||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**||||||| |**From**|Period start date|||**To**|Period end date||| ||Day
**01**|Month
**January**|Year
**2023**||Day
**31**|Month
**December**|Year
**2023**| ## Section A Reference and administration details **Charity name** Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain **Other names charity is known by** STP **Registered charity number (if any)** 1181306 **Charity's principal address** Building POSK 238-246 King Street London Postcode W6 0RF ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(ifany)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Anna Kopyto|Chair|Stepped down on
01/04/2023|AGM| ||Marian Zastawny|Chair|Appointed as Chair on
01/04/2023|AGM| ||Teresa Bilinska|Vice-Chair||AGM| ||Miroslawa Michniewicz|Secretary
/Vice-Chair||AGM| ||Piotr Swieboda|Treasurer||AGM| ||Alina Antonik|||AGM| ||Ryszard Chmielowiec|||AGM| ||Marek Jasinski|||AGM| ||Artur Pawlowski||Resigned 01/04/2023|AGM| ||Arkadiusz Piotrowski||Resigned 01/04/2023|AGM| ||Krzysztof Szweda|||AGM| ||Kacper Wieckowski||Resigned 01/04/2023|AGM| ||Tomasz Dudziak||Resigned 01/04/2023|AGM| ||Kamila Wiatr|||AGM| ||Ewelina Wachnicka||Resigned 01/04/2023|AGM| ||Sebastian Czajka||Appointed on 01/04/2023|AGM| ||dr Elwira Kamińska||Appointed on 01/04/2023|AGM| ||Tomasz Koperniak||Appointed on 01/04/2023|AGM| ||Tomasz Rosinski||Appointed on 01/04/2023|AGM| **TAR** March **2012** 1 **Section B Structure, governance and management** ## **Description of the charity’s trusts** Type of governing document Constitution - (eg. trust deed, constitution) How the charity is constituted Association - (eg. trust, association, company) Trustee selection methods (eg. appointed by, elected by) Elected by AGM or appointed by Board of Trustees subject to maximum number of Trustees defined in the Constitution not being exceeded. ## **Additional governance issues (Optional information)** You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant, about: - policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees; - the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works; - relationship with any related parties; - trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them. |Procedure ref
number|Document title| |---|---| |STP-001|Constitution| |STP-002|Management Rules| |STP-004|Code of Professional Conduct| |STP-005|Disciplinary Procedure| |STP-006|Technical Academy Management| |STP-007|Finance Management| |STP-008|Internal Audits| |STP-009|Membership procedure| |STP-010|Office & Administration| |STP-011|Management of STP Awards| |STP-012|Relations with Other Organisations| |STP-013|IT Management| |STP-014|Privacy Policy| |STP-015|Data Protection Procedure| **TAR** March **2012** 2 ## **Section C Objectives and activities** Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain organises lecturers, trainings, courses, workshops, seminars and conferences. Provides mentoring and coaching programs and a meeting forum for people **Summary of the objects of the** interested in engineering, construction and science subjects. **charity set out in its governing document** We confirm the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. ||Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain organises lecturers,
trainings, courses, workshops, seminars and conferences. Provides
mentoring and coaching programs and a meeting forum for people
interested in engineering, construction and science subjects.| |---|---| ||We confirm the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance
on public benefit.| |**Summary of the main**
**activities undertaken for the**
**public benefit in relation to**
**these objects (include within**
**this section the statutory**
**declaration that trustees have**
**had regard to the guidance**
**issued by the Charity**
**Commission on public**
**benefit)**|The Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain had a busy and
productive year in 2023. Here's a summary of their main activities
undertaken for the public benefit:
**Knowledge sharing and training:**
•
**Lectures and workshops:**The Association organized various
lectures and workshops on topics such as:
`o` Project management in the UK
`o` International labor markets
`o` Building construction technology free of limitations
`o` Architecture in the international market
`o` Mechanical design engineering in the international market
•
**Technical Academy:**They established a Technical Academy to
provide continuing education and knowledge sharing for Polish
engineers on the international market.
**Collaboration and Networking**
•
**Partnerships:**The Association signed cooperation agreements
with:
`o` Politechnika Śląska (Silesian University of Technology)
`o` Masovian District Chamber of Building Industry Engineers
`o` Society of Engineers in the UAE (United Arab Emirates)
•
**Visits:**They conducted visits to:
`o` University of Life Sciences in Warsaw (SGGW)
`o` University of Technology in Warsaw
`o` Ajman University, UAE
`o` Lublin University of Technology
•
**Conferences:**Participated in and supported conferences
including:
`o` World Engineering Day Celebration in Warsaw
`o` EFPSNT AGM and 25th Anniversary Celebration in Vienna
**Promoting Women in STEM**
•
**Report and seminar:**Published a report titled "Unleash the
Potential: Report on Polish Women Working in STEM in the UK"
and hosted a seminar featuring female immigrant STEM
professionals to raise awareness and support for women in these
fields.
