European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education facts for kids

The European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) is an organization that helps make sure engineering degrees are top-notch. It started in 2006. ENAEE works to improve the quality of engineering education across Europe and even beyond.

ENAEE is connected to something called the Bologna process. This process aims to create a shared European Higher Education Area. This means that college degrees from one European country are easily recognized in others.

Many different groups can join ENAEE. These include organizations that check the quality of schools. They also include professional groups for engineers. Even student groups can be members!

What ENAEE Does

ENAEE is a group that doesn't make money (a not-for-profit organisation). Its main goal is to help society by making engineering education better. ENAEE wants to create a common way to check engineering programs across Europe.

This helps make sure that engineering graduates are well-prepared. It also makes it easier for engineers to work in different countries. ENAEE also encourages new and better ways of teaching engineering.

To do this, ENAEE created the EUR-ACE label Framework Standards and Guidelines (EAFSG). These are like a rulebook for what a good engineering degree program should teach. They also set standards for the schools and the groups that check them.

The EAFSG rules apply to all types of engineering. They help make sure graduates are ready to become engineers. Their qualifications are then recognized everywhere.

ENAEE has a special "stamp of approval" called the EUR-ACE label. This label is given to engineering programs that meet ENAEE's high standards. By mid-2019, over 2,000 programs had earned this label. These programs were at both Bachelor's and Master's degree levels.

ENAEE doesn't directly give the label to programs. Instead, it checks and approves other organizations. These approved organizations can then award the EUR-ACE label to engineering programs. By mid-2019, 15 such organizations were approved by ENAEE.

These organizations also signed an agreement called the EUR-ACE Accord. This means they trust each other's decisions. If one organization says a program is good, the others agree.

By the end of 2018, over 2,000 EUR-ACE labels were given out. These were to engineering programs in 300 universities. These schools were in many countries, both inside and outside Europe.

EUR-ACE Quality Rules

In 2006, ENAEE set up its standards (ESG) to ensure quality. These standards apply to engineering degree programs in Europe and worldwide. The rules don't focus on what's taught in classes. Instead, they focus on what students should be able to do after they graduate. This is called outcome-based education.

These outcomes describe the knowledge, understanding, and skills. An accredited engineering program must help graduates show these abilities. ENAEE groups these outcomes under six main areas:

• Knowledge and understanding
• Engineering analysis
• Engineering design
• Investigations
• Engineering practice
• Transferable skills

In 2014, ENAEE updated these rules. They used what they had learned since the beginning. The updated rules were published in 2015.

How ENAEE is Organized

ENAEE is an international group. It is registered in Belgium as an association without lucrative purpose. This means it's a non-profit organization.

ENAEE members are groups interested in engineering education. They are also interested in checking the quality of programs. There are two types of members: full members and associate members. As of January 2022, ENAEE had 19 full members and 8 associate members.

ENAEE has a General Assembly and an Administrative Council. These are common for non-profit groups. It also has a special Label Committee (LC). This committee has one person from each approved checking agency. The LC suggests which engineering programs should get the EUR-ACE label.

ENAEE Presidents

• Giuliano Augusti, Italy (founding president 2006 – 2012)
• Iring Wasser, Germany (2012–2014)
• Bernard Remaud, France (2014–2018)
• Damien Owens, Ireland (2019–2022)
• José Carlos Quadrado, Portugal (2023-...)

ENAEE Full Members (2022)

ENAEE has many full members from different countries. These organizations help ensure engineering education quality. Some examples include:

• AAQ – Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance
• Acredita CI – Chile
• AEER – Association for Engineering Education of Russia
• ANECA – Spain
• ASIIN – Germany
• CTI – France
• EC – Engineering Council – Great Britain
• EI – Engineers Ireland
• ICACIT – Peru
• Müdek – Turkey
• OE – Portugal
• Quacing – Italy

ENAEE's History

The idea for ENAEE started in September 2000. It was part of a group called the European Standing Observatory for the Engineering Profession and Education (ESOEPE). This group wanted to make accreditation systems better. Accreditation is like a quality check for engineering degrees in Europe.

In 2004, ESOEPE suggested a new idea to the European Commission. They wanted a special quality label, the EUR-ACE Label. This label would be given to engineering programs that met certain standards. The European Commission liked the idea and provided money for the project.

The EUR-ACE label became one of six "European quality labels in higher education." These labels were supported by the European Commission. ENAEE then worked on projects to share the EUR-ACE system. They shared it in the European Union, Russia, Central Asia, and South Mediterranean countries.