The ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer Coordinating Committee (ACPECC) approved 460 new chartered engineer applications during its 53rd meeting held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on October 21, 2024, marking a significant milestone in regional professional engineering development.

The applications came from seven ASEAN member states, with Malaysia leading with 284 applications, followed by the Philippines (85), Indonesia (60), Cambodia (14), Myanmar (8), Thailand (5), and Singapore (4). This brings the total number of approved ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineers (ACPEs) to 8,155, with 8,105 currently active across the region.

Malaysia Sets the Standard for ACPE Promotion

The meeting particularly commended Malaysia's effectiveness in promoting ACPE registration. Malaysia's success stems from several key initiatives including charging no fees for both ACPE and Registered Foreign Professional Engineer (RFPE) registration and renewals, offering online applications, conducting promotions and forums, and hosting formal certificate ceremonies led by the President of the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM).

Engineering Disciplines Continue to Expand

Indonesia clarified its physics engineering discipline applications, explaining that physics engineering encompasses practice areas including acoustical, light, instruments, and nuclear engineering – one of 12 engineering disciplines formally recognized in Indonesia's assessment statement.

The committee also noted that Brunei Darussalam plans to formally update its list of engineering disciplines to include chemical engineering at the next meeting, while Vietnam is in the process of amending its engineering disciplines list.

Regional Engineer Mobility Progresses

The meeting reviewed significant developments in the Technical Working Group on Mobility of ASEAN Engineers (TWG-MAE), including progress on several key initiatives:

•             ASEAN Engineering Awards: All member states are required to nominate candidates for ACPE Excellence Awards

•             Capacity Building: Cambodia is developing a draft memorandum of understanding with the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (AFEO)

•             Internship Programs: Malaysia and Thailand's bilateral internship and exchange program is already operational and serving as a benchmark for future multilateral arrangements

•             Information Exchange: The Philippines submitted information for five engineering fields to support the new ASEAN Engineers Information Exchange Platform

Leadership Transition Ahead

The current ACPECC chairmanship under Malaysia's leadership will conclude on December 31, 2024. Myanmar was initially designated as the next chair but requested to pass the role to another country, citing readiness concerns. The Philippines is now being considered for the chairmanship position, pending approval from their monitoring committee.

Growing Regional Recognition

Currently, five member states have achieved the roadmap target of having 20 percent of their registered professional engineers hold ACPE status or reaching 1,000 ACPEs, whichever is lower. These countries are Brunei Darussalam (47.4%), Malaysia (21.6%), Myanmar (49.1%), and the Philippines, with Indonesia also meeting the numerical threshold.

The ACPE program represents a significant step toward harmonizing engineering standards across ASEAN member states and facilitating the mobility of qualified engineers throughout the region. Engineers holding ACPE status can practice their profession across participating ASEAN countries under the Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Engineering Services.