General Information
Engineering for the Americas Symposium
Lima, Peru - November 29-December 2, 2005


Stimulated by the globalization of the engineering profession and the industries that it supports, and by increased interest in trade between countries and regions in the American hemisphere, a grass-roots movement to enhance engineering and technology education in the hemisphere has been gathering momentum through discussions at conferences over the past four years. The movement has been dubbed “Engineering for the Americas”, and it has involved educators, industry representatives, government officials, and professional groups as it has evolved. The basic concept calls for engineers educated in high quality institutions in each country in the hemisphere, with quality assurance systems in place to guarantee consistently high caliber graduates. Mutual recognition of such engineering graduates across national boundaries, combined with cross-border trade agreements, will facilitate the flow of work and human resources throughout the hemisphere to optimal locations – for distributed economic development. This open mobility will then form the basis for a knowledge-based, hemisphere-wide economy, which is competitive in the overall global economy. Each country in the hemisphere, as well as the sum of all countries in the hemisphere, should benefit.

Recognizing the importance of this movement, the Office of Education, Science and Technology of the Organization of American States has worked with the previously ad-hoc group to formalize the “Engineering for the Americas” concept and program. A hemispheric initiative with this title was developed in meetings convened by the OAS in mid-2004, and incorporated in the Declaration of Lima and the Plan of Action of Lima, which were adopted by the meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology in November 2004. The initiative calls for enhancement of engineering education, development of quality assurance mechanisms, harmonization of degree patterns, fostering of innovation, and government commitment to providing necessary upgrading to engineering and technology education. It also calls for a major workshop during 2005 to address how to effectively implement these proposed actions.

A planning committee has been established by the OAS to organize and conduct the major workshop called for in the Lima Declaration – the “Engineering for the Americas Symposium”. It will be held in Lima, Peru during 29 November – 2 December, 2005. The symposium will have three foci: needs of the productive sector for engineering graduates, and capacity building; quality assurance in engineering education; and country planning for financing of upgrades to engineering education. Some 300 participants will be invited, from government, academia, the private sector, and professional associations. Outcomes of the symposium will include definition of the productive sector’s needs, understanding of needs and opportunities in enhancement and quality assurance for engineering education, planning for appropriate processes in each country to finance needed enhancements, and a plan for sustainability of the Engineering for the Americas movement. Funds for the 2005 Symposium are being obtained from government agencies and from industries from throughout the hemisphere.