Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology became Vice President of the ENAEE Administrative Council

Prof José Carlos Lourenço Quadrado was elected as the new President at the ENAEE General Assembly in Suprasl on 21 October 2022. At the headquarters of the Ordem dos Engenheiros in Lisbon on 6 January 2023, Prof José Carlos Lourenço Quadrado, the newly elected President of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), formally inaugurated his two-year term (2023-2024). During the ENAEE Administrative Council meeting, Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk(Poland) and Prof. Yolande Berbers (Belgium) were nominated as Vice Presidents.

– As the Vice-President of the Administrative Council, I am in the part of the ENAEE that decides on the awarding of the European EUR-ACE® Label certificates across Europe, – informs Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng. – ENAEE promotes the quality of engineering education in Europe and beyond by assessing engineering degree courses and awarding EUR-ACE® Label certificates to those that fulfil all standards. Graduates of European-accredited courses receive a corresponding certificate together with their degree diploma

The ENAEE is constantly adapting its standards and criteria for evaluating study programmes to the challenges of today’s world (such as, for example, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, technological development, European universities and joint degrees).

– We are already the biggest and the most committed network of engineering programmes accreditation, – emphasizes Prof. José Carlos Lourenço Quadrado . – We would like it to be relevant and a point of reference throughout the world.

Bialystok University of Technology is a reference institution in the region and in Poland.

– You have many programmes that meet the standards set down by ENAEE, and so it means that studies at Bialystok University of Technology, their quality and standards are widely recognized. – says Damien Owens from Engineers Ireland, the previous President of ENAEE.

– Bialystok University of Technology is one of the leaders when it comes to the number of KAUT certificates awarded. – emphasises Prof. Bohdan Macukow from Warsaw University of Technology, chairman of the Accreditation Commission of Universities of Technology (KAUT) for the 2021 – 2025 term.

Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Rector of Bialystok University of Technology has already served as Vice-President of the ENAEE Administrative Council in 2021-2022.

European Network of Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) is an organisation of national agencies or other accreditation bodies. The purpose of the network is to build confidence in accreditation systems for engineering programmes, to develop standards for competence requirements of engineering graduates, and to develop appropriate agreements for accreditation of engineering studies and recognition of engineering qualifications. ENAEE currently brings together national accreditation organisations concerned with the quality of engineering education at universities in Ireland, Finland, France, Spain, Kazakhstan, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Italy.

One of the main activities of the ENAEE network is the EUR-ACE – European Accredited Engineer accreditation programme. This programme is closely linked to the Bologna Process and is based on the guidelines contained in the document “Framework Standards and Guidelines” (EAFSG). The result of ENAEE accreditation is the EUR-ACE® Label, which confirms the high level of quality of the engineering education programme and its compliance with accepted European standards and principles. The EAFSG was last updated in 2021. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk was part of the Working Group that worked on the update.

In Poland, the authority to award the EUR-ACE® Label, granted by ENAEE, is held by the Accreditation Commission of Universities of Technology, which, together with the national accreditation of faculties, also awards the EUR-ACE® Label quality certificate.

Ten fields of study currently offered at Bialystok University of Technology got KAUT accreditation:

• Automatic Control and Robotics – first and second cycle studies
• Ecoenergetics – first cycle studies
• Electrical Engineering – first and second cycle studies
• Electronics and Telecommunication – first and second cycle studies
• Computer science – first and second cycle studies
• Information technology and econometrics – first cycle studies
• Biomedical engineering – first and second cycle studies
• Logistics – first cycle studies
• Mechanics and Construction of Machinery – first and second cycle studies
• Management and Production Engineering – first and second cycle studies

The EUR-ACE® Framework (EAFS) defines the objectives of engineering programmes, i.e. the knowledge, skills and social competences required of graduates with an engineering degree and the professional title of magister (MSc). Obtaining the EUR-ACE® Label is an additional verification and confirmation for the university of the high quality of the students’ education and that the educational programme meets the standards set by European professional organisations. For the student it is a certainty that the chosen field of study meets international standards and gives the opportunity to gain the title of European Engineer (Eur Ing). On the other hand, an employer who employs a graduate of the certified course obtains an assurance that the candidate’s competences in the field of knowledge and practical skills do not deviate from international standards and principles of engineering education.

The ENAEE Administrative Council consists of ten persons, normally elected by the General Assembly for three years.

Its main tasks are to:

• consider and decide on recommendations from the various committees,
• manage the activities of ENAEE
• make proposals to the General Assembly about policies, membership, and financial issues.

ENAEE is led by a President, two Vice-Presidents and a Treasurer, who are also members of the Administrative Council. Currently, there are nine members of the Administrative Council.

by jd