Professional Documents
Culture Documents
REFERENCE GUIDE
(CARG)
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CONTENTS
SECTION A - Introduction .................................................................................................... 3
1. IPENZ competence-based quality marks ..................................................................... 3
2. Types of assessment .................................................................................................... 4
SECTION B - Assessment for Admission Applications ............................................................ 5
3. How to Apply ............................................................................................................. 5
4. Preparing for assessment for admission ....................................................................... 6
5. Completing CA01 Application Form ........................................................................... 6
6. Competence Self Review Form (CA03) ...................................................................... 13
7. Work History Summary (Form CA04) or annotated CV ............................................ 14
8. Recording your Continuing Professional Development Activities (Form CA05) .......... 14
9. Referee Declaration and Evaluation Form (Form CA06)............................................ 14
10. Work Samples .................................................................................................... 15
SECTION C - Assessments For Continued Registration ........................................................ 17
11. What you need to do ........................................................................................... 17
12. Preparing for continued registration assessment .................................................. 17
13. Completing CRA Submission Form (CA02) ........................................................ 18
14. Referee Declaration and Evaluation Form (Form CA26) ..................................... 18
15. Work Samples .................................................................................................... 19
16. Videoconference Interactive Assessments ............................................................ 20
17. Assessment Fee................................................................................................... 21
SECTION D - Assessment Process ........................................................................................ 22
18. Assessment Process ............................................................................................ 22
SECTION E - Referee Eligibility .......................................................................................... 25
19. Who is eligible to be a Referee? ........................................................................... 25
SECTION F - Other Useful Information ............................................................................... 27
20. Recognised Engineer Category A and Category B ............................................. 27
21. Design Verifier ................................................................................................... 27
22. CPEng(Aust) and CPEng(NZ) ............................................................................ 27
23. Useful Links ....................................................................................................... 27
SECTION G - Knowledge Assessments ................................................................................. 29
SECTION H - Practice Field Guidelines ............................................................................... 31
SECTION I - If you are unhappy with outcome .................................................................... 32
24. Appeals and Procedural reviews ......................................................................... 32
SECTION J - CAB Policy: Term to next assessment.............................................................. 34
1. Policy on term to next assessment.............................................................................. 34
2. Policy For Term to Next Assessment ......................................................................... 34
SECTION K - Index ............................................................................................................ 37
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SECTION A - INTRODUCTION
1.
The term quality mark in this document refers to any title, membership class or
registration that is only achieved through demonstration of a specified level of
competence by competence assessment. Current competence means that competence
has been demonstrated within the last 6 years.
IPENZ operates 5 registers of current competence and has 3 competence-based
membership classes all require an assessment of competence.
Any engineer can apply for any quality mark, however, the appropriate quality mark will
be determined by the level of complexity of engineering work being performed
competently:
The IPENZ quality marks available for each type of engineer are summarised in the table
below:
Engineering Role
Professional
Engineer (PE)
Engineering
Technologist (ET)
Engineering
Technician (ETn)
Current competence
Registers
Chartered
professional
Engineer (CPEng)
Engineering
Technology
Practitioner
(ETPract)
Certified
Engineering
Technician
(CertETn)
International
Engineering
Technologist
(IntET)
(No international
register at present)
International registers
International
Professional
Engineer (IntPE)
IPENZ Membership
Classes
Professional
Technical Member
Associate Member
Member of IPENZ of IPENZ (TIPENZ)
of IPENZ (AIPENZ)
(MIPENZ)
Exemplar
qualifications
Sydney
Washington Accord
degree
degree
Accord Dublin
certificate
diploma
Accord
or
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IPENZ administers other registers that generally require registration on one of the
above registers a prerequisite. These are:
TYPES OF ASSESSMENT
2.1
a.
b.
Changes made in 2011 to the CPEng Rules and IPENZ Regulations covering competence
assessment means that from 1 January 2012 any person presenting for competence
assessment will have his or her name posted on the IPENZ website for no more than 21
days. During this period any person may make a statement to IPENZ about the
candidates competence. Any such statement received will be forwarded to the
candidate along with an invitation to the candidate to make a response. Both the
statement and the response will be given to the assessment panel for its consideration
in conducting the assessment.
Design Verifier in this document means a Design Verifier as defined in Schedule 1 of the
Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes, and Passenger Ropeways)
Regulations 1999.
2 Recognised Engineer in this document means a Recognised Engineer as defined in section
149 of the Building Act (2004).
