An Iron Ring is awarded to a graduate engineer in Canada; the ring is worn as a constant reminder of their commitment and obligations that they have made to their profession.
The very first Iron Ring ceremony was held in Toronto in May 1925, since then there have been over 1600 ceremonies held in over 24 camps (the list can be found on the Internet) with approximately 212,000 engineers involved. The full name for the ceremony is 'The Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer'.
Back then the rings were all made from wrought iron, but nowadays they are nearly all made from stainless steel. The rings are worn on the little finger of the dominant hand, so as the engineer works or draws the ring is always on show and is a constant
reminder of how hard they have worked to gain it.
The Iron Ring is awarded to each graduate in the form of a ceremony. Each ceremony is held at the graduate's own university and are generally private
affairs with no publicity. Some universities will invite other engineers to witness the ceremony.
Rings are returned when the engineer retires, or passed back by the families in the event of their death. Graduates can choose to have a ring which used to belong to a family member who is now retired or deceased. This makes the ceremony more personal and the ring more special.
Like many old traditions, in recent years this ceremony has been the attack of criticism, with some claiming that the ceremony is sexist and that the wording should be changed taking out any reference to gender or to God. It is also suggested that the ceremony is made public.
The very first Iron Ring ceremony was held in Toronto in May 1925, since then there have been over 1600 ceremonies held in over 24 camps (the list can be found on the Internet) with approximately 212,000 engineers involved. The full name for the ceremony is 'The Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer'.
Back then the rings were all made from wrought iron, but nowadays they are nearly all made from stainless steel. The rings are worn on the little finger of the dominant hand, so as the engineer works or draws the ring is always on show and is a constant
reminder of how hard they have worked to gain it.
The Iron Ring is awarded to each graduate in the form of a ceremony. Each ceremony is held at the graduate's own university and are generally private
affairs with no publicity. Some universities will invite other engineers to witness the ceremony.
Rings are returned when the engineer retires, or passed back by the families in the event of their death. Graduates can choose to have a ring which used to belong to a family member who is now retired or deceased. This makes the ceremony more personal and the ring more special.
Like many old traditions, in recent years this ceremony has been the attack of criticism, with some claiming that the ceremony is sexist and that the wording should be changed taking out any reference to gender or to God. It is also suggested that the ceremony is made public.
