Chamber of Engineers hits out at union bid to block students from interview

The Chamber of Engineers has criticised an engineers' union’s attempt to block a decision by the Engineering Board that would allow engineering students who graduated from MCAST to be granted the chance to sit for their warrant interview.

“The Chamber of Engineers expresses its concern over the current situation which hinders the board from exercising its functions in the best interests of engineers, aspiring engineers and the profession,” it said in a statement.

Two weeks ago, the board, which is responsible for granting warrants, voted in favour of allowing MCAST graduates to be considered for warrant interviews.

But two members of the board who voted against this proposal, and who also form part of the Malta Association of Professional Engineers (MAPE), filed for a  prohibitory injunction against the board.

In its statement, the chamber mentioned how, between January 2020 and January 2023, the chamber acted as a stakeholder in the evaluation of both the Pre-Warrant Qualification Course (PWQC) and the bachelor’s in engineering (Hons.) programmes offered by MCAST.

Following the evaluation, carried out by the Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics E.V. (ASIIN), the engineering board concluded that both courses at MCAST are eligible to be considered for an engineering warrant.

As such, the chamber called for the consensus reached through the evaluation to be "upheld in accordance with the legal framework established under the Inġiniera Act."

Article 3(2) of the Engineering Act states that a person will be granted a warrant if they are “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 injunction was provisionally accepted until November 10, when a court hearing will take place on the matter. MAPE refused to comment at this time.

The government expressed its regret for the situation and placed the blame on "a small group of engineers who, it seems, believe that in order to reach their own goals, they must prevent innocent people from beginning to practise their profession.”