Report on the Engineers Australia System February 2007

Overview of Report and Recommendations

The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) sent a delegation to visit Engineers Australia in January 2007. The purpose of the visit was to enhance understanding of the process by which Engineers Australia evaluates applicants for registration as Chartered Professional Engineers (CPEng) and for registration on the National Professional Engineers Register (NPER) as part of the process to pursue an agreement with Engineers Australia at the professional level. The visit afforded the members of the delegation the opportunity to obtain a good understanding of the Engineers Australia and their professional assessment process. In addition to having presentations from Engineers Australia on all aspects of their system, the team also observed three experience interviews. Engineers Australia undertook a similar visit to Canada in 2006 visiting PEO, APEGM and APEGBC as part of their validation of Canadian systems. Summary of Findings and Recommendations The CCPE delegation thoroughly reviewed the system of registering Chartered Professional Engineers that is used by Engineers Australia. The system was deemed to be equivalent to the system in Canada for registering Professional Engineers and the following recommendations have been made:

That Australian engineers who have the CPEng designation and/or are registered by Engineers Australia on the NPER are deemed to have fulfilled the requirements of all CCPE Constituent Member EIT/GIT/MIT programs, with the exception of the 12 month Canadian experience and the Professional Practice Examination requirements.

That Australian engineers seeking registration in Canada provide the following: o Engineering Practice Report and Engineers Australia interview report. o Proof of CPEng designation and/or o Proof of registration on the NPER o A letter of good standing from Engineers Australia

That following the completion of 12 months of Canadian experience and the completion of the Professional Practice Examination, with reporting and verification in accordance with current CCPE Constituent Member procedures, the candidates be considered fully qualified for registration.

That CCPE proceed to conclude a Mutual Recognition Agreement with Engineers Australia based on the draft agreement contained in Appendix A.

Table of Contents

1 2 3

Acknowledgements.................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 4 Engineers Australia System....................................................................................... 4 3.1 Academic Requirements ................................................................................... 6 3.2 Experience Requirements ................................................................................. 8 3.3 Mandatory Continued Professional Development Requirements.................... 11 4 Mutual Recognition Agreement Discussions ........................................................... 12 5 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 12 6 Sources of Relevant Information.............................................................................. 14 APPENDIX A..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Acknowledgements
members of the CCPE delegation wish to express their sincere appreciation to the following Engineers Australias volunteers and staff:

Rolfe Hartley, CPEng, National President Peter Taylor, CPEng, Chief Executive Michael Bevan, Registration Martin Dwyer, CPEng, Director, Engineering Practice Leanne Hardwicke, Director International and National Policy Dr. Maurice Allen, CPEng, Director Education & Assessment Doug Tompsitt, CPEng, Registration Manager, National Assessor Ron Badger, National Advisor, competency Standards Paul Gillespie, Associate Director, Overseas Qualifications Assessment Cynthia Lee, Manager, International Operations

for their warm hospitality, assistance, co-operation, and patience in providing clarification of the Institutions accreditation, training, professional assessment, and registration processes/procedures. We particularly appreciated the co-operation of the candidates and the assessors who provided us the opportunity to observe three scheduled experience interviews. In addition, we thank PEO, APEGM and APEGBC for hosting visits by the Engineers Australia delegation in September 2006.

Introduction

March 2003, CCPE received a request from Engineers Australia to consider entering into a mutual recognition agreement. In February 2006, the CCPE Board of Directors directed the International Committee to carry out this work. The International Committee formed a team comprising:

Dick Fletcher, P.Eng. CCPE Board of Directors (member of International Committee) Guenter Schaub, P.Eng. APEGM Experience Review Committee Member Michael Price, P.Eng. PEO Deputy Registrar, Licensing and Registration Marie Carter, P.Eng. CCPE Director Professional and International Affairs

lowing a period of research, during which information was exchanged between Engineers Australia and CCPE, Engineers Australia undertook a visit of PEO, APEGM and APEGBC registration systems in late 2006 and CCPE sent a delegation to visit Engineers Australia in January 2007. The purpose of the visit was to review the evaluation of experience process for registration as a Chartered Professional Engineer and registration on the National Professional Engineers Register (NPER).
The visit afforded the delegation the opportunity to obtain a good overall understanding of Engineers Australias professional assessment process. The Engineers Australia staff gave presentations on the Engineers Australias registration system including the stage I (academic) and stage II (experience) competencies, continued professional developments requirements, discipline of members and insurance practices.

The delegation observed three experience interviews. Three assessors interviewed each candidate who had previously submitted detailed experience material.

This report describes the Engineers Australia assessment system for registration and compares the approach to the Canadian system.

