Global opportunities for engineers
Britain has always had the reputation of having a natural genius for engineering. And it's not just here in the UK that British engineers are valued. Professional engineers are recognised throughout the world and provide their expertise and knowledge wherever it is required - it' s the perfect ticket to travel the world and experience other cultures.
Engineers of all disciplines have always been drawn to working overseas, especially because of the strong international interests of UK enterprises and professional engineering institutions.
Engineers working abroad can be involved in many things such as large-scale civil or major telecommunications projects for foreign governments.
The international opportunities (and financial rewards) for engineers are vast, whether as part of a powerful team from a large multinational company or as an individual consultant making the best use of mobility in the international marketplace.
Many engineers spend a period of their careers in other countries to extend their awareness and understanding of other techniques and approaches, and then return to strengthen the pool of technical expertise in the UK.
International mobility
Although there is widespread interchange of engineers between countries, there can be some problems. For historical reasons, each legislative authority national in most countries; state and provincial in the United States and Canada respectively -has developed its own regulations designed to ensure the competence of those entitled to key technical roles in manufacturing, installation and construction.
Although such regulations on the formation, registration and sometimes even licensing to practice (in the USA and Canada, for example) of engineers and technicians are generally sensible and appropriate, they are also often different between legal jurisdictions. It can occur that an engineer who has completed valid initial professional development in one country cannot, without passing additional tests, practise fully in another. This may be a particular problem for individual consultant engineers, technicians and engineers in smaller companies.
The international work of the Engineering Council is focused particularly on the reduction (ultimately, removal) of such barriers for British engineers and technicians. As well as reducing barriers the aim is to add an additional dimension of prestige by achieving supranational recognition of engineers.
European activity
With the completion of the single European market at the end of 1992, the European Union became the largest trading bloc in the world. Since then it has been further enlarged by the entry of Austria, Finland and Sweden, bringing its market base to a total of over 370 million people; about the same size as the United States and Japan combined.
More than half of UK exports now go to the other member states of the European Union and there is a concomitant need for a free exchange of professional services, including the practice of engineering. The General Systems Directives on the mutual recognition of professionals between EU member states provide a legal framework to tackle barriers arising from restrictive practices in member states.
These initiatives have produced two engineering federations, FEANI and EurEta, each of which holds an international register on which there are the relevant categories of engineers and technicians. Admission to the FEANI Register of European Engineers currently requires a total of seven years of initial professional development, at least three of which must be in full time education, and at least two of which must be validated experience.
Within EurEta the requirements are being extended to incorporate standards based on the competencies needed for the jobs such engineers are carrying out. The introduction of new criteria for the formation of engineers in the UK and a revision of the FEANI requirements, has resulted in closer alignment of the two systems.
In addition, the UK Engineering Council has an agreement with the engineering organisations of France and Italy to mutually recognise at least some categories of registered engineers. This is particularly important in the case of Italy where the right to practise as an engineer is legally restricted.
Activity - the rest of the world
For many years, transfer of Chartered Engineers between the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada, the USA, Ireland and South Africa has been eased by the Washington Accord, which provides for mutual recognition of accredited degree-level courses. A similar agreement, the Sydney Accord, which covers technologist qualifications, has recently been signed. Also recently concluded is an agreement on mutual recognition between the Pacific Rim countries (APEC Engineer) and an agreement between the Washington Accord countries and others, which set up an International Register of Engineers. The latest move in the field has been an agreement between the USA and the EU to explore ways of setting up a legal framework for mutual recognition of professionals between the two economic blocs. Engineers have been included in the first tranche to be considered.
The future
With the growth of a global economy there will be an increasing need for engineers to move, even if only on a short-term posting, between countries. There is therefore a need for employers and regulators to understand the routes to formation adopted by various countries, and to set up systems which mutually recognise professional qualifications. One outcome of this will be that formal registration as an engineer, for example, as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) on the Engineering Council Register, will be increasingly important.
Copyright Dr Jim Birch, 2002, Engineering & Technology, Inside Careers
Dr Jim Birch CEng FIBF is a metallurgist by training and a foundry man by profession. Following a period as Secretary of a Trade Association he is now at the Engineering Council where, among other duties, he has responsibility for its International Programme.
