On meeting the challenges of globalization:

The Global Filipino Engineers

Philip G. de Guzman

Michael Angelo B. Promentilla

Presentation Outline

Background on globalization and its impact in Philippine and international settings

International agreements and mobility of engineers

Globalization of engineering education and practice in coping with globalization demands

Key players and framework for globalization of engineering education and practice in the Philippines

Globalization: the World is FLAT

A process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade

(Source: Wikipedia)

Forces of globalization

International trade agreements

Expansion of knowledge and shifts toward a knowledge-based economy

Explosion of information and communication technology

International mobility of human capital

Global Filipino

Also referred to as Overseas Filipino, a person of Philippine origin who lives outside of the Philippines:

People of Filipino ancestry who are citizens or residents of a different country

Filipino citizens abroad on a more temporary status

Total Overseas Filipinos

Estimated to be 8.75-11.0M in 182 countries

(~10% of entire population)

Regions with significant population:

* Estimated to be 4M by US State Dept (2007)

United States * 2,802,586 Germany 54,336

Saudi Arabia 1,066,401 France 47,075

UAE 529,114 Bahrain 44,703

Canada 462,935 Spain 41,780

Australia 270,347 Israel 36,880

Malaysia 244,967 Austria 30,000

United Kingdom 203,035 Greece 29,344

Japan 202,557 Lebanon 25,818

Qatar 195,558 Macau 23,348

Singapore 156,466 New Zealand 23,023

Kuwait 139,802 Guam 22,567

Hong Kong 130,537 Norway 20,035

Italy 120,192 Netherlands 19,163

South Korea 80,715 Sweden 18,435

Taiwan 74,010 Ireland 16,832

OFW Distribution by Occupation

* From 2005, no data on exact distribution per major occupation.Thus, the figures are inclusive of all occupations whereby an engineer could hold a position.

Apr–Sep 2001-2007

(in Thousands)

Labor Exports in Globalization Context

Overseas remittance (among the world’s highest) major factor in Philippine economy

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

2005* 2006 2007 2008 2009

Rem

itta

nces (

Bil

lio

ns U

SD

)

Year

*4th behind India, China and Mexico; 13.5% of GDP (highest among four)

Effects of Globalization

Opportunities Threats

Employment, international experience

Empowerment

Financial support to family

Business outsourcing

Illegal recruitment

Human rights issues

Brain drain

Is international mobility of engineers becoming a trend?

In practice, an idea for a structure, project or product may be

conceived by an engineer in one country

designed in one or more countries

constructed or produced with components from many countries

operated and maintained where used

disposed of with international support.

(Source: Ir Dr Gue See Sew, International Mobility of Engineers)

Implications of this trend on competitiveness of Filipino engineers and industry

Opportunities to work on international projects

Philippine-based companies, foreign or Filipino-owned, could improve productivity and competitiveness with such qualified engineers

Attractive to foreign investors with the presence of a pool of internationally-qualified engineers

Potential for offshoring and/or outsourcing of engineering services to the Philippines

Towards the globalization of engineering education and practice

Internationalization of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs)

Competency-based assessment of qualifications

Outcome-based engineering education

Agreements to define international standards in engineering education

Towards the globalization of engineering education and practice

Mobility of engineering professionals and jobs

Cross-border practice and supply of services

Mutual recognition agreements (MRA) on academic preparation/qualification and regulatory/statutory/licensure requirements

International Engineering Registers / Agreements (IEA)

Examples of International Engineering Registers

Register Operated by Year

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Engineer

1995

Euro Engineer Federacion Europeenne d’Associations Nationales d’Ingenieurs (FEANI)

1992

ASEAN Engineer ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (AFEO)

1998

APEC Engineer Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Engineer Coordinating Committee

2000

International Professional Engineers (IntPE)

Engineers’ Mobility Forum (EMF) 1997

ASEAN Engineers Register

Country # Members

Brunei

Cambodia

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

0

129

173

12

594

114

92

12

30

108

TOTAL 1,264

(Source: http://aer.afeo.org/)

Membership to Other IE Agreements

COUNTRY APEC ENGINEER EMF IntPE WASHINGTON ACCORD

Australia / New Zealand / Canada 2000 1997 1989

Bangladesh (P)

