The Engineering Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Katy Turff as Head of International. Katy joins the organisation from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) where she worked for nine years, most recently as Programme Manager, delivering the Institution’s strategic objectives relating to member engagement.

Katy will be building on the work in progress to shift the emphasis of international agreements from academic to competence-based standards, to ensure that all Engineering Council registrants can benefit from international recognition, whether they have achieved their professional qualifications through a standard or individual route.

“Engineering is a global profession so it follows that international recognition of our professional qualifications is vital for engineers, technicians, their employers and clients,” says Katy.  “There are still a lot of barriers to international mobility and it makes sense for the Engineering Council to take the lead in tackling these on behalf of, and in collaboration with, the professional engineering institutions (PEIs). As many PEIs look to grow membership and registration of members outside the UK we must also be ready to exploit the opportunities this presents to increase awareness and recognition of UK-SPEC, whilst ensuring that standards are maintained.”

Katy replaces Dr Jim Birch, who has retired after eleven years in the role.  During this time Dr Birch worked successfully with the PEIs to adopt a collaborative approach to international issues.  He was also involved in achievements such as: building relations with relevant government departments and agencies; ensuring that EUR-ACE (European Accreditaton of Engineering programmes) standards became outcome based and UK-SPEC compatible; ensuring that UK engineers and technicians were not disadvantaged by the European Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive; developing the International Engineering Alliance and ensuring that the globally applicable standards and procedures which it applies are UK compatible.

Jon Prichard, CEO of the Engineering Council said: “We are delighted that Katy has joined the Engineering Council team.  Her 20 years of PEI experience, while working for the IET and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), means that she is well aware of the challenges registrants and membership staff come up against.”

Katy’s wealth of experience in international activities includes supporting the Chairman of the Sydney Accord and ETMF groups and providing the secretariat for the Dublin Accord in its formative stages. She has negotiated and managed a variety of mutual recognition and partnership agreements, managed the professional review process, accreditation of degrees and other academic qualifications, and applications for the EurIng, IntPE and IntET qualifications, as well as delivering Professional Review Interviewer training in Hong Kong and Malaysia.