International Accords
Washington Accord
Involvement in international educational standards
Since 1965, Engineers Australia has undertaken an accreditation program for university programs and courses. Every engineering school in Australia is reviewed on a five-yearly cycle and accreditation of each degree program is confirmed or withheld, as appropriate, and developmental advice is offered.
Engineers Australia looks upon accreditation as a community of interest between the profession and its educators, and is acutely conscious of the importance of international benchmarking. Australian engineering degrees are internationally benchmarked through the Washington Accord.
The Accord:
- Recognises the substantial equivalency of accreditation systems of signatory organisations and the engineering education programs accredited by them, and
- Establishes that graduates of programs accredited by the accreditation organisations of each member nation are prepared to practise engineering at the entry level.
More information including current members of the Washington Accord can be obtained from the Washington Accord website, www.washingtonaccord.org
Sydney Accord
The Sydney Accord was signed in 2001 and provides joint recognition of academic programs accredited at Engineering Technologists level. It operates in a similar way to the Washington Accord, which is relevant only to Professional Engineers.
More information including current members of the Sydney Accord can be found at: www.ieagreements.com/sydney
Engineers Mobility Forum / Engineering Technologist Mobility Forum
The Engineers Mobility Forum Agreement was signed by engineering institutions from Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, and Korea. Its purpose is to enable progress towards removing artificial barriers to the free movement of professional engineers among countries, while ensuring that qualifications are met.
Signatories have agreed to establish and maintain an EMF International Register of Professional Engineers as a basis for consultation within their respective constituencies. For a list of the signatories to this agreement please see the International Engineering Alliance website at: http://www.ieagreements.com/APEC/signatories.cfm.
The EMF International Register of Professional Engineers signatories aim to facilitate cross-border practice by experienced professional engineers by establishing a framework for their recognition, based on confidence in the integrity of national assessment systems. Each signatory will maintain its own register and will share information with other signatories.
The minimum standards for acceptance into the EMF Registry are:
- To reach an overall level of academic achievement that is "Substantially Equivalent" to that of a graduate holding an engineering degree, accredited by an organization holding full membership in and acting in accordance with the terms of the Washington Accord:
- To gain a minimum of seven years practical experience since graduation,
- To spend at least two years in responsible charge of significant engineering work,
- To gain assessment within registrant's own jurisdiction as eligible for independent practice,
- To maintain continuing professional development (CPD) at a satisfactory level, and
- Be bound by the codes of professional conduct.
Acceptance to the EMF International Register does not exempt one from licensure or registration in a Host Economy, nor does it exempt one from supplemental assessment processes required by a Host Economy.
The Engineering Technologist Mobility Forum Agreement was signed by participating economies in 2003. It operates along the same lines as the EMF, focusing on Engineering Technologists.
More information on the EMF can be found at: www.ieagreements.com