Germany (P)

Hong Kong China 2000 1997 1995

India 2009 (P)

Indonesia 2001

Japan 2000 1999 2005

Korea 2000 2000 2007

Malaysia 2000 1999 2009

Pakistan (P)

Philippines 2003

Russia (P) (P)

Singapore 2005 2007 2006

Sri Lanka 2007 (P)

Chinese Taipei 2005 2009 2007

Thailand 2003

Turkey (P)

United Kingdom 1997 1989

USA 2001 1997 1989

Membership to EMF IntPE

Membership to Washington Accord is one of the requirement for admission to IntPE Register

CRITERIA FOR THE EMF:

Academic achievement substantially equivalent to that of a graduate holding an engineering degree accredited under the terms of the Washington Accord

The Washington Accord

Signed in 1989, mutual agreement between bodies responsible for accrediting professional engineering degree programs in each of signatory countries.

Recognizes substantial equivalency of programsand recommends that graduates of accredited programs in any of the signatory countries be recognized by the other countries.

Covers professional engineering undergraduate degrees, and the academic requirements which are part of licensing/regulation requirements.

(Source: http://www.washingtonaccord.org/)

Towards Membership to Washington Accord (WA)

“Membership in the Washington Accord is important in order for our individual engineers to be eligible to be members of the international registers of engineers. They cannot be outside looking in without a place at the dinner table”

~ Dr. Reynaldo VeaChair, Science, Math and Engineering (SME) Panel, COMSTE

Towards Membership to Washington Accord (WA): Key Players

Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Education (COMSTE)

The Philippine Technological Council (PTC) -Certification and Accreditation Board for Engineering Education

Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA)

Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)

Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

PTC - PACUCOA

COMSTE hosted MOA signing between PTC and PACUCOA on March 2, 2010 to set up an accreditation system to be eligible for membership to WA.

Accreditation system to be:

National in scope

Unified in approach

Outcome-based

Continuous quality improvement-promoting

Independent of schools

Run by professional engineering societies

Engineering-Wide Desired Program Outcomes

Abilities to: apply knowledge of mathematics, physical, life, information, and

engineering sciences appropriate to the field of practice.

design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.

design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within identified constraints.

work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.

recognize, formulate, and solve engineering problems.

recognize professional, social, and ethical responsibility.

effectively communicate orally and in writing using the English language.

understand effects of engineering solutions in a comprehensive context.

engage in life-long learning and an understanding of the need to keep current of the developments in the specific field of practice.

use the techniques, skills, and engineering tools necessary for engineering and business practice.

PRC: on improving the quality of

professional engineers

Enhancement of the continuing professional education (CPE)

Enforcement of government regulations on the working environment for professionals

Focus on the development of specialization among professionals

CHED: on improving the quality of higher education in the Philippines

Improvement of faculty qualifications through massive faculty development programs

Expansion of research and improvement of graduate education

Improvement in the role of CHED in information dissemination

Towards Internationalization of Engineering Education

“Education is a lifelong process…

As for schools and teachers, the school of the future must be different from the school of the past, and even from the school of today. Technology will transform the school of tomorrow just as radically as technology will transform the business corporation of tomorrow.”

~ Former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos

Internationalization in Engineering Education

Staff and student mobility

Faculty exchange and development

Research and collaboration

Internationalizing curricula: building international perspectives

International networks

Transnational distant education, twinning and articulation programs

International quality assurance systems

Conclusions

Globalization has profound impact on Philippines and Filipino engineers

The need to globalize engineering education and practice through international agreements

Are the concerned Philippine institutions and stakeholders on the right track?

With the initiative and preliminary action… yes. While it promises to be a long and enduring process, the rewards would be global.

Thank you for listening!

Main References: R. Vea, Globalization of Engineering Education and Practice,

Conference on Science, Math and Engineering Education, COMSTE, 2008.

T. Tullao Jr. ed. Education and Globalization, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, 2003.

R. Adel, Mis-education of Filipino Engineers, 2009 http://www.ieagreements.com/

“Human capital accumulation is a necessary condition for

sustained rapid growth”

(World Bank, the East Asian Miracle, 1993)