**Professional Development and Mentorship**
•
**Webinars:**Hosted webinars on personal development topics like
work-life balance and routine optimization.
•
**Mentoring and coaching:**Provided opportunities for engineers to
connect, share experiences, and receive support.
**Community outreach**| **TAR** March **2012** 3 - **Workshops in Polish schools:** Organized workshops to engage young students and inspire them to pursue STEM fields. - **Christmas celebration:** Hosted a festive holiday gathering for members and supporters of the Association. - **Overall, the Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain had a significant positive impact on its members, the engineering community, and the promotion of the profession in 2023.** ## **Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)** You **may choose** to include further statements, where relevant, about: - policy on grantmaking; - policy programme related investment; - contribution made by volunteers. **TAR** March **2012** 4 ## Section D Achievements and performance |**Summary of the main**
**achievements of the charity**
**during the year**|•
**Expanded Knowledge Base:**Established the Technical Academy
and delivered numerous lectures and workshops. This
empowered Polish engineers with the skills and knowledge to
succeed in the international market, opening up new career
opportunities.
•
**Fostered International Collaboration:**Signed cooperation
agreements with prestigious institutions in Poland and the UAE.
These partnerships facilitated knowledge exchange, best practice
sharing, and potential cross-border projects, enriching the
engineering community on a global scale.
•
**Elevated Professional Standards:**Actively participated in
international technical conferences and celebrations. This
showcased the expertise of Polish engineers, raised their
professional profile, and contributed to the advancement of the
industry worldwide.
•
**Advocated for Women in STEM:**Published the "Unleash the
Potential" report and hosted related seminars. This initiative
highlighted the valuable contributions of women in STEM,
promoted gender equality, and inspired future female engineers.
•
**Cultivated Community and Professional Growth:**Hosted
webinars on personal development, provided mentoring
opportunities, and organized a community-building Christmas
celebration. These efforts fostered a sense of belonging,
promoted continuous learning, and supported the overall well-
being of engineers.
•
**Inspired the Next Generation:**Engaged with Polish schools
through workshops, sparking interest in STEM fields among
young students. This helped secure the future of engineering
innovation and ensured a pipeline of passionate professionals.| |---|---| **TAR** March **2012** 5 ## **Section E Financial review** **Brief statement of the** **charity’s policy on reserves** The Association is to maintain a reserve fund. The reserve fund is created in order to encounter risk of unforeseen emergency or other unexpected need for funds, e.g. an unexpected large repair bill or finding ‘seed-funding’ for an urgent project. The reserve fund is to be included in the planned budget and should equate to 3 months average expenditure but not less than £2000. **Details of any funds materially** There are none. **in deficit** ## **Further financial review details (Optional information)** You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant about: - the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising); - how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity; - investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted. **Section F Other optional information** ## **Section G Declaration** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** **Signature(s) Full name(s)** Marian Zastawny Miroslawa Michniewicz **Position (eg Secretary, Chair,** Secretary **etc)**[Chair ] **Date** 11/05/2024 **TAR** March **2012** 6 ## **ASSOCIATION OF POLISH ENGINEERS IN GREAT BRITAIN CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1181306** ## **INCOME STATEMENT** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** 01/01/2023 - 31/12/2023 |No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7|**INCOME**|| |---|---|---| ||Donations
2,226
£
Income from charitale activities/events
424
£
Membership fees
2,890
£
Training course fees
408
£
Other income
650
£
Interest
206
£
Funds transferred from Benev Fund charity no. 1002557
28,319
£|| |||**35,123**
**£**| |||| ||**EXPENSES**|| ||Admin expenses
41
£
Advertising and promotion
42
£
Bank & Paypal charges
45
£
Expenses for charitable activities/events
1,259
£
Computer - web hosting & server
280
£
Computer - Software
3,616
£
Contract services
Interest receivable
Project C4U - lecturers, speaches
63
£
Conference attendance cost reimbursement
Donations
105
£
Insurance
304
£
Membership fees
774
£
Micellaneous petty expenses
24
£
Rent for Venues / Training Admin costs
480
£
Small Tools and equipement
Telephone cost
Trainers/ Teachers fees
240
£
Training materials
Travel expenses - reimb
Other expenses|| |||**7,273**
**£**| |||| ||**Profit fot theyear**|**27,850**
**£**| ||**STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION**
**AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2022**
Openig balance
Profit for theyear|9,628
£
27,850
£| ||**Closing balance**|**37,478**
