Indian chemical engineers to benefit from new agreement

Chemical engineers in India are to receive greater support towards attaining chartered chemical engineer status thanks to a new agreement between the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineering (IIChE).

A Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the presidents of both organisations in Mumbai, is intended to promote and extend professional, social and, where appropriate, commercial links between IChemE and IIChE.

IChemE president, Dr Ramesh Mashelkar welcomed the move, which will assist in the quality of engineering practice worldwide and in advancing the mobility of engineering practitioners: "The only way we can eliminate potential barriers in education and learning is by creating what has been called, "a boundaryless profession".

"We must reach out to society, to other disciplines and sectors, and across geographic borders to create a global knowledge and skills pool that is greater than the sum of its parts," he said. "This cross geographic engagement is one of the reasons the MOU between IChemE and IIChE is so critical.

"IChemE is proud of its record as a qualifying body for the chemical engineering profession. Our qualifications are at the heart of IChemE and are taken up by practicing engineers all over the world.

"Becoming a chartered chemical engineers demonstrates a high level of competence, experience and a commitment to best practice, It is a global qualification, recognised throughout the world," added Mashelkar, former director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in India.