| Sydney Accord 2001 |
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Overview: Pioneered by the Engineering Council of the UK (ECUK) to complement the Washington Accord and signed in 2001, the Sidney Accord recognized the equivalency of degrees for engineering technologists or incorporated engineers in the signatory countries.
Signatories and Governance: The Signatories to the Agreement were the same as those signing the Washington Accord, except for the United States: Australia (IEAust), Canada (CCPE), Hong Kong, China (HKIE), Ireland (IEI), New Zealand (IPENZ), South Africa (ECSA), and the United Kingdom (ECuk).
The United States (ABET) witnessed the agreement. Its status as an official observer provides a means for ABET to participate more fully in the future.
More recently, New Zealand was removed from transitional status and now holds all privileges as a Full Signatory to the Sydney Accord. The United Kingdom originally chaired the Accord, with the Republic of Ireland carrying out the secretariat duties. More recently, the chairmanship has been provided by Hong Kong (HKIE): Mr. Alex Chan.
Mission, Goals, and Achievements: This accord represents an important step towards internationalization of accreditation.
As the Washington Accord recognized the substantial equivalency at the engineering level, the Sydney Accord extends the benefits of mutual recognition to engineering technology academic programs. The outcome is that an engineering technology programs which has been approved in one country, (for example, National Diploma in Engineering, BEng Tech degree, and BTech degree) would be accepted by the other Accord signatories as equivalent to their own accredited engineering technology degree and diploma programs.
The engineering technology academic programs concerned are those through which these professionals normally satisfy their academic requirements. The Sydney Accord lists the following engineering technologist roles as established by the initial signatories:
| Engineering Technologist | Australia | |
| Certified Engineering or Applied Science Technologist | Canada | |
| Associate Member of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers | Hong Kong China | |
| Associate Engineer | Ireland | |
| Engineering Technologist | New Zealand | |
| Professional Engineering Technologist | South Africa | |
| Incorporated Engineer | United Kingdom |
The follow-up to this accord was the Engineers Mobility Forum (EMF), which produced a multi-national agreement among these signatories. This would further the establishment of an international standard of competence for engineering professionals. Also, the International Register Coordinating Committee was set up for the purpose of creating and operating an authoritative decentralized International Register of Engineering Technologists, to facilitate licensing or registration in the signatory countries.
The EMF agreement paved the way for engineering technology graduates to participate more freely in the global economy and seek employment outside their own countries' borders.
Significant Web Sites:
- The Engineering Council of the UK's page on the Sydney Accord
- For a list of contacts, the rules and procedures, and accredited programs, and the full text of the accord, please see: http://www.ieagreements.com/Sydney/default.cfm