**£**| |||| ||**Cash at bank**|**37,478**
**£**| # **STOWARZYSZENIE TECHNIKÓW POLSKICH** W WIELKIEJ BRYTANII **ASSOCIATION OF POLISH ENGINEERS IN GREAT BRITAIN** # Internal Audit Report **for year: 2023-24** **Document Number: STP-008-R3-Final** ## **Document History** |**Rev.**|**Print Name**|**Position**|**Signature**|**Date**| |---|---|---|---|---| |**01**|**Author(s):**|||| |||||| |||||| ||Andrzej Formaniak|Internal Auditor||16.04.2024| ||Joanna Gos|Internal Auditor||16.04.2024| ||Anna Kopyto|Internal Auditor|_Anna Kopyto_|16.04.2024| ||Andrzej Rumun|Internal Auditor||16.04.2024| ||**Authorised by:**|||| |||||| |||||| ||Andrzej Rumun|Internal Audit Chair||16.04.2024| **238-246 King Street, London W6 0RF, United Kingdom web: www.stpuk.org, e-mail: office@stpuk.org Registered Charity No. 1181306** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ## **Revision Changes** |**Revision**|**Status / Description of Changes**| |---|---| |**01**|First draft| |**02**|Second draft| |**03**|Third draft - Final| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 2 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ## **Contents** |1.|Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4| |---|---| |2.|Audit Scope ..................................................................................................................................... 4| |3.|Approach taken ............................................................................................................................... 4| |4.|Audit findings and close out actions ............................................................................................... 6| |5.|Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 16| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 3 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ## 1. **Introduction** The Internal Audit Committee (IAC) was elected at the annual general meeting of STP on 03 April 2022. It consists of the following members: 1. Andrzej Rumun (AR) - chair 2. Andrzej Formaniak (AF) - member 3. Joanna Gos (JG) – member 4. Anna Kopyto (AK) - member ## 2. **Audit Scope** Table 1 below summarises the audit carried out by the IAC for STP activities in 2023-24. |**#**|**Scope**|**Audit details**|**Lead**
**person(s)**|**Planned**
**date**|**Comments**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |A|Management
System|Constitution, Byelaws,
completeness of Procedures and
compliance with them in, Council
meetings|AR|March
2024|Executed
in
March
2024| |B|Financial
accounts|Budget preparation & execution,
Expenses and Payments,
Adherence to the procedure STP-
007, Annual Statement of
Accounts completeness and
validation|JG|March
2024|Executed
in
March
2024| |C|STP Mission|Execution of activities carried out
towards STP aims: Technical
Academy, courses, seminars,
conferences, czwartek4U,
mentoring& coaching|AF & AK|March
2024|Executed
in
March
2024| |D|Administration|Correspondence: incoming and
outgoing register, MoM, register
of assets,internet website|AF, AK &
AR|March
2024|Executed
in
March
2024| |E|Issue of Internal
Audit Report|Summary of findings from the
specific area audits – see A-D
above|AR,
AF,
JG, AK|March
2024|Executed
in
April
2024| **Table 1 List of audits** ## 3. **Approach taken** Method of assessment: limited to online review of respective documents available via https: //portal.office.com and using MS Team platform created by STP. In all audited areas, listed in the Table 1 above as A – D, the following risks were considered: - Association carrying out activities which are not in line with the charitable objects defined in the Constitution of the Association - Risk of financial losses due to theft, fraud, bad decisions, human error, breaches of controls, management override of controls - Internal mismanagement by making decisions not in line with the approved Constitution and Byelaws - Reputational risks. **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 4 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ## The assessment was essentially carried out in two parts: **1.** The IAC has made reference to the Internal Audit Report dated 28.03.2023 and the recommendations made therein. The recommendations were as follows (where a recommendation is renewed it has been carried over from the previous Internal Audit Report a year earlier) : Renewed Recommendation 1: The Board must place governance at the core of its attention. Renewed Recommendation 2: The Board is urged to consider a scenario whereby MZ (or any other member of the Board) is not available to carry out the multitude of tasks which he currently does, and to restructure in such a way so as to make provision of continuity of service in the event of absence. The responsibility for duties within the Board must be clearly defined in order to see where there is an unreasonable imbalance and reliability upon individual Trustees. This balance must then be reconsidered to avoid delays in required actions. Renewed Recommendation 3: The remit of the Membership Committee needs to be clearly set out. If it is to be responsible for membership overall (as is recommended) it should propose a strategy for promoting membership of STP and seeking new members. It should be responsible for maintaining the membership roll, issuing (or in conjunction with the Treasurer) of proper invoices and thereafter chasing up the payment of membership fees. Renewed Recommendation 4: A succession plan