The Society of Professional Engineers
(Established 1969)
For the Promotion of the Qualification and Status of the Professional Engineer Worldwide
'Want to work abroad? - have your say on free movement in Europe'
by John Reyers
The AEEBC is proposing a common European platform for the building surveying/building expert professions (which includes construction management). The project envisages establishing a recognised professional card for professionals meeting the criteria of the AEEBC and its member institutions.
The aims are:
- facilitate mutual recognition of qualifications and competencies in Europe and worldwide
- demonstrate the competencies of AEEBC professionals against the EU Qualifications Framework
- facilitate mobility of professionals and their qualifications
- support and promote the development of construction industry services in line with EU policy
- promote the building surveying/building expert profession throughout Europe
- establish practice guidelines.
At the last AEEBC meeting in Dublin, Vice-president and chairman of the AEEBC's Professional Development Committee, Kevin Sheridan FRICS, presented this concept, which is based upon a model used in the engineering profession, FEANI (Federation Europeen d'Associations Nationales d'Ingenieurs). This uses a secure European Professional Card for Engineers containing generic information on competencies, qualifications and cardholder details.
The AEEBC card will not replace nor overrule existing national legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications and it will be managed at a national and professional institution level. With FEANI pursuing the ENG Card option as a first step to the establishment of a Common Platform for Engineers and Architects already established under the EU sectoral directive, the AEEBC believe that Surveyors and analogous professions throughout Europe need a recognised platform to compete on equal terms.
The AEEBC would like to consult members for their opinions on this idea and has prepared a brief, six-question survey that can be found at http://www.aeebc.org/uk/europeanplatforms.asp.
The project is in its early stages and your views are important to help drive it forward, so please share your opinions.
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