Engineering is a highly mobile profession. We actively seek to provide UK-registrants access to working internationally, ensuring that our standards are globally recognised and facilitating the mobility of engineering professionals.
UK engineers working in Europe
The Engineering Council is the United Kingdom’s National Member of ENGINEERS EUROPE, a federation of professional engineering associations from 33 European Higher Education Area countries.
UK professionals seeking recognition in EU/EEA countries are now treated as third country nationals, and recognition is based on the applicable rules of each individual EU/EEA country. The scope of regulation and details of activities which may require registration can found in the EU Single Market Regulated Professions Database.
In many EU/EEA countries, registration is not compulsory in order to work as an engineer, although some areas of work may be restricted and there may be legislation on the use of professional titles. Rules concerning travel, visas and residency may have changed and the professionals providing services should check with the relevant government websites.
UK engineers working outside of Europe and the UK
The Engineering Council is a member of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA). The IEA is an umbrella organisation that oversees seven international accords and agreements relating to the recognition of standards for the accreditation and approval of engineering education and professional engineering competence.
Education Accords
These include three Education Accords, which enable UK academic qualifications accredited or approved for the Engineering Council for Engineering Technicians (EngTech), Incorporated Engineering (IEng) and Chartered Engineering (CEng) to be accepted as delivering outcomes that are ‘substantially equivalent’ to the Graduate Attributes defined for the corresponding Accord:
Competence Agreements
The Engineering Council is a signatory to three international agreements relating to competence standards for practising engineers:
- The International Professional Engineers Agreement (signed in 2001)
- The International Engineering Technologists Agreement (signed in 2003)
- The Agreement for International Engineering Technicians (signed in 2016)
These Competence Agreements aim to promote mobility by minimising the assessment required for a person who is recognised in one country as reaching the agreed international standard of competence when seeking registration in another signatory country.
The Engineering Council has relationships with many national, regional and international engineering organisations, either directly or indirectly through the licensed professional engineering institutions (PEIs) and other partner organisations.