- To safeguard the life, health and welfare of the public by restricting the practice of engineering to properly qualified persons.
- To advance the status of the engineering profession by the establishment and observance of high ethical standards.
- To promote the proficiency, knowledge and skill of Professional Engineers, and to increase their usefulness to the public.
- To protect and advance the interests of Professional Engineers.
- To collaborate and enter into mutually beneficial agreement(s) with engineering societies and related institutions whose objectives are similar to those of the Association.
about us
APETT Promotes The Highest Standards Of Professional Practice. We are dedicated to the development of engineers and the engineering profession. The association promotes the highest standards of professional practice and stimulates awareness of technology and the role of the engineer in society.
The Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago had its first official meeting on 8th June, 1959, at which meeting a constitution was formally adopted. This meeting, which owed much to the initiative and farsightedness of Eng. Curtis Knight, was the result, of many months of planning and organization by a small group of dedicated engineers who came mainly from the Ministry of Works and the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission. Eng. Rupert Aleong was elected the first President of the Association and served in this capacity in 1959 and 1960.
During its early years, the Association operated out of the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission and was thereafter accommodated at 19, Stanmore Avenue, first by Attas and de Four and later by A de B Consultants Ltd. After a number of years of co-operative effort with the Trinidad and Tobago Nursing Association, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago, and The Trinidad and Tobago Pharmacists Association, the Professional Centre became a reality and the Association moved into its own office at 11-13 Fitz Blackman Drive in Port of Spain, together with other founding members of the Group of Professional Associations.
In 1961 the Association launched its Journal under the editorial direction of Eng. Harry Phelps, who edited and managed the Journal. The Journal has been published regularly ever since.
The Association instituted its Annual Technical Conference in 1987 through the initiative of Eng. G.K. Sammy who chaired the organizing committee for the first two conferences. This conference has been held every year since then and is now established as the Association’s main technical event.
Recognizing the importance of the building industry and the need to provide a common platform for the various players in this industry, the Association was instrumental in the founding of the Joint Consultative Council in 1983. This organization has grown from strength to strength and is now a vibrant voice in the building and construction industry.
On a regional note, the Association was also instrumental in forming the Council of Caribbean Engineering Organizations, an organization committed to the formation and nurturing of engineering associations in the Caribbean and for the co-ordination of the activities of these organizations across the region.
One of the proudest achievements of the Association was the campaign to enact legislation for the registration of engineers. This effort began in 1962 and after many hard and frustrating years, it culminated in the proclamation of the Engineering Profession Act 1985. This Act provided for the establishment of the Board of Engineering with the responsibility to maintain a register of engineers in Trinidad and Tobago. Under the provisions of the Act, APETT nominates four representatives on this Board. The first Chairman of the Board was Eng. F. R. De Four, a past President of APETT, who has served in this capacity for a number of years.
The Association’s first banquet was held at the Trinidad Hilton in 1960 and from its initial success, the banquet, which now includes an Award Ceremony, has remained the premier social event on the Association’s annual calendar. The other regular social events are the Christmas dinner and the annual family day which are both of more recent vintage, but are now well established.
After trying a number of structures, and after a number of false starts, the concept of divisions based on engineering discipline was reintroduced in the early 1990’s and the divisions have since become very active, operating semi-autonomously in organizing lectures, seminars, workshops and site visits in their particular disciplines.
After trying a number of structures, and after a number of false starts, the concept of divisions based on engineering discipline was reintroduced in the early 1990’s and the divisions have since become very active, operating semi-autonomously in organizing lectures, seminars, workshops and site visits in their particular disciplines.