1
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HOW TO APPLY
The portfolio of evidence from engineers applying for an AFA must include the following
forms:
CA01 - Application form for assessment for admission to a register or
Membership class.
CA03 competence self-review form - this is a key document as it gives
assessors examples of evidence where you consider you show you meet the
various requirements of the standard.
CA04 work history summary form - you can send in a detailed CV (i.e., a CV
that youd use for a job-search, so long as it contains the same type of
information requested by the CA04 form).
CA05 CPD summary form for CPD activities covering the last 6 years.
Assessors will have access to your on-line records if you have been tracking your
CPD using IPENZs on-line recording system only use the CA05 to cover the
balance if you have not used the on-line system for the whole of this period.
CA06 Referee Declaration and Evaluation form which your referees complete
and submit directly to IPENZ.
You can either submit copies of your portfolio of evidence electronically (if it is larger
than 2MB, please do not email it but send it on a memory stick or CD) or in hard-copy,
but if you submit printed copies, you must send in 3 copies of the documents. Collate
papers into 3 separate bundles containing 1 copy of each form and send all 3 copies to
the IPENZ national office at the address listed on the application form. If you require a
Knowledge Assessment (see SECTION G - on page 30), you will need to provide an extra
set of application documents (i.e., 4 in total).
If you are applying for IPENZ membership ONLY via credit schedule (see paragraph 23.1
on page 28) your portfolio of evidence need only consist of ONE copy of the CA01 form,
including contact details for two referees and certified copies of your qualifications and
memberships/licenses. You do not need to pay an application fee.
3.1
The assessment panel will assess your evidence against one of the following
competence standards:
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3.2
Check the credit schedule (see paragraph 23.1 on page 28) for details on how previous
assessments may reduce the amount of evidence you need to submit.
3.3
NON-IPENZ MEMBERS
Non-IPENZ members who have not previously been assessed for any recognised quality
mark may wish to apply for Graduate Membership in the interim to take advantage of
the on-line services (such as the referee request) offered to Members. Graduate
Membership only requires that you have an engineering qualification.
4.
Familiarise yourself with the competence standard that you will be assessed against
see the table in SECTION A - on page 3).
Update your Work History Summary (Form CA04) or your CV (if it includes the same
information) or online graduate development records for the last 6 years.
Use the Competence Self Review Form (CA03) to document 2 examples of evidence
you believe shows you meet the standard for each of the 12 elements.
5.
Use the AFA: Competence Assessment for Admission (Form CA01) if you are
a) applying for admission to a current competence register; or
b) applying for IPENZ membership via credit schedule (refer to paragraph 23.1 on
page 28) or
c) wish to become a Design Verifier or Recognised Engineer but you are not yet
CPEng registered.
Do not use this form if you are already CPEng registered and wish to become a Design
Verifier or Recognised Engineer - you should use the CA02 form as the assessment will
be treated as a continued registration assessment.
5.1
APPLICANT DETAILS
Provide your full name and your IPENZ identity record number, if you know it, and your
date of birth.
5.2
You can apply for one or more of the registers and IPENZ membership with one
application. Use the links in SECTION A - on page 3 to explore the different registers and
membership classes before deciding what you would like to apply for. Refer to SECTION
F - on page 27) if you wish to apply for Recognised Engineer or Design Verifier.
Competence Assessment Reference Guide
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If you wish to apply for one of the IPENZ competence-based membership classes and
you have been assessed to an IPENZ-recognised level of competence previously, no fees
or assessment is required.
5.3
CONTACT DETAILS
IPENZ needs a contact address when communicating with you. You can select either
your home or business address as the address you would prefer IPENZ to use.
The registers are publicly accessible and searchable so if you consent to your contact
details being listed on a register, IPENZ will only use a business address for your contact
details on the register.
You may choose not to have your contact details listed on the online registers. Indicate
your preference under section 9.2 of the CA01 form.
5.4
QUALIFICATIONS
You should provide certified copies of your qualifications with your application.
There is no required qualification in a competence-based assessment system but the
knowledge benchmark is the relevant Accord exemplar qualification that is:
To meet the quality mark requirements you must demonstrate you have acquired
knowledge to a level equivalent to the exemplar qualification. For example, CPEng
applicants must demonstrate they can comprehend and apply knowledge to the level
equivalent of a Washington Accord degree. As quality marks are competence based,
there is no prescribed qualification required the exemplar qualification is good
evidence.
