Bavina Sookdeo

Lendel Bethelmy, at just 36, is set to become the youngest president in the history of the Association of Professional Engineers of TT (APETT) in March 2025.

With over 15 years of experience in the construction industry and a decade in engineering, he is also a structural engineer at Beston Consulting Ltd and a part-time lecturer at UWI.

APETT is a society of professional engineers 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.

Bethelmy explained that he was led to engineering by his natural affinity for maths and physics.

"For me, it wasn’t really a choice, but more of how the world lined up," he said.

From an early age, Bethelmy excelled in these subjects, placing first in the Caribbean in maths at CXC.

This early success set him on a path towards engineering, with a particular interest in civil engineering, sparked by his exposure to construction projects at home.

As for his decision to take on the role of president-elect, he said this was fuelled by his desire to address the lack of career guidance and mentorship he observed in the engineering community.

"What first enthused me was understanding what APETT stands for and why it was set out," he said.

Bethelmy aims to use his tenure to enhance APETT's mentorship programmes and career guidance initiatives, particularly targeting secondary and tertiary students to help them understand the opportunities available on their chosen career path.

"As professionals, we lack mentorship as well. After you get your degree and you leave university, there are a lot of people who get thrown into the deep and just exist until it either makes you or breaks you.

"I saw that through APETT, I can assist people through mentorship."

One of Bethelmy’s main goals is to increase APETT's social footprint and establish it as the go-to organisation for engineering-related issues.

"Right now, we do not have the social footprint that would make us the go-to organisation whenever there is a problem."

Bethelmy envisions a future where APETT plays a central role in disseminating accurate information and providing career and networking opportunities for engineers.

He also aims to address internal issues: "An internal challenge that we need to formally address is that we do not have succession processes for vice presidents and other positions," he explained.

Externally, he highlighted the significant impact of politics on engineering work, particularly in government-controlled infrastructure projects.

"For example," he pointed out, "we shut down construction during the covid19 pandemic and so too was engineering.

"The major client is the government so if they decide they are not doing any infrastructure work, then engineers do not have work. There are smaller projects, but major projects are generally controlled by government and most times, there is no requirement f