The need to establish an Engineering Academy for the Pre-Service and In-Service Training of Engineers of Pakistan was perceived as early as in the year 1954 by the West Pakistan Engineering Congress. Efforts to achieve this object continued and in the year 1966, the Punjab Irrigation & Power Department, took the leading role and made a formal reference to the Planning & Development Department, the then Government of West Pakistan. The Irrigation & Power Department, thereafter, prepared a scheme for the Academy in consultation with other sister departments and submitted the same to P & D Department for approval in March, 1970 which was approved in 1975 by the Government of Punjab. This scheme was revised in 1978, 1980 and in 1984 and at last the project was completed in June, 1987.

The Academy has been notified as a training institution under the Punjab Educational and Training Institutions Ordinance, 1960 (West Pakistan Ordinance XI of 1960) vide Government of the Punjab, Services & General Administration and Information Department's Notification dated 30th August, 1984. Minister for Irrigation, Punjab is the Chairman of Board of Governors of the Academy.

The Academy became functional on 19th November, 1984 in the partly completed building, when it organized its first In-service Training Course of 8 weeks duration for Assistant Executive Engineers of the Punjab Irrigation Department.