Most applicants with the relevant Accord qualification (or recognised equivalent) and
their summary of on-going learning are able to demonstrate they meet the knowledge
requirement without a specific knowledge assessment.
If you do not have qualifications recognised under these Accords, you should assume
you will be required to undertake a knowledge assessment (refer to SECTION G - on page
29).
5.5
Certified copies are copies of your original academic qualifications or memberships that
have been certified by third party as true copies of the original. The person certifying
your copies could be one of the following:
o
an AIPENZ, TIPENZ, MIPENZ or FIPENZ member (they must also state their
membership number)
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Whoever certifies the qualifications needs to print their name, signing the statement I
certify this to be a true copy.
If you are currently an IPENZ member, you do not need to submit certified copies of your
qualifications unless requested to, as records of your qualifications should be held on
file. However, if you have obtained further qualifications since your last assessment,
then include certified copies of these as outlined above.
Important note: you should always retain possession of your original documents.
5.6
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/REGISTRATIONS/LICENSES
5.7
OVERSEAS-BASED APPLICANTS
There is nothing in the CPEng Rules or IPENZ Regulations that requires applicants to
reside or practice in New Zealand. However, element 2 of the competence standard
requires applicants for a current competence-based register (CPEng, ETPract or CertETn)
to demonstrate that they are able to comprehend and apply knowledge of good
engineering practice that is specific to New Zealand. This is practice area dependent
and will impact more significantly on those areas of engineering where there is high level
of New Zealand specific good practice (for example, as determined by the regulatory
environment) than those areas where there is a high-level of international codes,
standards and regulations.
If an applicants practice area has limited New Zealand-specific engineering knowledge
(such as for software engineering) because engineering practice is based largely on
international standards and codes, there will be minimal evidence required. If, however,
the candidates practice area demands a high level of New Zealand-specific engineering
knowledge (such as seismic engineering), evidence will be required to show that he/she
is able to practice competently in the New Zealand context, through activities such as:
a. Performing engineering work for New Zealand-based clients;
b. Working in an international company which has New Zealand offices, and he/she
participates in New Zealand-based activities;
c. Working in an environment where design codes, standards etc are based on New
Zealand standards and codes. In such a situation, the candidate would need to
show how he/she is aware of and applies these in the context of the New Zealand
regulatory environment (e.g. application of the New Zealand Building Code);
d. CPD includes development and/or training on New Zealand-specific practice. This
CPD would normally be evidence in addition to one or more of (a) through (c) above.
Note that passive CPD (e.g., private reading) alone is unlikely to provide sufficient
evidence to satisfy the requirements for this element.
5.8
PRACTICE AREA
the area within which you have engineering knowledge and skills; and
b.
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Your practice area is likely to change over the course of your engineering life as your
knowledge and skills are developed and/or as the nature of your engineering activities
changes (such as taking on engineering management responsibilities).
Assessment panels are required to assess whether your practice area description is a
reasonable summary of your practice area (based on the evidence presented) and then
they will assess your competence within that practice area.
You are required to describe your practice area through a small number of succinct
statements of 15-25 words in total. Here are some tips for when drafting your practice
area description:
1. describe both the nature of your engineering activities (using words like design,
production, construction monitoring or certification) and the area in which
you have current knowledge and skills (using terms like electricity generation
and reticulation, biomass fuels, roading networks, heavy road transport
vehicles or reinforced concrete structures).
2. If using generic terms in describing the nature of your engineering activities
(such as project management, asset management or contracts
management) ensure that you include suitable qualifying terms to show the
engineering aspects of the work. For example, project management the design
of wideband telecommunications networks.
3. Use bullet point type statements rather than full sentences.
4. Include supporting evidence (work samples, or descriptions of the work in either
or both of your work history or your competence self-review form) for everything
specified in your practice area description and
5. Exclude things from the practice area description that are not supported by
evidence in your portfolio of evidence. If you are unable to provide supporting
evidence for some engineering activity included in your practice area description
- remove it.
5.9
The following are examples of acceptable practice area descriptions and how they align
with the most appropriate practice field(s) in completing Sections 6.1 and 6.2.
Applicant/
Candidate
Engineer 1
Engineer 2
Practice
field(s)*
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Applicant/
Candidate
Engineer 3
Engineer 4
Practice
field(s)*
Note: The practice field information is only used for the selection of assessors. It
has no impact on the candidates assessment, as the assessment panel will be
assessing the candidate in his or her practice area.
5.10
ii.
Structural design.
iii.
