The International Engineering Alliance Graduate Attributes & Professional Competencies

The International Engineering Alliance is pleased to announce that all Accords and Agreements have approved revisions to its Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies (GAPC) international benchmark. The review, supported by UNESCO, was undertaken by a joint IEA-WFEO Working Group who engaged extensively with IEA signatories, WFEO members and WFEO partners representing academics, industry and women globally. They reflect requirements for new technologies and engineering disciplines, new pedagogies and values such as sustainable development, diversity and inclusion and ethics. They are well positioned to support the engineering role in building a more sustainable and equitable world.

Our thanks to WFEO and UNESCO for their constant support and endorsement and to the GAPC Working Group members, who commenced this work three years ago and who have worked tirelessly to bring this to fruition.

The International Engineering Alliance Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies (Sept 2021) are proudly supported by WFEO & UNESCO.

Consultation & Objectives

The International Engineering Alliance (IEA) Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies (GAPC) profiles defined the expected outcomes for engineering education programs and competencies for independent engineering practice for the three professional tracks: engineer, engineering technologist and engineering technician. They form the basis for the three education accords and four agreements within the IEA. UNESCO and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) also recognise the GAPC as a valuable international benchmark for engineering education.

A joint Working Group between individuals representing IEA and WFEO representative bodies was established in November 2019 following the renewal of the WFEO-IEA MoU and the Declaration on Engineering Education that was made in Melbourne at WEC2019.

A key objective of the working group was to review the 2013 IEA Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies Framework to ensure that they reflect contemporary values and employer needs as well as equip engineers/technologist/technicians of the future to incorporate the practices that advance the UN Sustainable Goals. 

The IEA would like to acknowledge the members of the working group and all those who contributed as part of the consultation process, which has led to the approved 2021 version of the IEA Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies.

Working Group Chair

• Prof A. Bulent Ozguler (MUDEK), Turkey

IEA Working Group Members

• Prof A. Bulent Ozguler (MUDEK) (Chair), Turkey
• Prof Mitsunori Makino and Ms Akiko Takahashi (JABEE), Japan
• Prof Barry Clarke (ECUK), UK
• Ms Bernadette Foley (Engineers Australia), Australia

WFEO Working Group Members

• Dr Marlene Kanga – (WFEO President, 2017-2019), Australia
• Mr WANG Sunyu (Vice Director General, ICEE Tsinghua University), China
• Dr Charlie Than, (President, Myanmar Engg. Council), Myanmar
• Dr Michael Milligan (ABET) – representing IFEES, USA
• Mr KANG Jincheng, Strategic Specialist, ICEE, China
• Mr QIAO Weifeng, Asst Professor Inst. Of Education Tsinghua University and ICEE, China
• Mr XU Lihui, Research Associate, Inst. Of Education Tsinghua University and ICEE, China

Translation of the IEA Graduate Attributes & Professional Competencies

The IEA recognises all languages evolve and the same language can vary across geographic and social environments. Our GAPC document has been translated into the following languages with the intent to provide greater clarity and understanding for all IEA members. Our GPAC translations are available for use as guidance to further enable IEA members to work effectively within their communities and within the IEA.

Currently our GAPC have been translated into Chinese, French, Spanish, with Russian and Arabic translations being completed.

Our translated GAPC documents do not replace the approved (2021.1) English version of the GAPC as a core document to the IEA.

In all cases during the conduct of IEA business where it is necessary to reference the appropriate GAPC requirements, the approved (2021.1) English version will be the default authority.

These translations have been made possible with significant contributions from several of our IEA members working in collaboration with one another. This effort has been in direct collaboration with WFEO, supported by its partnership with the International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE) Tsinghua University. 

The IEA would like to acknowledge and thank all those who have contributed their time and expertise to ensuring that these tools are available to the wider global engineering community. 

Chinese

Our GAPC Chinese translation was kindly developed by the International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE) Tsinghua University. It has been refined by IEA Member China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) /China Engineering Education Accreditation Association (CEEAA) who worked to ensure the translation included its nuances. 

French

Our GAPC French translation was kindly developed by the International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE) Tsinghua University. It has been refined by IEA Member Engineers Canada (EC) who worked to ensure the translation included its nuances. 

Spanish

Our GAPC Spanish translation was kindly developed by the International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE) Tsinghua University. It has been refined by EA Members Agencia Acreditadora Colegio De Ingenieros De Chile S A (Acredita CI), Instituto de Calidad y Acreditacion de Programas de Computacion, Ingenieria y Tecnologia Peru (ICACIT), Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y de Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CFIA) and Consejo de Acreditación de la Enseñanza de la Ingeniería Mexico (CACEI) who collaborated to ensure the translation reflected their different nuances.