ENAEE Newsletter – September 2025, Edition 7

A message from the President

There’s real momentum across ENAEE. From Ottawa to Mexico City, our conversations with Engineers Canada and CACEI reaffirm a shared commitment to quality recognition and mobility enabling. At LACCEI, we leaned into the AI era—keeping integrity and evidence at the centre of accreditation. At the IEA meetings, we launched the ENAEE–IEA Best Practice in Accreditation of Engineering Programmes, a clear, outcomes-focused guide for agencies worldwide. Warm congratulations to CTI on its re-authorisation to award the EUR-ACE® label for Master programmes. And this edition’s spotlight on Kazakhstan’s CAAAE shows how regional leadership, aligned with European standards, opens doors for students and strengthens society.

Thank you for the work you do—let’s keep raising the bar, together.

José Carlos Quadrado

ENAEE meets Engineers Canada

At the end of July in Mexico City, ENAEE President José Carlos Quadrado met with José Loria, Director of CACEI, to discuss shared priorities and the possible future integration of CACEI within the ENAEE community. The conversation highlighted a strong alignment around enhancing international recognition and strengthening quality assurance in engineering education.

Together, they also joined a round table organised by LACCEI with fellow accreditation agencies on the impact of AI in accreditation. Discussions focused on policy readiness and academic integrity; acceptable evidence and assessment of learning outcomes when AI may assist student work; and how accreditation processes and evaluator training should evolve. Guiding questions examined how criteria and guidance are being updated, what direct and indirect evidence of outcomes will be recognised, and which concrete process changes (from self-study templates to site-visit practice and report writing) are already in place or under consideration.

ENAEE and CACEI discuss future Cooperation

The Accreditation Agency for Engineering and Architecture Programs (AAPIA), Costa Rica, has been accepted as a full member of ENAEE at the General Assembly on Friday 9 May.

AAPIA is a legally established body of the Federated College of Engineers and Architects of Costa Rica (CFIA), created by agreement of the General Board of Directors of the CFIA (JDG) in order to develop quality evaluation processes in the academic field of higher education for careers in Engineering, Architecture and related disciplines. It also seeks to determine whether an Engineering or Architecture training programme meets the quality standards established to ensure relevant training. AAPIA started as an accreditation agency in 2004.

Launch of Engineering Programmes’ Accreditation Best Practice

In June 2025, the President, José Carlos Quadrado, and AC members Yavuz Erçil and Keith Sunderland attended the IEA (International Engineering Alliance) meetings in Mexico. The ENAEE and IEA Best Practice in Accreditation of Engineering Programmes was officially launched and presented to the IEA signatories during the event.

Upcoming ENAEE meetings

The next ENAEE General Assembly will be held in Madrid on Friday 24 October, hosted by IIE.

A workshop on ‘the EUR-ACE® label process’ for ENAEE member agencies will be held on Thursday 23 October.

Spotlight on Kazakhstan’s CAAAE

Accreditation of universities and programmes ensures quality, raises the prestige of higher education, and builds public trust in graduates with skills demanded by the labour market.

In Kazakhstan, accreditation procedures began in 2007 when the state enabled independent agencies and delegated them responsibility for quality assurance. That year, the Kazakhstan Association for Engineering Education (KazSEE) was founded by organisations in higher education, science, and industry, focusing on alignment with EU standards. The organisation later operated as the Kazakhstan Association of Modern (Elite) Education (2021–2023) and since 2023 has been known as the Central Asian Agency for Accreditation of Engineering Education (CAAAE).

Kazakhstan’s accession to the Bologna Declaration in 2010 integrated its higher education into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). EU programmes such as TEMPUS, ERASMUS, and ERASMUS+ supported this transition by transferring knowledge and best practices. The TEMPUS QUEECA project (2012–2015) established engineering education communities, accreditation centres, and trained experts in Central Asia, with active support from European partners. ENAEE’s role was crucial in setting standards and implementing the first programme accreditations. In 2015, the Khujand Agreement created the Central Asian Federation of Engineering Societies.

KazSEE became the only regional body meeting international requirements and joined ENAEE, gaining the right to award the EUR-ACE® Label.

Today, CAAAE:
• has accredited over 1000 programmes, 118 of which carry the EUR-ACE® Label;
• implements international best practices across Central Asia;
• is a full member of Engineers Europe, certifying professionals for the European register;
• awards the EUR ING title, confirming full integration into the EHEA.

Accreditation with CAAAE helps students select reliable universities, protects them from poor services, facilitates mobility, simplifies transfers abroad, and boosts graduate competitiveness. CAAAE also promotes ENAEE’s vision through conferences, seminars, publications, and media.

With ENAEE and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, CAAAE organised international conferences in 2020 and 2023 on digital-era engineering education and EU–Central Asia cooperation. In 2024, it received the ENAEE Prize for advancing standards and the EUR-ACE® Label.

The ENTER project (2018–2021) created the iPET programme for faculty development and the ENTER Register, the only professional body for engineering educators under ISCO classification. Faculty in Central Asia now gain international registration and recognition.

The Erasmus EduFusion NSG project (2024–2027) is building an ecosystem linking academia and industry, offering STEM and entrepreneurship courses, and aligning education with labour market needs.

CAAAE’s mission is not uniformity but transparent, internationally recognised quality assurance adapted to Central Asia.

CTI receives re-authorisation

We’re pleased to inform you that CTI has been awarded re-authorisation of the EUR-ACE® label for Master (2nd cycle) engineering programmes for a further 5 years.

Newsletter contributions

Members are invited to submit their contributions for the Newsletter (upcoming editions: June, September and December) using the provided template. Contact secretary.general@enaee.eu