About us
A History: AHT to IHIE
In 1962 Bill Taylor first proposed to the Institute of Highway Engineers (now IHT) that technicians should have their own organisation. The proposal was not supported until 1964 when Bill was asked by IHE to initiate the Association of Highway Technicians. AHT came into being in January 1965 run by a board of trustees - Professor Fisher Cassie, Henry Criswell, Tom Sinclair and Bill Taylor. Its reincarnation as the Highway and Traffic Technicians Association (HTTA) was also overseen by Bill who served as the chairman until August 1972. The registration grades of Technician Engineer and Engineering Technician were created in the late sixties when entry to chartered engineer was restricted to graduates. The early development of IHIE was dominated by the establishment and evolution of the new grades.
AHT turned itself into the fully independent HTTA on 4 August 1972 with the ability to put members on the national register. The change to IHIE came on 13 January 1989.
The Institute has always played a significant role in the national engineering profession. Brian Lacey chaired the Engineering Board of the Engineers' Registration Board in 1982. Peter Dipper served on the Senate of the Engineering Council (1995-2001) and is currently the only IEng among the institution appointed members of Engineering Council UK Board. Peter also sits on several significant EC Committees and in 2003 chaired the UK SPEC Engineering Technician committee which set down the registration standards for EngTech.
It was an IHIE initiative which saw the creation in January 1990 of the first joint panel accrediting IEng and EngTech courses and IHIE members chaired the Panel throughout its life. JAP was later absorbed in the Joint Board of Moderators. IHIE was also amongst the first institutions to engage in ' CISC' developing NVQs in the 1990s.
Some Milestones
- 1983 First HTTA conference - on microprocessors and traffic signalling. Held at TRL. Organised by Chris Hext.
- 1989 Licenced by Engineering Council to accredit university and college courses .
- 1990 First Institute training course, Traffic Signal Control: implementing the design. The course continues to be held annually at Nottingham University.
- 1990 IHIE helped launch TSRGD and started annual Traffic Signs forum.
- 1993 An IHIE conference launched the revised Traffic Sign Regulations (TSRGD) and inaugurated the annual traffic signs forum.
- 1990 to 2001 IHIE sat on CISC Board, developing higher level occupational standards and NVQs/SVQs for construction. Transportation qualifications were amongst the first to be designed.
- 1990 to 2002 Joint Accreditation Panel created by 10 institutions to accredit IEng and technician courses.
- 2000 IHIE joined BTEC/Edexcel working party revising Higher National and National Awards.
- 2002 First IHIE publication - IHIE Home Zones Design Guidelines.
- 2003 IHIE joined Joint Board of Moderators.
- 2004 IHIE Professional Route to CSCS Card opened.
- 2005 IHIE Guidelines for Motorcycling launched.
Around the world
- "Satisfaction" released
- First Mars probe Ranger 9 passed at 6,200 miles
- Mont Blanc tunnel opened
- Rhodesia declared UDI
- India-Pakistan war
- Lyndon Johnson stepped up the Vietnam war
- Martin Luther King led voting marches in the South and Watts rioted
- Beatles awarded MBEs
- Mobutu seized power in Zaire
- Ronny Biggs escaped jail
- Edward Heath step up to lead Conservative party
- Singapore declared independence
- Al-Fatah founded
- Cassius Clay becomes Muhammad Ali and KOs Sonny Liston (again) and Floyd Patterson
- Dylan went electric
Others @ 40
BIAT, the British Institute of Architectural Technologists a fellow incorporated level body also started out in 1965 and this year becomes a Chartered Institution.
AIRSO, the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers.
LUX, London Borough of Camden and Pizza Express.
Bill Taylor: Founder of IHIE
H.S (Bill) Taylor CEng, the creator and first chairman of the IHIE precursor association, will be 92 this year. We are thrilled he will be with us to see how the Institute has grown and developed.
Past Presidents - Gerry Harvey, Kevin Lilley, Peter Dipper