I have had the privilege of visiting five of our six overseas chapters this year – Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE and Qatar. At each of these locations, I spent time with the committees to discuss their current challenges and successes and to see how, as an organisation, Engineers Australia can better service our international members and support you as your global professional home for life.
I also met with Australian government representatives and senior industry professionals in each country. The aim of these meetings was to discuss ways Engineers Australia can add value to these key stakeholders’ objectives as the trusted voice of the profession.
An example of this is the large number of Australian higher education institutions that offer Engineers Australia-accredited engineering courses in Malaysia and the role that we can play in providing international industry connections, professional development opportunities and mentoring to these students. This is an important priority for the Australian government and we are committed to working with them to meet their objectives of supporting international students, both in Australia and off-shore.
I’m pleased that I was able to take learnings away from each these meetings and as such, have committed to the following, which we aim to deliver via our International business unit in partnership with the overseas chapter committees:
- The aforementioned support for international students in Australia and at off-shore campuses
- Strengthening recognition of our Chartered credential worldwide to provide greater mobility for Australian engineers via our relationships with sister institutions, the maintenance of our Mutual Recognition Agreements and international engineering registers
- Better quality professional development for international members, including online options and via industry partnerships at selected locations
- Stronger relationships with Australian government representatives, to help facilitate trade, investment and business opportunities for Australia-affiliated engineers around the world
As always, we welcome feedback on how we can better support you wherever you are in the world. If you would like to be involved in your local Engineers Australia group or provide comment on our current activities, please email Phoebe Tan, International Manager at [email protected].
With best wishes,
Stephen Durkin
FIEAust CPEng EngExec
Chief Executive Officer
Engineers Australia