Andrzej Formaniak: andrzej_formaniak@hotmail.com
July – December . The resolutions committee works out its recommendations. An International Coordinating Body is created (MZK) whose chairman is prof. dr inż. Ryszard Chmielowiec (drchmielowiec@aol.com) and the chairman of the Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain (STP).
Mgr inż. Krzysztof Ruszczynski (kris@ruszczynski.com) is invited to the Secretariat of the MZK
July– First official presentation of the concept of an ‘Adaptation Centre’ which is presented at the largest Polish Festival in London (STP stand) visited by approximately 6,000 people.
The ‘London Initiative’ was also presented in November in Vienna at the conference ‘Polacy Razem’ (Poles Together) organised by the Association of Polish Engineers in Austria. Information about the initiative was also conveyed during meetings in Poland on Polish television ,( TV Polonia), and directly to the Third Worldwide Congress of Poles in Warsaw in September 2007,and also was given to prof. A. Stelmachowski- the President of ‘Wspólnota Polska’. The office of the President of Poland was also informed about it.

2007

January-August - The MZK circulates its recommendations and prepares a business plan. The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in London donates computer equipment and specialist ‘AutoCad’ courses under the auspices of PUNO with lecturers from the STP (with work experience in the UK) commence. An enormous effort is put into the modernisation of the lecture premises, the setting up of the modern equipment and securing the specialists software programmes.
Meeting with the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone when he is acquainted with the ‘London Initiative’, particularly since he himself stated that London required a large experienced engineering workforce for the development of its infrastructure.
Preparations for the 2^nd Forum, this time also with the participation of British companies and organisations. A survey is carried out in London with respect to professional matters the results of which are to be presented during the 2^nd Forum.
September- 2^nd Engineering Forum, Polish-British on this occasion took place with the participation of amongst others the London Development Agency (LDA), Transport for London (TfL), The British Engineering Council (EC), The Federation of British Industry (CBI) and The London Chamber of Commerce (LCC).
Both the Polish and British sides admitted that the proper utilisation of the technical-engineering workforce was in Polish and British interests alike (in Great Britain a shortage of graduates in technical disciplines has been noticeable for a considerable time) and the loss of the large number of Polish qualified technicians and engineers who work in this country below the level of their qualifications, and in the majority of cases also outside the profession learnt by them is a social waste which is of no use to anyone.
The Forum directed the MZK to produce a business plan with the aim of securing funding for the opening of the Adaptation Centre. The conclusions of the forum were collected by prof. dr. inż. Mirosław Wyszyński.
A business plan was formulated under the direction of dr. inż. Leszek Kasprzak (leszek.kasprzak@onet.eu).
October – December. A swift survey was conducted. An immediate response was gained from over 150 technicians and engineers eager to avail themselves of the facilities of the Centre. The Mayor of London supported the initiative in a letter to the chairman of the STP and pointed to the London Development Agency (LDA) as a partner for the development of our initiative.

2008

January– A letter to the LDA about the data base of 150 persons willing to register and to take advantage of the services offered by the Centre does not meet with the anticipated offer of help. Discussions with the LDA delay the possibility of a swift initiation of the Centre and make it necessary to wait for cooperation from the side of the LDA.
February - A meeting with Senators of the Republic of Poland during their working visit to the Polish Social and Cultural Centre did not produce any results.
March - A letter to the LDA and to Ken Livingstone complaining about the poor response also remained without a reply. At the pre-election meeting with Boris Johnson (the conservative e candidate for Mayor of London) he was informed about the concept of an Adaptation Centre and the advantages ensuing from it, which met with his immediate interest and according to his wish he was sent wider information on the subject.
March (29.03.2008). The plan for an Adaptation Centre was submitted during the course of the discussions of the ‘Polityka’ Forum for inclusion in the election demands in the campaign POLES VOTE (www.polacyglosuja.org.uk).
Further information regarding this project can be obtained from
prof. dr inż. Ryszard Chmielowiec (drchmielowiec@aol.com) the head of the project.

Mgr inż. Krzysztof Ruszczyński

Chairman of the Institution of Polish Engineers in Great Britain

Translation: Christine-Marie Nowacki