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"Since we joined the European Union, on January 1, 1986, a process of convergence began in all areas with the countries around us and an approach to other countries of the world order, which in turn It has led to widespread modernization and unprecedented development.
But unfortunately, our society or part of it, continues to maintain a certain nostalgia and conservatism in certain sectors that makes it impossible to take decisive steps on such important issues as professions and what this entails in the face of mobility, employability and competitiveness of professionals.
And a clear fact, is what happens with the duality of the professions of engineer and technical engineer in Spain, and of course, they do not exist in any country in the world (or at least we know). But worst of all, is that far from trying to adapt in the best possible way to the European and world establishment, what we apparently want, is that others adapt to our model, something that besides being naive, seems impossible.
With the reform of the European Higher Education Area a unique opportunity to converge to the engineering professions of the rest of the world was lost, where the bachelor's degree is the only degree required to be able to practice the engineering profession, and yet here in Spain, so that the professions of engineer and technical engineer could continue to exist, all the principles governing Bologna were violated and therefore, Spanish legislation (RD 1393/2007 and RD 861/2010), and generalist master's degrees were created and enablers, who have no counterpart in any country.
And it is that, compared to what is thought in Spain, that to be an engineer you have to study six years (four of degree plus two of master's degree), in the rest of countries it is enough with a maximum of four years, which places us in a position of competitive disadvantage compared to other professionals.
And now surely there is someone who thinks and not with little reason, that the newly graduated six-year-old engineer will know more than one of four, and that is not debatable, but what you have to ask, is if really necessary and if we can afford it , because I guess no one will doubt the preparation and professionalism of German, British, American, and Japanese engineers.
And that is why everyone has to know that what in Spain is a technical engineer or graduate in engineering, in the rest of the world is an engineer, and that when we go to work outside our country we do it as full-fledged engineers right, although why not say it, in most countries a professional qualification is required by the professional associations equivalent to the Colleges in Spain, which is what really gives the necessary guarantees for society, and this is the model that From our General Council we are implementing through the DPC Ingenieros Accreditation, which certifies continuous professional development (experience and training).
In this sense, we are working to eliminate the few barriers that the Spanish technical engineer finds in some country, as is the case of the recent UK Naric resolution by which a technical engineer is already recognized as a bachelor (degree), and therefore You can opt for the exercise of the engineering profession and continue your postgraduate studies, something that to date and for issues that should not be commented, we were being banned in this country.
There is no doubt that it has been a great achievement, but for me it has only meant a question of justice and reason, which are the ones that should accompany us in the change that is about to arrive in our country.
The time has come and we cannot continue swimming against the current, the time of duality in the Spanish engineering professions is coming to an end.
José Antonio Galdón is president of the General Council of Industrial Technical Engineering "