A Plan to Secure the International Currency on Korean Professional Engineer

기술사 자격의 국제적 통용성 확보 방안

With the advent of the information age and the knowledge-based society, human resource development has become a key factor in determining a nation's competitiveness. And technological qualification systems have a direct and significant influence on human resource development. In order to guarantee Korea's continued development as a competitive member of the international community, it is demanded that a Korean Technology Qualification System (KTQS) is to accept international qualification criteria. This study was conducted in order to analysis current movements about the international mutual recognition of Professional Engineer and present problems for introducing APEC Engineer System to KTQS, and also recommend reasonable plans which overcome those. Under the WTO/GATS, the liberalization of trade in professional services will steadily increase. APEC activities to facilitate the portability of qualifications is considered complementary to the WTO movement. If the government attempts to introduce the APEC criteria for university degree requirements, university curriculum standards, programs for continuing professional developments(CPD), and practical, on-site experience. In the standpoints with the recent developments of APEC Engineer agreement on profession qualification, it is important to guarantee that Korean qualifications have a common, international currency. Measures have to be taken to harmonize the qualifications standards for Professional Engineer with those set out by the WTO/GATS movement. Also this will require an increase in the quality of university curriculum and an establishment of CPD. This process will be further enhanced by the organization of APEC Engineer Monitoring committee, Consisting of government officials, professional engineers and university professors. At this committee we can discuss the best strategies to keep our nation's interests.