The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

AN "historic" Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be signed this Friday will facilitate the licensing and international recognition/accreditation process for Bahamian engineers, the Professional Engineers Board's (PEB) chairman, Michael Moss, said yesterday.

The MoU will facilitate a ti-up with the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES), a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing professional licensing for engineers and surveyors. It develops, administers and scores the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensing in the US.

Mr Moss said the North Carolina Board recently amended its statute to allow applicants with foreign experience to be considered for licensure. This allowed the North Carolina Board to consider the request from the Bahamas Professional Engineers Board.

Mr Moss said: "NCEES was contacted by Michelle Gomez, a member of the Bahamas Board, to determine if the two organisations could enter into an agreement that would facilitate the licensure process for Bahamian candidates."

As a consequence, Bahamian engineers, through application to the Bahamas Board, will be allowed to sit the NCEES licensing examination administered by the North Carolina Board. According to Mr Moss, this is the first time the North Carolina Board has entered into this type of relationship.

The NCEES is a confederation of all US state and territorial licensing boards authorised to regulate the engineering and surveying profession. The NCEES Professional Engineers exam is considered the international engineering benchmark for licensing.

Mr Moss told Tribune Business: "The Board in the Bahamas is required to set appropriate exams for the examination of those who have satisfied the necessary university academics, but it is a professional examination.

"Because of the number of engineering disciplines that exist, the Board felt it would be a challenge to be setting appropriate examinations of such a diverse number of disciplines. Given the risk of persons claiming, perhaps bias in the decision-making of the Board, it would be best to align ourselves with another worldwide respected body, and have that body set the examinations for us.

"This has given rise to this MOU with the North Carolina board. This will give persons who have come out of university, and who have not had the opportunity for gaining professional qualifications elsewhere, to register with the Bahamas Board to sit an exam. It's just that instead of setting the exams ourselves, we will have the same exam that is set for the people doing the Professional Engineers (PE) in the United States."

The North Carolina Board is comprised of four professional engineers, three professional surveyors and two public members, all appointed by the Governor of North Carolina, and the Board has a full time staff of 18.

According to Mr Moss, the North Carolina Board recently amended its Statute to allow applicants with foreign experience to be considered for licensure. This allowed the North Carolina Board to consider the request from the Bahamas Board.