and contingency plan are urgently required. Recommendation 5: Minutes of meetings should be issued as soon as possible after a given meeting and should contain action points. Recommendation 6: Focus on the UK membership and market should be the main priority for the activities and promotion of STP. Overseas communication and promotion is important, but will become irrelevant if the UK presence flounders. Renewed Recommendation 7: Make it clear on the https://www.stpuk.org how to access the recordings of all historically completed ‘czwartek 4You’ events. Renewed Recommendation 8: Complete the update of the website and ensure consistency between Polish and English versions. In addition to the above recommendations, the Conclusions set out in the previous report, were also reviewed in respect of what actions have been undertaken. The IAC asked the Chair of the Board, Marian Zastawny, to provide a commentary summing up what actions had been carried out in response to the above recommendations. These are to be found in the table below, together with the IAC’s follow up comments. **2.** The IAC has carried out an online review of management documents and council meeting minutes. ## Qualifying Statement This is an impartial and factual review. It does not set out to belittle the large amount of good will, time and work that Trustees have devoted to the Charity. Its aim however is to identify areas which are seen not to have been given the attention they require or have been overlooked, perhaps because attention was focussed on ongoing projects or elsewhere. **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 5 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ## 4. **Audit findings and close out actions** The colours for qualification of assessment results were used as follows: **Red – unacceptable** , for example, found breach of procedure, non-compliance, mismanagement, fraud, etc. **Orange – acceptable with review** , providing that recommended corrective actions are taken **Green – broadly acceptable** , even when some comments were made. The member(s) of the IAC tasked with review and collation of information on a particular area presented their observations to the other members for internal discussion and agreed conclusion. ||**#**|**Scope **|**Audit details**|**Audit details**|**Audit details**|**Audit details**|**Result**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||A|Management
System|Constitution, Byelaws, completeness of Procedures and
compliance with them in,Council meetings||||| ||B|Financial
accounts|Budget preparation & execution, Expenses and Payments,
Adherence to the procedure STP-007, Annual Statement of
Accounts completeness and validation||||| ||C|STP Mission|Execution of activities carried out towards STP aims: Technical
Academy, courses, seminars, conferences, czwartek4U,
mentoring& coaching||||| ||D|Administration|Correspondence: incoming and outgoing register, MoM
register of assets,internet website||||| ||||||||| |||||**Action by**|**Close**
**out**
**date**|**Comments & Recommendations**|| ||**Observations**||||||| ||||||||| ||**Constitution**||||||| |











|_STP response to recommendation 1:_
_Improving governance has been one of_
_the key activities of the current board. We_
_hope this can be achieved by defining roles_
_and teams, roles and KPI's which help us_
_understand how well we operate. Also,_
_each board meeting starts with strategic_
_review and outlook for future. These are_
_all_
_long_
_term_
_processes_
_and_
_will_
_unfortunately take time._
The Charity Commission (CC) provides
strict guidance on the responsibilities of
beinga Trustee.|||Board|Urgent|The response mainly relates with an
overlap
to
procedural
and
management matters and these are
commented
on
under
further
respective headings.
There is no record of the Board
providing the new Trustees who
joined
this
year
(or
existing
Trustees) with a copy of the CC
guide on being a Trustee).
A current series of free webinars is
beingrun bya Trustee who also|| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 6 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ||The STP Constitution at clause 6(c) & (d),
states:” No charity trustee or connected
person may (c): be employed by, or
receive any remuneration from, the CIO,
(d): receive any other financial benefit
from the CIO.
In collaboration with the STP Benevolent
Fund,
STP
has
taken
over
the
administration of the Fund albeit ring-
fencing the funds for the original purpose.
The Benevolent Fund has been wound up
on the condition that only individuals who
are not Trustees of STP may administer
the funds.
The minutes of the 2023 AGM state:
_“The management of S&BF funds will be_
_carried out by individuals who are_
_independent from the STP Council._
_A new clause will be added to the STP_
_Statute regarding a (this) new function._
_Changes to the existing statute will be put_
_to a vote in the upcoming year.”_|||invites the attendees to sign up for
a paid workshop run by the
Trustee’s own business. The same
Trustee
is
using
STP
and
Engineering Council logos for his
own courses.
This is a clear conflict of interest and
a breach of the rules and should be
ceased immediately. The courses
may be run either if they are
provided by STP alone and any fees
go to STP or if the person presenting
the course is not a trustee and is
employed by STO as a paid supplier.
