A Warrant of Prohibitory Injunction (Mandat ta’ Inibizzjoni) has been filed by the Malta Association of Professional Engineers (MAPE) against the Board tal-Inġiniera, the regulatory body of the engineering profession. This has been filed following a vote within the Board tal-Inġiniera which resulted in a majority in favour for allowing eligible MCAST applicants for the engineering warrant to be considered for the warrant interview by the same Board.

Between January 2020 and January 2023, the Chamber took part as a formal key stakeholder in the evaluation process of both the Pre-Warrant Qualification Course (PWQC) and the Bachelor in Engineering (Hons.) programmes offered by MCAST. The evaluation processes were undertaken by the Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics E.V. (ASIIN) following their appointment by the Bord tal-Inġiniera. The CoE has participated objectively throughout the evaluation and review process of both programmes and shared views and recommendations to voice the standards expected by the engineering profession and in the best interests of society. The results and the evaluation reports pertaining to the process, together with recommendations made by the Chamber, are publicly available on the Chamber’s website and described further here.

The evaluation of the MCAST PWQC started in April 2020 with ASIIN consenting to the PWQC in January 2021. The evaluation of the MCAST B. Eng. (Hons.) programmes started in October 2020 with ASIIN consenting to the B.Eng. (Hons.) programmes in May 2022. Following the successful conclusion of the evaluation process, the Bord tal-Inġiniera, in agreement with key stakeholders, recognised that graduates from the MCAST PWQC and graduates from MCAST B.Eng. (Hons.) programmes are eligible to be considered for their warrant to practice in the profession of Inġinier, in accordance with Article 3 (2) in the Inġiniera Act (CAP321), which states that a candidate needs to be “in possession of such degree of the University of Malta or an equivalent academic qualification relating to the engineering profession both of which, at the relevant time, are recognised by the Board to be sufficient for the purposes of this article”. The first PWQC started in April 2021 with the first cohort of students graduating at the end of January 2023 and the first cohort of graduates from the new B.Eng. (Hons.) programmes graduated at the end of 2022.

The Chamber of Engineers expresses its concern over the current situation which hinders the Board from exercising its functions in the best interests of Inġiniera, aspiring Inġiniera and the profession. The Chamber anticipates that the procedural integrity and the resulting consensus reached throughout the evaluation process will be duly upheld in accordance with the legal framework established under the Inġiniera Act. The Board, as the profession’s regulator, is expected to carry out  warrant interviews for candidates who satisfy the requirements stated in Article 3 (2) in the Inġiniera Act.

The CoE remains dedicated to supporting aspiring Inġiniera educated in institutions that reflect the professional, ethical, and societal standards expected of the engineering community and the law. The Chamber renders itself available to the stakeholders concerned to contribute towards a solution which safeguards the interests of the profession and warrant applicants as graduate members of the engineering community.