Agreement to streamline engineers' access to Spain

Engineers Australia has announced a new mutual recognition agreement (MRA) between Engineers Australia and Spain’s General Council of Official Colleges of Industrial Engineers (CGCOII). The agreement will mean that engineers from Australia and Spain will enjoy streamlined access to working in either country.

Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew and CGOII President Dr Cesar Franco signed the agreement at an online ceremony hosted by the Australian Ambassador to Spain, Sophia McIntyre.

The agreement will cover members of Engineers Australia who hold a relevant engineering qualification in industrial, chemical, electrical or mechanical engineering. It recognises the differences in qualification standards and will help Australian engineers meet Spanish qualification requirements, particularly the six-year European Masters.

Spanish industrial engineers will also get a clear pathway to meet our membership requirements without the initial assessment stage.

Madew said as we look to the global challenges of our time — from ensuring our built environment is sustainable and resilient to climate impacts, to developing inclusive technologies and innovations — the role of engineers has never been more important.

“Enabling skilled engineers to work across borders is an incredibly important part of addressing these challenges,” she said. “That’s why we have international mobility agreements which enable our members to live and work in more than 120 countries — and why today is such a significant milestone.”

Dr Franco said the reality and current circumstances of both countries, Spain and Australia, have big similarities in the great need for engineers in each country.

“While in Spain, our Engineering Observatory estimates that 200,000 engineers will be needed in the next 10 years; Engineers Australia is aiming to reach the figure of 100,000 in the next few years,” he said. “The mobility agreement between our engineers and the Australian ones should be an incentive for future engineers from both countries. This agreement should be the best attraction for those who are thinking of studying a career with a future: engineering.”

Engineers Australia and CGCOII are both committed to advancing the engineering profession and fostering international cooperation. The partnership is set initially for three years. This is the second MRA Engineers Australia has established with a Spanish professional body, following an agreement with the Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos (CICCP) in October 2022.

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