**Renewed**
**and**
**expanded**
**Recommendation 1a: The Board**
**must ensure that all Trustees are**
**made**
**aware**
**of**
**the**
**CC**
**requirements and that actions**
**which breach the Constitution are**
**not**
**allowed,**
**as**
**well**
**as**
**maintaining governance at the**
**core of its attention.**
Whilst the funds from BF have now
been located in a separate bank
account, there is a question over
the
identity
of
the
persons
appointed
to
administer
this,
including that some (contrary to
what was agreed) are Trustees of
STP.
There is also no record of any
change having been made to the
Constitution in this respect
**Recommendation 1b: The Board**
**should ensure that this Fund is**
**administered independently and**
**with transparency, and that the**
**original purpose of the Benevolent**
**Fund is maintained.**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**Procedures/Management**|||| ||_STP response to recommendation 2:The_
_new teams (members, events,_
_communications) form independent units_
_and, in the long term should be internally_
_driven. This obviously requires leaders_
_who are able not only to deliver tasks but_
_also engage new team members. We_|Board|Urgent|Whilst the 2 documents have set
out descriptions and strategies
clearly, it would appear that the
process of putting the words into
actions has been slow in some cases
and missing in others.| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 7 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ||_made some steps towards this direction_
_but it will take time to implement._
At the beginning of his term of office, the
Chair issued a document headed ‘STP
Descriptions’. This is a comprehensive list
of the duties and tasks of members of
the Executive and the sub-committees
(or Teams) that are to undertake all that
is necessary in accordance with the
mission of the association. It is a very
well written document.
It is also worth noting that in August
2022, a document titled ‘Strategic Plan
for the period Sept. 2022 to Sept. 2025
was also prepared further to a workshop
in which members of the Board
participated. This is also a detailed a well
written document.|||There are a number of Board
members whose contribution is
‘unreported’ and once again, STP
appears to be driven by a limited
number of committed individuals.
This is a risk to the operation of the
charity.
**Renewed Recommendation 2: The**
**Board is urged to consider a**
**scenario whereby MZ (or any other**
**member of the Board) is not**
**available to carry out the multitude**
**of tasks which they currently**
**undertake, and to establish a plan**
**for provision of continuity of**
**service in the event of absence.**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||_STP response to recommendation 3:_
_Responding to this recommendation is the_
_key task for the Committee for 2024 and_
_has been set out as its KPI._
When asked about a record of what had
been discussed at the membership
committee meetings the IAC were
advised that there were no formal
minutes
and
that
outcomes
were
generally discussed at Board meetings.
There is no record of how many times the
Membership Committee actually met.|Board|Urgent|From what has been said at Board
meetings and on the basis of their
minutes, it appears that the only
activity by the membership
committee related to dealing with
applications for membership.
Despite this being a core issue
repeated for many years, it
appears that the committee has
not engaged in discussion on how
to pro-actively seek new members.
Item 4 of MZ’s descriptions states
that the role of the Membership
Committee is to “Develop and
execute initiatives to improve
member retention and
engagement”.
**Renewed Recommendation 3:**
**Whether it is the remit of the**
**Membership Committee or the**
**Board overall, actions need to be**
**taken to seek out new members.**
**This is not just about creating**
**events – it is about reaching out to**
**potential members in order to**
**engage with them.**| ||_STP response to recommendation 4:This_
_is on the backlog of activities. Current_
_priorities of the board is to establish the 3_|Board|Urgent|This follows on, as above, from the
lack of actions further to the| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 8 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ||_active teams who are able to_
_independently operate and deliver their_
_KPI's._|||production of the Job Descriptions
and Strategy documents.
This is a serious risk to the
operation of the charity
**Renewed Recommendation 4: A**
**succession plan and contingency**
**plan are urgently required**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**Council Meetings**|||| ||_STP response to recommendation 5:_
_Preparation of minutes from meetings_
_remains as a challenge and a balancing_
_act between involving all members of the_
_board and making sure that proper_
_documentation is maintained. Since most_
_urgent communications takes place on_
_WhatsApp group, the minutes are used_
_simply to record decisions made rather_
_then as action plans._
The Charity Commission and Constitution
are clear about the need to keep
(adequate) records of meetings and the
distinction between decisions and action
plans in the response above is rather
tenuous.|Board|Urgent|A review of the minutes displays a
considerable variety of quality and
accuracy, ranging from very good to
those which do not convey what is
required (or in two cases, were
missing). The system of recording
the attendees has not been utilised
in a number of cases.
