Sydney Accord
(Engineering Technology Programs)
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: Signatories have full rights of participation in the Accord; qualifications accredited or recognised by other signatories are recognised by each signatory as being substantially equivalent to accredited or recognised qualifications within its own jurisdiction.
- Australia - Represented by Engineers Australia (EA) (2001)
- Canada - Represented by Technology Professionals Canada (TPC) (2023) (for 2001-2022, the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists was the signatory representing Canada)
- Chinese Taipei - Represented by Institute of Engineering Education Taiwan (IEET) (2014)
- Hong Kong China - Represented by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) (2001)
- Ireland - Represented by Engineers Ireland (EI) (2001)
- Korea - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea (ABEEK) (2013)
- New Zealand - Represented by Engineering New Zealand (EngNZ) (2001)
- South Africa - Represented by Engineering Council South Africa (ECSA) (2001)
- United Kingdom - Represented by Engineering Council United Kingdom (ECUK) (2001)
- United States - Represented by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) (2009)
- Malaysia - Represented by Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) (2018)
Provisional Signatories: Provisional Signatories are recognized as having appropriate systems and processes in place to develop towards becoming a full signatory.
- Peru - Represented by Instituto de Calidad y Acreditacion de Programas de Computacion, Ingenieria y Tecnologia (ICACIT)
- Sri Lanka - Represented by Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL)
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.