The reason why these practice area descriptions are poor is that they do not identify the
engineers knowledge base and the nature of his/her engineering activities.
Description (i) gives no indication of any engineering involvement in the projects
- is it transportation, energy management, water supply or waste water
management? Engineering management is acceptable but the practice area
description needs to show how engineering is involved - the candidate has to
provide clear evidence that he/she analyses and solves complex engineering
management problems and manages complex engineering management
activities in this practice area.
Description (ii) lacks specific detail is the engineer claiming to be competent
across all aspects of structural engineering? Some details - such as reinforced
concrete structures - dams, bridges and related structures are required to give
a more accurate description of the practice area.
Description (iii) like description (i) lacks any indication of the engineering
involvement. Additional information is required to show the engineers
engineering involvement such as Project management of design and
construction of industrial plant.
5.11
Design Verifiers must identify one or more of the three types of equipment that they wish
to perform design verifications for Pressure Equipment, Cranes or Passenger
Ropeways.
Competence Assessment Reference Guide
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5.12
PRACTICE FIELDS
You are asked to select one or two practice field(s) with which your practice area most
closely aligns. Your practice area may partly lie within two or more practice fields, but
IPENZ asks that you select no more than two practice fields when completing the
application form.
The 17 Practice areas are Aerospace, Bio, Building Services, Chemical, Civil, Electrical,
Environmental, Fire, Geotechnical, Industrial, Information, Management, Mechanical,
Mining, Petroleum, Structural, and Transportation. These fields are the disciplines
adopted by the APEC Engineer Agreement.
5.13
ASSESSMENT CENTRES
Assessments are normally carried out in one of the three main centres in New Zealand.
However, if there are sufficient applicants from other centres where there are a number
of locally based assessors available, then assessments may be arranged in that centre
with the agreement of all parties involved. In the past a limited number of interactive
assessments have been held in Hamilton for example.
5.14
UK ASSESSMENTS
Applicants practising in the UK who have a Washington Accord accredited degree (or
recognised equivalent) may apply for assessment for MIPENZ and/or CPEng in the UK.
However, such applicants should be warned that completing the assessment may take
longer and cost more than assessments carried out in New Zealand. Arrangements will
be made on a case-by-case basis.
5.15
REFEREES
Please record the names and contact details of your two independent referees who
meet the eligibility criteria (see SECTION E - on page 25). Referees will need to fill out a
Referee Declaration and Evaluation Form and send it directly to the IPENZ National
Office Members can use the on-line system to do this electronically (see paragraph 9
on page 14).
5.16
Complete this section if you are applying for IPENZ membership or if you are already a
member but wish to move to another class of membership (eg. GIPENZ moving to
MIPENZ, or TIPENZ moving to MIPENZ etc). This section determines the level of IPENZ
communications that you will receive in future.
5.17
You must fill in all of these sections. If you leave a section blank, processing your
application will be delayed until all sections are completed.
5.18
If you are a Registered Professional Engineer Queensland (RPEQ) and wish to apply for
CPEng in New Zealand, you are eligible for registration under the Trans Tasman Mutual
Recognition Act (TTMRA) which is a government-to-government agreement between New
Zealand and Australia. TTMRA applies to both goods and services (occupations). If
someone is in an occupation that requires registration in both countries, being
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5.19
5.20
Please tick the relevant boxes which relate to the membership classes and registers you
are applying for. The final two declarations (that authorise IPENZ to contact referees and
certify that all the information you have provided is accurate) must be ticked by all
applicants.
5.21
ASSESSMENT FEE
The fee for an AFA is payable on submission of your application and portfolio of
evidence. Use the table at the rear of the form to calculate your fee. This can be paid by
either cheque or credit card. A refund will be given if the assessment is completed
without needing to use all the assessment tools you paid for.
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6.
This is the key document for AFAs and provides assessors with examples of evidence
you believe demonstrates your competence for each of the elements of the relevant
competence standard. In general terms you should:
Cross reference examples to your work samples, work history or CPD records.
When using the same piece of work for a number of elements, you can give full
information when you first describe the work then cross-reference as appropriate
elsewhere later. As a guide you should provide: the name of the job, scale of
significance of the work (e.g. size and cost), your role and the key issues and
outcomes.
Note the technical or engineering managerial complexity of the project, taking into
account the definitions provided at the rear of the form. Examples cited should
demonstrate a level of complexity consistent with the quality marks you are being
assessed for.