The IAC considers that the purpose
of minutes is to record what was
discussed and decided, and to act as
a basis for actions to be taken,
before the next meeting. In all
cases, the minutes were made
available just before the next
meeting, precluding this purpose.
**Renewed**
**and**
**expanded**
**Recommendation 5:** **Minutes of**
**meetings should be issued as soon**
**as possible after a given meeting**
**and should contain action points.**
**The Secretary should: ‘encourage’**
**all minute takers to produce their**
**minutes as soon as possible (within**
**10days?); check the minutes for**
**completeness and issue to all**
**recipients.**
Meetings are run efficiently but
generally with input from only a
limited number of participants. All
Board
members
should
be
encouraged to actively participate
and the discussion should be
focused on UK activity first and
foremost.| ||**Financial Records**|||| ||The Internal Audit Commission has been
broadly provided with the information|Treasurer|Urgent|The 2023 budget was planned with
a deficit of over £1200, it ended up| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 9 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** and documents requested in the course of this year’s audit work. The IAC notes that the financial documentation has been accepted by the Charity Commission and appears to show the Association’s financial condition in good health, albeit with an ongoing issue of deficit. Among the accounts in the possession of the Association are those dedicated to Technical Academy and the former Benevolent Fund. The Treasurer has been presenting monthly reports to the Board on time and small-scale document keeping appears to be tidily made and stored. There are however some issues with the annual budget, including minor inconsistencies, typos, and the limited clarity of the format, among others. with a significantly smaller deficit of about £470. While it is an improvement on the plan, running year-on-year deficits, as has been the case, is not sustainable. Admittedly, there has been a oneoff expense in the IT department, addressing the issue of the Association’s over-reliance on certain members, repeatedly pointed out by the IAC in the past. The automation of a number of actions has come at a financial cost, yet to be covered in its totality by the Association’s income. Gift Aid, calculated to be worth in the region of £1000, remains to be claimed by the Treasurer. While the IAC acknowledges that this requires a significant amount of work and can be claimed up to 4 years back, it would be ideal if all the budget for any given year is taken care of within its dates. In both budgets, 2023 and 2024, the annual income from individual membership fees has exceeded the planned amounts. Institutional membership was not planned for in 2023 but this has been rectified for the 2024 budget. The whole of the IAC have expressed some concern regarding the funds from the former Sickness and Benevolent Fund. In spite of a low level of clarity in this particular matter in the annual budget document, the IAC has confirmed with the Treasurer that these funds are kept separately ( acc. ending 1343) , in an account with an interest so there is a small amount of income. The funds of the former SABF are to be managed by Support Fund Management, Doc. No. STP016 rev. 1.0*. It explains the group of officials who manage it (current chair, former chairs and Treasurer) as well as how it is to be spent. **Note** **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 10 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** |**that this is at odds with the**|**that this is at odds with the**| |---|---| |**decision of the 2023 AGM – ref**|| |**Recommendation**
**1b.**
The|| |Treasurer has informed that the|| |Fund
Management
Committee|| |currently exceeds the minimum|| |number of 5 members and includes|| |the|following: Andrzej Formaniak,| |Kris|
Ruszczynski,
Piotr
Dudek,| |Marian Zastawny, Piotr Swieboda,|| |and|Anna Kopyto. It is unclear who| |is the Chair of this Committee or|| |whether there have been any|| |meetings in the passing year.|| |**New Recommendation 9:**|| |**9.1**|**Review the budget document**| ||**format to reflect the**| ||**following:**| ||**a) Reviewing the design of**| ||**the annual budget**| ||**document to improve its**| ||**readability, especially**| ||**when printed / viewed**| ||**outside of spreadsheet**| ||**software;**| ||**b) Removal of the items no**| ||**longer relevant;**| ||**c) Adding specific /regular**| ||**items (e.g. funding from**| ||**the Embassy, annual fees**| ||**or any sales of the**| ||**Association’s property);**| ||**d) Dividing the overall**| ||**Association’s budget into**| ||**sub-sections, reflecting the**| ||**main Association’s**| ||**activities as well as those**| ||**of the Tech Academy and**| ||**the former Sickness and**| ||**Benevolent Fund;**| ||**e) Linking dedicated funds**| ||**(e.g. grants) to their**| ||**dedicated expenditures;**| ||**f) Before each AGM,**| ||**compiling and publishing**| ||**annual statements for**| ||**each Association’s**| ||**account; this is so that not**| ||**only the Internal Audit**| ||**Committee, but also the**| ||**members can assess the**| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 11 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** |||||**Association’s financial**
**management in time for**
**voting.**
**9.2 Exercise greater care to avoid**
**inconsistencies, typos etc.**
**(crosschecking /proofreading).**
**9.3 Claim Gift Aid annually, in**
**order to reflect true balance of**
**the Association’s overall**
**budget.**
**9.4 Review the Support Fund**
**Management document for**
**consistency (e.g. the**
**document governs Support**
**Fund, while its 5.2 mentions a**
**development fund).**
**9.5 Clarify and publish the current**
**status of the Support Fund**
**Committee, its actions,**
**present members and Chair.**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**STP Mission/ Administration**|||| ||_STP response to recommendation 6: This_
_has been acknowledged and actions to_
_grow UK members base have been_
_implemented_.
