Mutual recognition of European engineering qualifications: the present situation

Engineers are good at building, and are practical people. Both of these qualities have resulted in the emergence of organisational structures involving the profession that tackle the question of mutual recognition of qualifications across the European Union and beyond. Unfortunately, the aspiration of full mutual recognition challenges three very deep facets of our societies, and it is therefore not surprising that progress, although encouraging in comparison with that in other professions, is still modest. These three “points of resistance” are: the educational traditions within each society; the traditions of access to professional practice-what might be called “access standards”; and the regulatory arrangements (generally of governments) established to protect public safety. In addition to intergovernmental measures, representatives of national engineers´ organisations have made important progress in this area. Two significant bodies of exist from the UK point of view, the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) and the European Higher Engineering and Technical Professionals Association (EurEta). The work of these two organisations as it affects the UK are discussed