Engineers Australia System

Engineers Australia is the organization in Australia that registers engineers as chartered professional engineers (CPEng) and maintains the national professional engineers register (NPER). Although throughout most of the States and Territories of Australia there is no legislation governing the regulation of the practice of engineering, generally, the CPEng designation and/or membership on the NPER is considered to be the minimum requirement to carry out engineering work. Engineers Australia, in conjunction with the Association of Consulting Engineers, Australia (ACEA) and the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA), established the National Professional Engineers Register (NPER) and the National Engineering Technologists Register (NETR). The

NPER requires the identical qualifications as the CPEng. The key difference is that registration on the NPER requires the identification of the discipline that the individual will practice in. ACEA represents the leading private sector consulting engineering firms in the commercial and business environment. APESMA represents and advises members in all matters concerning their employment. Engineers Australia is the representative body for engineering practitioners, whose main purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering in all its branches. The concept behind the Registers is to provide an objective national registration system that defines standards for currency of practice that will have a greater degree of credibility than association membership alone. Membership of Engineers Australia is not a pre-requisite for registration on the NPER.

To this end, NPER and NETR is separate and distinct from membership in Engineers Australia. The registration system is not owned by Engineers Australia, but rather by the profession and offers different benefits to membership. Before being included on a Register, practitioners undergo an objective test of their assertion as to competency (the same assessment regime as Engineers Australia Chartered status for professional engineers and engineering technologists). The Registers are managed by a Board of representatives of the three professional bodies, each state government and community organisations. This ensures a level of objectivity that overcomes the assertions of selfinterest that can accompany registration based on membership of an association.

The State of Queensland is currently the only state that has legislation to regulate engineering. The regulation is carried out by the Board of Professional Engineers of the Queensland Government which is the direct responsibility of the Government as opposed to Canada where we operate under an Act of our Province or Territory. The State of Queensland generally uses the NPER as the standard.

Further, it is likely that registration on the NPER will satisfy the requirements for registration under the soon-to-be amended Professional Engineers Act in Queensland and other state registration systems as they are implemented.

Academic Requirements Engineers Australia has three routes through which one can meet the Stage 1 (academic) competencies. The Stage 1 competencies represent the level of preparation necessary and adequate for entry to practice leading to the responsibilities of a professional engineer. The Stage 1 competencies consist of the three units of Knowledge Base, Engineering Ability and Professional Attributes. Within each unit the applicant must demonstrate all of the elements of competency.

The basic academic standard is verified through a Stage I competency assessment. An Engineers Australia-accredited degree (which has been deemed by CCPE as being substantially equivalent to CCPEs standard of a CEAB-accredited degree through the Washington Accord) meets all the Stage I competency requirements. In addition, overseas engineering qualifications that are recognized through formal accreditation bodies in other countries (i.e. Washington Accord accredited degrees) are deemed to meet the Stage 1 Competency requirements.

Secondly, to achieve a favourable Stage I competency assessment, an applicant who does not hold a recognized accredited engineering degree must demonstrate that he or she meets the Stage I competencies as set out in the Overseas Qualifications Assessment Kit. A Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) must be submitted which includes the following elements:

Certified Copies of Academic Degrees and Transcripts Curriculum Vitae or Resume English language competency IELTS Level 6.0 Three Career Episode Narratives Summary Statement of Evidence for the Competency Elements Continuing Professional Development Employer Reference Letters, if applicable

Thirdly, an engineering technologist can undertake an articulation process to become a chartered engineer. Once again, the applicant must demonstrate that he or she meets the same Stage I competencies by submitting a CDR that clearly describes how the competencies are met.

The three competency units each cover a wide range of elements that the candidates must address and demonstrate within their CDRs. In every case, there is a requirement to cite specific education or project related job functions that have been undertaken which demonstrate exposure to the established unit criteria. The compulsory units are normally covered by an accredited Australian or Washington Accord Engineering degree.

Within the Knowledge Base Competency Unit the following elements must be demonstrated: knowledge of science and engineering fundamentals, in-depth technical competence in at least one engineering discipline, techniques and resources and general knowledge.

Within the Engineering Ability Competency Unit the applicant must demonstrate the ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution, the understanding

of social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities and the need to employ principles of sustainable development, the ability to utilize a systems approach to complex problems and to design and operational performance, proficiency in engineering design, the ability to conduct an engineering project and the understanding of the business environment.

Within the Professional Attributes Competency Unit the applicant must demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively, with the engineering team and with the community at large, the ability to manage information and documentation, the capacity for creativity and innovation, the understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities, and commitment to them, the ability to function effectively as an individual and in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, as a team leader or manager as a well as an effective team member, the capacity for lifelong learning and professional development and professional attitudes.

Based on our findings, the criteria contained within the three mandatory units are of at least equal level to those routinely measured against within the various CCPE Constituent Member academic requirements.

Experience Requirements

Once the Stage 1 competencies have been met, the applicant is required to obtain engineering experience to meet a second set of competencies, Stage II. It generally takes three to five years to acquire the Stage II competencies.

Stage II Competencies comprise the following:

Three compulsory units: engineering practice, engineering planning and design, and self-management in the engineering workplace. There are 17 elements within these three compulsory units. Two of ten elective units with the required number of elements within each of the two units.

