European Cooperation in Continuing Engineering Education

The European Economic Community has failed to bring about any appreciable level of co-operation in the University* world of Europe. Whilst there is a small number of Universities cooperating in student exchange programmes, in general the situation has not changed in any detectable way in regard to University cooperation, since the establishment of the EEC. Indeed Ireland, as with other European countries, has much stronger University links with the USA than with any of its European partners. It is sometimes said that “European cooperation is like the weather in Ireland, everyone talks about it but does nothing about it” This paper whilst perhaps adding to the ‘talk’, makes a definite proposal for the establishment of a central office which will be the focus for the generation of University cooperation in Europe, specifically in the important field of Continuing Engineering Education (CEE). It is suggested that this office could become the nucleus for more general cooperation between European Universities, particularly in the contribution which the Universities make to the research and development needs of European ‘high-tech’ industry