International accreditation, regulatory and educational bodies develop statements on graduate attributes and professional competency profiles. The International Engineering Alliance, which administers the Washington Agreement for Engineering, the Sydney Agreement for Engineering Technology (4 years) and the Dublin Agreement for Engineering Technology (2 years), has produced a document detailing the context of these statements, their purpose, methodology and limitations; and describes graduate attributes and professional competency profiles of engineers and engineering technologists. Engineers Australia`s Chartered Professional Engineers are automatically added to the APEC Register of Engineers as soon as they meet the following criteria: Engineers Canada is a bilateral mutual recognition agreement (MRA) between Engineers Canada and ABET. These are accredited engineering programs in Canada and the United States. Bilateral Engineers Canada MRA helps determine whether engineering programs in Canada or the United States are recognized for the purposes of licensing and enrolling, employment or admission to graduate studies in the other country. The Seoul Agreement is a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) that refers to computer and computer programs that have been accredited by its signatories in their area of responsibility since 2008. Signatories to the Seoul Agreement are organizations responsible for the accreditation of computer and computer programs in Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. Licensing and registration authorities in the United States and Canada make the final decision on the recognition of an individual`s credentials for licensing and registration purposes. With the exception of providing documentation that an individual has completed an ABET-accredited program, we cannot advocate or intervene on behalf of individuals who wish to have their credentials recognized by licensing and registration bodies in Canada. These two multinational agreements recognise the “substantial equivalence” of professional competence in engineering and aim to help streamline the verification of professional qualifications of engineers wishing to practise in another Member State. Each signatory shall maintain a national register of engineers who meet the international standard of professional competence. Most national registries are online and can be easily searched.
The International Agreement on Professional Engineers operates under the same standards of competence as the APEC Agreement on Engineers, but any country/economy can join. The parties to the agreement are largely engineering organizations. Benefit from global recognition and world-class engineering networks. Engineers Canada is the Canadian signatory to several professional engineering agreements that facilitate mobility by improving the ability of Canadian engineers to work abroad and the international engineering license in Canada. These agreements aim to protect the public and maintain the reputation of the engineering profession through effective regulation and rapid approval among participating countries. The mutual recognition of accreditation systems worldwide supports our mission to improve technical education worldwide and promote student and graduate mobility. EA`s relationships with developing countries (especially given our location in the Asia-Pacific region) have also allowed us to give back to the profession by mentoring these countries to become signatories to various multilateral agreements. As more and more countries participate in these agreements, our members will eventually be offered greater mobility options, which is a significant benefit to members. Note: As a condition under the agreement, formal academic qualifications must be acceptable for both positions in accordance with the Washington, Sydney or Dublin agreements. If academic qualifications are unacceptable under this Agreement, the applicant may be required to submit a competency assessment report for assessment. Engineers Australia currently has mutual recognition agreements in place with the engineering associations listed below. The other four agreements concern the recognition of equivalence at the level of practising engineers between the countries party to the agreement.
The APEC Register of Engineers enables cross-border mobility of professional engineers in the APEC region and recognizes important standards of professional engineering competence in these countries. Engineers Canada is a signatory to two multinational agreements: Engineers Australia has mutual recognition agreements with institutions around the world, through which a member of such an organization can apply for equivalent membership in Engineers Australia and vice versa. In some cases, agreements cover more than one level of membership and an occupational group. MrAs are intended to provide engineers licensed in these positions with an equivalent level of licensing in Canada and vice versa. Engineers Canada is not a licensing body – our role is to do our best to promote the ratification of the Agreement by the twelve Canadian technical regulatory bodies in accordance with the ratification and implementation clauses. Most existing trade agreements negotiated by governments cover general areas of economic cooperation, including trade in goods and services. .