Spreading news about STP aims/mission
was carried in several different ways.
Czwartek4U sessions meetings were
conducted at POSK, each marked by
exceptionally high-quality presentations
and met with enthusiasm sparking lively
discussions. Both in-person attendance,
with over 20 participants, and online
participation were notably strong.
Although the idea of establishing a
podcast channel has been temporarily
abandoned, there has been a noticeable
uptake in STP's presence on social media
platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
A substantial amount of new content is
being generated regularly, including posts
highlighting collaborations with other
organisations, brief blog entries, Polish
Your Engineering English posts, and
updates to the event calendar, along with
visible promotion of upcoming events.
Currently, STP has 543 followers on
LinkedIn, with 117 new followers gained in
thepastyear,and 1150 followers on|Board|ASAP|It is unclear what actions (other
than the organisation of events) to
grow UK member numbers have
been implemented. Please refer
also to Rec. 3.
Regrettably only 3 C4U meetings
took place, an improvement on the
previous year, but still considered a
much
underused
channel
of
promoting and delivering STP’s
mission.
These platforms serve as a valuable
space for promoting STP meetings,
idea
exchange,
and
sharing
experiences
in
the
field
of
engineering,
construction
and
science. The idea of promoting STP
via podcasts is worth re-considering
as the new website could provide
an attractive platform.
The IAC recognises the significance
of maintaining active social media
pages and a website for promoting
any organisation and commends
the efforts invested in this regard.| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 12 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** Facebook, representing an increase of approximately 150 followers since the previous year. The new GlueUp software serves not only as a database and for automating membership management and invoicing processes, but also as a platform where members can connect as a community. It is noted that Technical Academy was revived, and a number of new courses was established for Polish engineers looking for employment in UK. These were mainly aimed at familiarisation with approach to project organisation as well as familiarisation with codes of practice. Multiple webinars have been run by the same presenter on the subject of Project Management and personal improvement. Despite numerate attendance, there has been very little feedback from participants. The IAC considers that whilst the webinars are presented in an interesting manner, the content is relatively superficial (leading to paid courses – refer to Rec 1). This ‘air time’ should be shared with presentations by other speakers giving a larger variety of subject matter. (The webinars can after all be viewed on YouTube?). Through the continued and increased effort of TB, the Vice Chair further courses have been run in the Middle East. The idea of cooperation with the Society of Engineers in United Arab Emirates for the purpose of inviting Polish Engineers to explore the opportunities of working abroad is noted, but benefits for STPUK arising from this initiative so far are limited. A substantial investment of resources and effort was allocated to the logo update and rebranding of Technical Academy in 2020/2021, but it appears that the work has been neglected and is not being utilised, despite its quality. A continued number of mentors have offered their time, but the performance of this initiative has not been evaluated. Information about the availability of the mentoring programme is on the STP website, but as noted elsewhere it has only been partially uploaded from the previous website. With regard to incoming correspondence, there is none registered for the whole period which is considered unusual. TB should be commended on her enthusiasm and energy, but the IAC would like to see similar effort for UK based promotion of STP and opportunities (both here and worldwide) as a priority. STP should be wary of over -egging its global capabilities. The use of STP resources should be carefully planned and utilised on projects which are taken through to completion. Feedback on the number of approaches to mentors and the success of the initiative should be collated for information purposes. **Renewed Recommendation 6: Focus on the UK membership and market should be the main priority for the activities and promotion of STP. Overseas communication and promotion is important, but will** **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 13 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ||There seems to be a lack of updates on the
STP assets register.|||**become irrelevant if the UK**
**presence flounders.**
**New Recommendation 7:** **The STP**
**asset register should be updated.**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||_STP response to recommendation 7: This_
_is a strategic decision for the events team_
_to make, and currently on the team_
_backlog_.
This response appears not to take into
account what the IAC have observed?|||The new STP website now features
a YouTube icon in the top right
corner for convenient access to all
STP videos.
