International

With a quarter of its Registrants working outside the UK, as many as 10-15% of Registrants not being UK citizens, and engineering services (which depend on the acceptance of UK qualifies engineers) being an important export - international issues are of major importance to ECUK . The strategy of the Council is to extend the recognition of UK engineers overseas by reaching mutual recognition agreements with professional bodies and by inclining governmental organisations towards liberalisation of professional recognition and of the provision of engineering services.

In carrying out this strategy ECUK sees the world as being currently in two blocks. There are the countries whose education and engineer formation systems are built on a UK/USA model - for example all or most of North America, Asia, Pacific, Africa and China, and there are the European countries with a Napoleonic/Humboltian system of education and formation. The UK (and Ireland) bridge these two blocks and actively engage with both systems in order to reconcile differences and enhance mobility.

Within Europe ECUK is involved in two over-arching professional organisations - ENAEE and FEANI - and interacts with the European Commission.

Outside Europe ECUK is involved the International Engineering Alliance which comprises the Washington Accord, Sydney Accord, Dublin Accord, International Register of Professional Engineers, APEC Engineer Register and International Register of Engineering Technologists.