A Professions Together event on 7 December at the Engineering Council in London discussed the implications of Brexit for professional bodies and people with UK professional qualifications.

Zara Green represented UK NARIC’s Centre for Professional Qualifications (CPQ) at the first meeting of Professions Together, formerly the UK Inter-Professional Group.

Professional recognition is essential for some people where professional status achieved by experience or qualification, such as Chartered Accountant status or Qualified Teacher Status, entitles them to work at a higher level. This forum for a number of the UK’s professional and regulatory bodies meets to discuss trends, developments and policy.

During the event, a number of discussions focused on the rights of professionals to provide services within the EU, for example, whether UK and other non-EU citizens with UK professional qualifications would be eligible to set up practices in the EU, as EU citizenship is currently required for this.

It became apparent that a number of questions relating to the future recognition of professional qualifications would be discussed during later phases of the Brexit negotiations.

Guest speakers, including the CPQ, provided an update on issues affecting professionals and professional bodies pre-and post-Brexit, as well as discussing various scenarios and the relevant elements of progress in the negotiations. This event was held just prior to the publishing of the joint report on the progress of phase 1 of the negotiations.