| Dublin Accord 2002 |
|
Overview: The Dublin Accord is an agreement for the international recognition of engineering technician qualifications.
In May of 2002, four professional organizations agreed to recognize those qualifications underpinning the granting of Engineering Technician titles in their four counties. The procedures of the Dublin Accord will be essentially the same as those of the Washington and Sydney Accords.
Signatories: These national engineering organizations of the UK, Canada, South Africa, and Ireland were the original signers:
- The Engineering Council of the United Kingdom (ECUK)
- The Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT)
- The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA)
- The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (IEI)
More recently, two more countries, having acquired provisional membership, are working towards signatory status: New Zealand and the United States.
Mission, Goals, and Achievements: This accord aims at providing engineering technologist with some the the beneficial outcomes provided by the series of accords for engineering education, such as the Washington and Sidney Accords. A key aim is to increase international interest in mutual recognition initiatives for engineering technologists so that the same benefits of the other accords-such as professional recognition and mobility-can be achieved at the technologist level as well. The Dublin Accord is fostering the concept that for academic recognition, an accreditation system which remains independent of the institutions being accredited is essential. Critical issues-professional competency, accountability, benchmarked standards, quality assurance, and risk management-must be addressed; if not, then "such agreements will not get off the starting blocks, and mobility will remain a dream" (Alec J. Hay, 2003; see below).
Significant Web Sites:
- A concise article on the international mutual recognition of multiple levels of the engineering team: http://www.une.edu.au/sat/chemp/arms/Report/BD24Hay.pdf
- The Engineering Council of the United Kingdom (ECUK): http://www.engc.org.uk/
- The Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT): http://www.cctt.ca/landing_4.asp
- The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA): http://www.ecsa.co.za/
- The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (IEI): http://www.engineersireland.ie/Accred/Accred.pasp?menuid=6
- For the formal Dublin Accord agreement and the rules and procedures: http://www.ieagreements.com/Dublin/DublinFoundation.cfm