Career episode reports (CERs) are written to demonstrate evidence of competence. The reports include projects, tasks, secondments, etc and are written in the context of the area of practice. The reports must also have sufficient details to demonstrate the elements of the competency claimed. The three compulsory and two elective competency units each cover a wide range of elements that the candidates must address within their CERs. In every case, there is a requirement to cite specific project related job functions that have been undertaken which demonstrate exposure to the established unit criteria. The three compulsory units include criteria related to:

Engineering Practice (professional development, professional image, teamwork, developing solutions, and assess constraints), Engineering Planning and Design (assess design requirements, planning, design process, documentation and validation) and Self Management in the Workplace (innovation, working with others, manage priorities, manage resources, manage information).

Based on our findings, the criteria contained within the three mandatory units are of equal (if not greater) scope than those routinely measured against within the various CCPE

Constituent Member EIT/GIT/MIT programs. In addition, the two elective categories serve to demonstrate the progression and increased levels of responsibility of the candidates as they work through the CER and EPR process. For example, the elective units include increased levels of management, research, investigation, reporting, sales and development. Typically, the elements of the elective competency units would be experienced by candidates which have progressed well beyond an entry level position.

Ongoing community / volunteer service is not specifically addressed within the compulsory or elective units of the CPEng program.

The CERs are completed as elements of the competencies are gained and are verified by the supervisor or mentor (Mentors are assigned to those who have completed the Stage I competencies, but do not have a CPEng as a supervisor. Mentors are given workshops on effective mentoring). They are submitted to Engineers Australia for assessment and feedback. The CERs are then compiled to form an Engineering Practice Report (EPR). This is then submitted to Engineers Australia with a detailed curriculum vitae and a continuing professional development list.

The final step in the assessment process is the professional interview. This is a peer review carried out by a panel of three Chartered Professional Engineers comprising a discipline expert, an industry expert and a trained and certified Engineers Australia assessor. Prior to the interview the panel members become familiar with the submissions

by the interviewee. The interviewee is given 15 minutes to present his or her qualifications and experience, followed by a 45-minute question period. The questions include the topics of ethics, environment and sustainability. The applicant is advised of the result immediately after the professional interview. From our observations, the degree of scrutiny that a candidate undergoes is at least equal to that exercised by the various Canadian CCPE Constituent Member Experience Review Committees. Furthermore, the interview process is a very effective tool in clearly verifying the validity of the information submitted by the candidate and the supervisor / mentor.

Mandatory Continued Professional Development Requirements

To maintain status as a CPEng, the member must engage in continued professional development (CPD). The following are the parameters for the CPD:

150 hrs / 3 years Currency of Practice Technical Discipline Risk Management Business Practices Career Directed

CPD can take the following forms:

On the Job Formal Courses, short & long Seminars Conferences

Learned Journals e learning Reading

Engineers Australia faces similar challenges to the Canadian engineering regulatory bodies regarding the auditing of the CPD activities and has taken the approach of selfdeclaration with random audits. They look for currency of practice using staff assessors. They provide peer support and advice and can impose penalties on members not fulfilling their CPD obligations.

Mutual Recognition Agreement Discussions

The CCPE delegation discussed the potential terms of a mutual recognition agreement with Engineers Australia and agreed that the draft agreement included in Appendix A would be discussed within each jurisdiction. The draft agreement includes such elements as the requirement for writing the Professional Practice Examination and the requirement for one year of Canadian engineering experience. Clause 4.1.2 (b) (ii) makes it clear that the assessment for membership on the NPER is carried out by Engineers Australia and clause 8.1 confirms that each signatory will notify the other if there are changes to their system. Further, the agreement includes a clause which allows each jurisdiction to carry out a further review of an applicant and potentially decline the application.

Recommendations

That Australian engineers who have the CPEng designation and/or are registered by Engineers Australia on the NPER are deemed to have fulfilled the requirements of all CCPE Constituent Member EIT/GIT/MIT programs, with the exception of the 12 month Canadian experience and the Professional Practice Examination requirements.

That Australian engineers seeking registration in Canada provide the following: o Engineering Practice Report and Engineers Australia interview report. o Proof of CPEng designation o Proof of registration on the NPER o A letter of good standing from Engineers Australia

That following the completion of 12 months of Canadian experience and the completion of the Professional Practice Examination, with reporting and verification in accordance with current CCPE Constituent Member procedures, the candidates be considered fully qualified for registration.

That CCPE proceed to conclude a Mutual Recognition Agreement with Engineers Australia based on the draft agreement contained in Appendix A.

Sources of Relevant Information

Personal discussions with the Engineers Australia staff and its assessors. Slide presentations provided by Engineers Australia (accessible through CCPE staff). Documents provided by Engineers Australia outlining CPEng program. Information obtained from Engineers Australias website: http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/