The Engineering Council has consulted with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on the scope and implementation of the Professional Qualifications Act, which received royal assent on 28 April 2022. BEIS has confirmed that the Act does not currently cover professions that are voluntarily self-regulated by Royal Charter or other legislative means.

The Professional Qualifications Act is designed to ensure, for statutorily regulated professions, that there is an agreed framework for professionals from around the world to have their qualifications recognised in the UK. Engineering continues to be regarded as a regulated profession in the broader context and the Engineering Council as the relevant regulatory authority, however the Act applies only to professions that are regulated by statute.

This means that the Professional Qualifications Act imposes no new obligations on the Engineering Council and the professional engineering institutions (PEIs) it licenses, and that existing routes for recognition of international engineers will continue to operate as they currently do. These routes include recognition of engineering education under the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) Education Accords and the IEA competence agreements that recognise the competency of professional engineers. EEA/Swiss Professional Qualifications continue to be recognised under The Recognition of Professional Qualifications (Amendment etc) EU Exit Regulations (2019).

The Engineering Council and the PEIs will also continue to be empowered to enter into international agreements with their counterpart regulatory and membership bodies around the world.

As set out in the Explanatory Notes to the Bill, “Regulating professions is a critical element of UK public and private services. It ensures safety of service provisions, provides consumer confidence, and helps to maintain professional standards”. Incorporated by Royal Charter in November 1981 to regulate the engineering profession in the UK, this is the Engineering Council’s 40th year of setting and maintaining standards, to ensure that society continues to have confidence and trust in the engineering profession.

Our mission as a regulator is to maintain internationally recognised standards of competence and commitment for the engineering profession and to license competent institutions to champion those standards to deliver public benefit. The Engineering Council is a member of the IEA, the European Network for the Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) and the UK member of the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI). We have Mutual Recognition Agreements in place with Kuwait, New Zealand, Ireland and Portugal, and are keen to co-operate with other international regulators to ensure professional recognition.

To find out more about our international activity and how this facilitates the mobility of engineering professionals, please visit our website: www.engc.org.uk/international

For press enquiries:    

Kate Webster, Engineering Council – kwebster@eng.org.uk, 020 3206 0567

The Engineering Council was incorporated by Royal Charter in November 1981 to regulate the engineering profession in the UK. This is our 40th year of setting and maintaining standards, to ensure that society continues to have confidence and trust in the engineering profession.

The Engineering Council holds the national Register of Engineering Technicians (EngTech), Incorporated Engineers (IEng), Chartered Engineers (CEng) and Information and Communication Technology Technicians (ICTTech). It also sets and maintains the internationally recognised standards of competence and ethics that govern the award and retention of these titles. By this means it is able to ensure that employers, government and wider society, both at home and overseas, can have confidence in the skills and commitment of registrants. For more information visit: www.engc.org.uk