The International Engineering Alliance (IEA)
The International Engineering Alliance (IEA) is a global collective of like-minded organisations focused on quality assurance in engineering education and professional competence.
The International Engineering Alliance (IEA) is known as the leading global organisation that sets benchmark standards for engineering education and helps support engineers to work across borders & support sustainable communities.
We exist to support the global mobility of engineers by promoting the mutual recognition of accredited engineering qualifications and professional competence.
Comprising seven autonomous international agreements — known as the Educational Accords and Competence Agreements — IEA members collaborate to develop and maintain internationally benchmarked standards for engineering education and professional practice.
These agreements ensure that engineers are qualified, competent, and recognised across borders, enabling greater international collaboration and global workforce mobility in the engineering profession.
Our Vision, Mission and Values
IEA is recognised as the leading international entity for setting engineering benchmark standards and enabling mobility of engineering skills for the benefit of sustainable community. It comprises members across seven international accords and agreements that autonomously regulate how engineering qualifications and professional skills are recognised worldwide.
Through the Educational Accords and Competence Agreements, IEA member organisations come together to establish, enhance and enforce globally recognised standards for engineering education and the expected level of competence for engineering practice.
Our People
The International Engineering Alliance (IEA) Governing Group and Secretariat play key roles in advancing the Alliance's mission to enhance global engineering education and competence. The Governing Group provides strategic leadership, develops policies, and oversees the work of various committees and working groups. Supporting these efforts, the Secretariat manages daily operations, facilitates communication among members, organizes meetings, and ensures smooth implementation of IEA’s Accords and Agreements. Together, they drive collaboration and ensure the Alliance’s goals are effectively achieved.
Our Members
The members of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) collaborate to promote excellence in engineering education and professional practice worldwide. They participate in developing and maintaining the IEA’s shared frameworks, including graduate attributes and competence profiles, which set global benchmarks for engineering qualifications and practice standards. By working through multilateral Accords and Agreements, members ensure that educational programs and professional credentials are mutually recognised, facilitating international mobility for engineers and fostering trust in their competence and skills.
Key Documents
Our Key Documents are foundational resources that guide the work of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA). These documents include frameworks, policies, procedures, and reference materials that underpin the IEA’s Accords and Agreements. Explore these resources to understand the standards and principles that drive the IEA’s mission to advance engineering worldwide.
Our History
The International Engineering Alliance (IEA) has a history rooted in three educational accords and four competency agreements, all aimed at upholding global engineering standards.
Dating back to 1989, the Washington Accord is the oldest element of the IEA. It focuses on ensuring that member nations recognize accredited educational programs designed to produce professional engineers. Similarly, the Sydney Accord (2001) and the Dublin Accord (2002) address educational programs tailored to train engineering technologists and technicians, respectively.
The IEA expanded with the addition of four agreements, IPEA, APEC, IETA and AIET, which were commenced out of global engineering mobility forums, concerning competence standards and mutual recognition of experienced engineering professionals.
“The Washington Accord model has become the international gold standard for mutual recognition of engineering education.”
Former Director General, The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (Now Engineers Ireland)
