PROFESSION WATCH
POST-BREXIT PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER RECOGNITION
The Engineering Council has been analysing the professional status of engineers across Europe following Brexit, both in the event of no deal being reached as well as if a deal is forthcoming.
EU WITH NO DEAL If there is no agreement between the UK and EU before 29 March, a new Statutory Instrument on the recognition of professional qualifications will immediately come into effect. This will replace the current UK
legislation to implement the EU Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualification Directive (MQRP) and ensure that the framework for the recognition of professional qualifications continues to work effectively for EU engineers who wish to be recognised in the UK. There would be no reciprocal
recognition of professional titles for outbound UK engineers and recognition would be subject to the rules of each EU27 nation. The implementation of the Statutory
Instrument may result in some administrative changes for professional engineering institutions (PEIs) but should not affect individual registrants.
WOMEN’S ENGINEERING SOCIETY CENTENARY
Formed in 1919, the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) began at a time when equal rights had just been formalised in an Act of Parliament. During the early years when the male workforce was depleted by war, a group of well-connected members of the National Council of Women set out to support the ambitions of women wanting to enter the engineering profession. A century on and although the world is
more enlightened, there is still a significant gender imbalance in the profession and the work of the WES is as important as ever. To mark the anniversary, the WES is
celebrating and commemorating women engineers of the past century. This is being achieved with the help of National Lottery funding to the tune of over £60,000.
The society is creating the WES
Centenary Trail, which aims to create an interactive online map recording and sharing with the public the history of WES and its members. This will be shared through local events, displays, Wikipedia and social media. Family audiences will be engaged through a Lottie Doll tour of the WES Centenary Trail, aimed at encouraging families to think of engineering and its heritage as subjects just as interesting for girls as they are for boys. Elizabeth Donnelly, CEO of the Women’s
LEAVING THE EU WITH A DEAL If an agreement between the UK and EU deal is reached, the current framework for recognition of professional qualifications would remain in place until December 2020. Under the Withdrawal Agreement, the
EU27 would be obliged to ensure UK nationals who are resident or working in the EU will continue to have their professional registration recognised. Engineers who already hold European
Eur Ing or Int PE titles will be unaffected, regardless of whether a deal is reached or not.
IRISH AGREEMENT Engineers Ireland (the registration body for engineers on the island of Ireland) and the Engineering Council have reached an agreement enabling the mobility of engineering professionals between the UK and Ireland. The agreement ensures the continuation
of the existing recognition of professional competence for UK engineers working in Ireland and vice versa post-Brexit. The Admissions Pathways Agreement
(APA) aims to minimise duplication of assessment processes for all professional titles awarded by both authorities,
supporting professional mobility and maintaining public confidence in the quality of professional competence in both jurisdictions. To support this, registrants of both the
Engineering Council and Engineers Ireland are required to demonstrate they are maintaining and developing their professional competence through a process of continuing professional development (CPD). Alasdair Coates, chief executive officer of
the Engineering Council, said: “Mutual recognition of professional registration between the UK and Ireland is important, and this agreement provides reassurance to registrants that recognition of their professional competence will continue. “Engineering is a global profession and
the aim of the Engineering Council’s international activity is to ensure that our standards are globally recognised and facilitate the international mobility of engineering professionals.”
❱❱ To view the Statutory Instrument scan the QR code or visit
https://goo.gl/xqBBUp
❱❱ The WES celebrates a century of representing women in the engineering profession
Engineering Society, says the WES has a fascinating history and the achievement of women engineers, past and present, needs to be shared and celebrated. “Recent research indicates that even
today, only a quarter of 16-19 year old girls say they would ever consider a career in engineering,” she says.” We hope that by showing some of the fascinating lives and careers led by WES members over the past century that we can encourage more families to think of engineering as a suitable career for their daughters.”
March 2019 /// Testing & Test Houses /// 37
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