**The Recommendation has been**
**discharged.**| ||_STP response to recommendation 8:_
_Current version is 99% English, with_
_occasional posts in Polish_.
In 2021, an extensive translation
exercise was undertaken providing a
full and up to date version of the
material forming STP website. Users of
the website had the choice of selecting
either the English or Polish version.
A new website was launched this yearbut
it appears that this new website is only
in English and a review of the
individual sections and drop down
menus
highlights
a
number
of
shortcomings:
**ABOUT US**
Mission.
This still refers to the STP
Benevolent Fund and has
a very out date photo of a
number of committee
members.
People.
Exec Committee – only 4
members have the start of
their descriptions (but
these do dot expand).
Remaining members have
no description.|Board|ASAP|Whilst the format of the new
website presents itself well, the
content is significantly incomplete
or out of date.
It is most surprising that the
website was launched prematurely
rather than on completion of a full
update.
It is fortunate that the Archive
provides a link to the previous
website, but most users will not
know to look here.
The minutes do not record a
discussion as to the language of the
new website and a reason for
removing the Polish version is
unknown, bearing in mind that STP
has a presence in Poland?
**Renewed Recommendation 8: The**
**new website should be completed**
**and updated as a matter of**
**urgency.**| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 14 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ||R Chmielowiec is listed as| |---|---| ||the STP Benevolent Fund| ||Chair| |Audit Committee. Whilst new|| ||members have been| ||added, previous ex-| ||members have not been| ||removed.| |Benevolent|Fund. This still lists 5| ||previous members.| |**WHAT WE DO**|| |C4U|this refers to lectures in| ||2021.| |Mentors|this currently shows only| ||Baginski, Bilinska & Dudek.| ||The details of the| ||remaining 15 mentors (as| ||per the previous website)| ||have not been uploaded.| |**ENGINEER’S TOOLKIT**|| |Professional Development, Moving to|| ||the UK (for engineers from| ||Poland) and FAQ’s are all| ||pages
‘Under| ||Construction’| |Blog|Under the heading of| ||Latest News is a blog| ||‘Adapting
to
New| ||Challenges: A Renewed| ||Vision for the Association| ||of Polish Engineers in| ||Great Britain’ by MZ.| |**NEWS & EVENTS**|| |News|This contains links to blogs| ||over the period March| ||2020 to the current date.| |Events|At the time of review this| ||lists 2 forthcoming events.| **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 15 of 16** **STP-008-R3 Final** **Internal Audit Report** ## 5. **Conclusions** The IAC commends the Executive Committee for its energy and enterprise, but strongly encourages it to delegate to all other Trustees creating a strong and active Board, capable of covering all eventualities in the event of any absences. The IAC is disappointed that a significant number of its recommendations (some of which are now renewed **for a fourth time** ), were not addressed at all. As advised in previous years, it has been observed that in terms of administrative function there are real shortcomings, and these are considered to be a risk to the CIO. The IAC includes 2 out if its 4 members, who also undertook the audit in the previous 3 years, and therefore have a means of comparison of activities over this period, including the Covid-19 pandemic. The IAC has issued renewed and expanded a number of recommendations which are detailed in Table 3 and urges the Board to consider and act upon these without delay, prioritising those dealing with conflict of interest, fulfilling its mission and the reliance upon individual Trustees without a contingency or succession plan. The matter of Trustees receiving a benefit from the charity must be dealt with forthwith. The IAC is obliged to point out to the Board and the AGM that the actions taken by those who are currently associated with the funds transferred from the original S&BF are contrary to the decision taken by the AGM in 2023, which clearly states “ _The management of S&BF funds will be carried out by individuals who are independent from the STP Council”._ The management document which was created this year appears not to have been published to the membership and was agreed on the basis of self-governance by the individuals listed within the document. Its contents is also considered to be subject to interpretation as to what the funds can be used for. This goes against the intent of the original S&BF. IF, these funds are to be managed in the way that has now been suggested, then this should be approved by the AGM or EGM. A code Orange was issued on all points in 2020/21, 2021/22 and also in 2022/23. This year, the IAC has issued the same code Orange but with a red border in relation to the matters of Trustees benefits and the Benevolent Fund. The IAC recognises that the shortcomings may not be wilful, but if it is to be seen as a credible and ethical charitable organisation, the Association must adhere to Charity Commission rules, its own Constitution and the decisions of the AGM. In Charity law, the absence of intention is not a defence and all Trustees are recommended to read the Constitution and the Charity Commission’s guide to the responsibilities of Trustees. The IAC is happy to work with the Board in order to further highlight the areas of particular issue and to assist in their resolution. **Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain** **Page 16 of 16**