OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020 - 31

NEWS & EVENTS

WHAT YOUNG PROFESSIONALS WANT:

O

OSPE's Young Professionals
Focus Group

n Monday, December 9, 2019, OSPE hosted
difficulty understanding the different areas of responsibility
its first Young Professionals Focus group at
for the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) and OSPE.
Nodo Hillcrest, in Toronto. The aim of the
Happily, OSPE learned that members often joined OSPE
meeting was to field questions, comments,
for its accessibility, pathways to professional development,
and criticism
and networking resources.
Vital to many young members
from the youngest members of the
was the opportunity to help
OSPE membership cohort, with the
build an exciting engineering
hopes of learning and responding to
community, that was engaged
new members' concerns.
with professionals and provided
Nine young professionals joined
avenues for diversification. One
us to chat over spaghetti and were
introduced to the project by OSPE
point of note was that upon leaving
CEO, Sandro Perruzza. Joining
school, many members recalled
him at the table was Director of
feeling "lonely" and that OSPE
Member Services, Baijul Shukla,
has helped them begin developing
Community Engagement and
a healthy sense of community.
Events Coordinator, Jaismine
On the variety of responses,
Perruzza says "I was very
Wadhwa, and Vice-Chair and Board
impressed, especially as
Member, Réjeanne Aimey, P.Eng.,
newcomers to the profession.
who moderated the discussion.
Their aspirations and ambitions
Perruzza began the evening with
were noteworthy." And this was
a warm welcome and short speech
echoed by the participation that
thanking the members for their
spilled well over the two hours
participation.
allocated for talking, as the
By understanding and listening
Questions were formulated
to our diverse cross-section of
members were eager to have their
with the goal of soliciting
members, OSPE hopes to learn
voices heard. Wadhwa, OSPE's
honest, open answers
where its shortcomings are and
Community Engagement and
from
those
present.
We
Events Coordinator, commented
how to better serve the community.
learned
that
members
had,
Understanding that the young
that the varying perspectives from
professionals might be united by
different engineering disciplines
before joining, difficulty
age, but are diverse in their work,
allow us to customize outreach for
understanding the different
school, and life experience, allows
the future for maximum impact.
areas of responsibility for the
OSPE to generate priorities that
OSPE held a second Young
Professional Engineers of
are inclusive, wide in scope, and
Professionals Focus Group
Ontario (PEO) and OSPE.
in Ottawa on January 15 and
tailored to the fluctuating demands
Windsor, on February 25, 2020.
of the workplace.
Keep a look out on our social
Questions were formulated
media
channels
for
further
recaps, announcements and
with the goal of soliciting honest, open answers from those
present. We learned that members had, before joining,
information.

Spring 2020 THE VOICE

31
OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - Spring 2020
