The Professional Title or Chartered Engineer and Engineers Ireland accredited qualifications have been recognised, for the first time, as minimum qualifications for engineering grades in local authorities.

All engineering grades, from Graduate in Engineering up to City or County Engineer, recognise a master’s degree in engineering attained after completing an integrated master’s level programme of at least four years’ duration, which is accredited by Engineers Ireland, as one of the educational requirements for these roles.

Additionally, senior engineering grades within local authorities now also recognise the registered professional title of Chartered Engineer as a requirement for these positions.

The welcome change follows engagement by Engineers Ireland with officials at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and with Minister James Browne, on this issue, on which Engineers Ireland has been focused for a number of years.

While it is not necessary for candidates to hold Engineers Ireland accredited qualifications or professional titles to gain employment as an engineer with a local authority, should they satisfy a local authority’s alternative minimum educational or experiential requirements, the amendment to the qualifications framework provides recognition of the mark of quality that Engineers Ireland accredited qualifications or professional titles provide.

Remarking on the amendment to the qualifications framework for engineering grades in local authorities, Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said:
“Degrees, and other qualifications accredited by Engineers Ireland have long been regarded by employers as the gold standard for educational attainment in the field, while our professional titles, such as Chartered Engineer, provide not only an independently assessed mark of competence, but provide a major boost to the career prospect of any engineer.

Greater recognition of our accredited qualifications and registered titles in the recruitment process can only serve to strengthen engineering in local government.”