As a global sponsor, ABET joined academic, industry and government leaders at the October 2024 Western Balkan Engineering Leadership Forum in Belgrade, Serbia. Organized by the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) and the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES), the forum brought leaders together to tackle the challenges of preparing engineers for an AI-driven world.
Representing ABET, CEO Michael K.J. Milligan, Ph.D., and Senior Director of Global Communication and Marketing Amanda Grace Taylor, Ph.D., engaged with participants and led two impactful workshops. Milligan’s “International Accreditation Workshop for Western Balkan Deans” and his session on “ABET International Accreditation and Its Influence on the Internationalization of Programs” highlighted the role of accreditation in global program recognition and in preparing students for an automated, AI-powered workforce.
“It’s important that we engage with higher education around the world, and the Western Balkans region offers significant opportunities for advancing engineering education,” Milligan said.
ABET’s partnerships with GEDC and IFEES underscore its commitment to fostering global educational standards that meet the demands of modern industry. Like GEDC, which brings together engineering deans worldwide to elevate education quality and innovation, ABET champions development of future STEM professionals to enter a global workforce. Through its collaboration with IFEES, ABET works within an expansive network dedicated to advancing engineering education practices that cultivate a globally competent workforce. Together, these partnerships amplify ABET’s mission to support educators in developing programs that are both fundamentally sound and adaptable to rapidly changing industry demands.
By supporting WBELF and similar initiatives, ABET actively strengthens a global engineering community focused on quality, adaptability and workforce readiness, preparing engineers to thrive in a rapidly advancing technological landscape. For more on ABET’s international initiatives, explore our global engagement articles.