The 2019 edition of the International Engineering Alliance Meetings (IEAM 2019) was hosted in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) at the Crowne Plaza, Hong Kong Kowloon East from 9 to 14 June 2019.
The International Engineering Alliance (IEA) is a global not-for-profit organisation, which comprises members from 37 jurisdictions within 28 countries / regions, across seven international accords and agreements. These international agreements govern the recognition of engineering educational qualifications and professional competence.
Through the Educational Accords and Competence Agreements, members of the International Engineering Alliance establish and enforce internationally bench-marked standards for engineering education and expected competence for engineering practice.
WFEO has a key strategic objective to build capacity for the number and quality of engineers to advance the goals of sustainable development. WFEO has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IEA and other international engineering organisations involved in engineering education including the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), the International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE), a UNESCO Category 2 Centre, based at Tsinghua University and the International Network for Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES).
In June 2019, WFEO and IEA collaborated to organise two workshops that discussed international engineering education standards and the need for capacity building. The workshop was attended by Dr. Peggy Oti-Boateng, Director Capacity Building Section, Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO, WFEO key partners and our continental members for Africa and Asia Pacific.
We appreciated the presence of:
- Dr Marlene Kanga, WFEO President and Prof. Gong Ke, WFEO President Elect
- Prof. David Holger, Chair IEA Governing Group
- Prof. Damien Owens, Chair Elect IEA Governing Group and president ENAEE (Europe)
- Prof. Elizabeth Taylor, Deputy Chair Washington Accord, IEA
- Er. Tan Seng Chuan, Chair APEC Engineers, IEA, WFEO Executive Board member
- Prof. Yashin Brijmohan, Chair WFEO Committee for Engineering Capacity Building
- Eng. Martin Manuhwa, President, Federation of African Engineering Organisations, FAEO, international member of WFEO
- Dr. John Li, President Federation of Engineering Institutions in Asia and Pacific, FEIAP, international member of FAEO
- Prof. Wi Qidi, Director, International Centre for Engineering Education ICEE
- Dr. Mike Milligan, CEO, ABET (USA), representing International Federation of Engineering Education Societies, IFEES
The workshops discussed the need for global engineering education standard that reflects the development of new technologies and engineering disciplines and includes contemporary values such as sustainable development and ethics. There is a need for a recognised global standard for engineering education under the auspices of the UNESCO, WFEO and IEA which will facilitate mutual recognition of qualifications and the mobility of engineers.
The workshops discussed the need to extend the global reach of the IEA Agreements and Accords through capacity building efforts that support the development of a range of engineering education systems, appropriate to each country, to comply with agreed standards and the development of strong institutions for accreditation of engineering education and the development of professional engineering institutions to support engineers’ education and recognition of professional credentials.
The workshops also discussed the current issues and agreed to work together to progress them further in the coming years.
For more information:
IEAM 2019 Website
International Engineering Alliance (IEA) Website
Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) Website
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