Engineering Technologist Mobility Forum
Overview: As a result of an agreement by the Sydney Accord signatories to explore mutual recognition for experienced engineering technologists, representatives of the engineering profession in each of the signatories to the Sydney Accord met in Sydney in November 1999, and Thornybush South Africa in June 2001. The participants in these meetings, having exchanged information on, and made a preliminary assessment of, their respective processes, policies and procedures for granting recognition to experienced engineering technologists, concluded that these were sufficiently comparable to justify further examination. They agreed on the broad principles of a framework which might enable progress towards removing artificial barriers to the free movement and practice of engineering technologists amongst their countries. An agreement was reached on the principles and outline processes by which the substantial equivalence in competence of experienced engineering technologists could be established. This Agreement is known as the Engineering Technologist Mobility Forum Memorandum of Understanding (ETMF MOU).
Mission, Goals, and Achievements: At their meeting on 25 June 2001, the Sydney Accord signatories established a forum, to be known as the Engineering Technologists Mobility Forum (ETMF), through which they, as the representatives of the organisations in their respective countries or territories, would:
- develop, monitor, maintain and promote mutually acceptable standards and criteria for facilitating the cross-border mobility of experienced engineering technologists;
- seek to gain a greater understanding of the existing barriers to mobility and to develop and promote strategies to help governments and licensing authorities manage those barriers in an effective and non-discriminatory manner;
- encourage the relevant governments and licensing authorities to adopt and implement mutual mobility procedures consistent with the standards and practices recommended by the signatories to such agreements as may be established by and through the ETMF;
- identify, and encourage the implementation of, best practice for the preparation and assessment of engineering technologists intending to practice internationally at the professional level; and
- continue mutual monitoring and information exchange by whatever means are considered most appropriate, including: (a) regular communication and sharing of information concerning assessment procedures, criteria, systems, manuals, publications and lists of recognised practitioners; (b) invitations to observe the operation of the procedures of other participants; and (c) invitations to observe meetings of any boards and/or commissions responsible for implementing key aspects of these procedures, and relevant meetings of the governing bodies of the participants.
Members: Members have full rights of participation in the agreement; each operates a national section of the International Engineering Technologist (IntET) register; registrants on these national sections may receive credit when seeking registration or licensure in the jurisdiction of another member.
- Canada - Represented by Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (2001)
- Hong Kong China - Represented by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (2001)
- Ireland - Represented by Engineers Ireland (2001)
- New Zealand - Represented by Institution of Professional Engineers NZ (2001)
- South Africa - Represented by Engineering Council of South Africa (2001)
- United Kingdom - Represented by Engineering Council UK (2001)
- Australia - Represented by Engineers Australia (2018)