Check out the code of ethical conduct for either CPEng or the other IPENZ registers
to assist you preparing evidence for element 8 (ethical conduct) of your competence
self-review. The codes require an identical level of conduct and only differ in how
they refer to an engineer (i.e. as either a Chartered Professional Engineer or as
the registrant).
Back up examples in the Competence Self Review with work samples highlighting
the things you believe show how you demonstrate competence for each of the
elements of the standard. Remember it is your responsibility to provide your best
evidence of competence for assessment dont rely on assessors to ask you to
submit further information.
Please exercise judgement on the level of detail provided - less detail may be needed for
substantial, obviously complex projects or activities while smaller scale projects may
require more as the complexities may not be immediately apparent. The objective is to
supply sufficient information to enable straightforward verification by the panel.
The questions in the form are a guide to identify suitable projects or activities from your
CV, work history records or CPD records that best demonstrate competence against
each element. Alternatively check out the performance indicators in the relevant
competence standard for guidance on good evidence of competence.
Assessment panels cannot rely on implied evidence they can only use evidence
which clearly shows you are able to do the things required by the competence element.
For this reason it is important to identify specific examples that best demonstrate your
competence. As an example, for element 10 giving specific examples of your
communication requirements (e.g. chairing client meetings, managing contractors,
reporting to senior management) is better than saying I am a senior executive and must
be able to communicate clearly to perform my job.
You may find the Practice Field Guidelines in SECTION H - on page 31 give more
information if guidelines covering your field of engineering have been developed.
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7.
Your work history summary should show the type of engineering you are doing in your
practice area and summarise your responsibilities, key projects and activities, and your
achievements. If you have a detailed CV which includes the same information required
by the CA04 form, it is acceptable to provide this instead of the CA04 form.
It is also acceptable to use the on-line work history records instead of the CA04 form if
you have been recording your competence development on-line over the last 6 years (or
since graduation if that was a lesser period).
Experience has shown that graduates with Washington Accord recognised qualification
who have participated in a recognised graduate development programme (either the
IPENZ graduate development programme, or a graduate programme run by an IPENZ
endorsed employer or Professional Development Partner) typically take at least 3 to 4
years of post graduate work experience to develop the required level of competence
before applying. Engineering technologist and technician graduates may achieve
competence in a shorter period.
If you do not have Accord recognised qualifications and you have not undertaken
significant post graduate study you will probably need a much longer period of
experiential learning before being able to demonstrate that you meet the competence
standard.
8.
9.
Applicants must select two referees who meet the specified eligibility criteria (see
SECTION E - on page 25
IPENZ Members can use the on-line referee request system to enter their practice area
details and up-load their completed competence self-review form (CA03). On entering
the referees email contact details, referees will be sent an email containing a link to the
CA06 form which can be completed on-line. When they have completed the form, they
can submit it directly to your assessors applicants will get an email confirmation once
the report has been submitted.
Competence Assessment Reference Guide
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Using this on-line system will save time and expedite the process. You should follow up
with your referees if you do not receive an email within a reasonable time indicating that
they have completed and submitted their report.
Non-IPENZ Members will need to give each referee
1. A Referee Declaration and Evaluation Form (CA06), with your practice area
description copied from your CA01 or CA02 form, along with the date the referee
must submit the completed form to National Office;
2. A copy of their completed competence self-review form (Form CA03).
Referees must fill out the CA06 form referencing your competence self-review form and
send it to the IPENZ National Office by the date you specified on the CA06 form. To make
it easier for your referees we suggest you provide them with a stamped envelope
addressed to the IPENZ National Office.
It is your responsibility to set the due date referees are to submit the completed form to
IPENZ. This is specified on the front page of the CA06 form.
10.
WORK SAMPLES
When applying for Assessment for Admission (AFA), you are strongly encouraged to
submit evidence in the form of work samples especially the examples cited in your
Competence Self Review form. For example you might use one sample to show your risk
identification and management skills, while another could demonstrate your engineering
analysis and problem solving skills.
You should clearly identify those parts of projects/activities you were personally
responsible for to indicate your personal contribution. You are also encouraged to cross
reference work samples in your other documents (especially your competence selfreview form) to assist assessors in finding the critical evidence of your competence.
The work samples should make it easy for the assessment panel to verify competence.
Choose your examples carefully. The choice of samples is also important as it can help
demonstrate that your decision making demonstrates sound engineering judgment. You
should outline at the start of each sample exactly how and why you have chosen each
sample.
10.1
an engineering problem requiring a physical solution for instance your work may
have involved the investigation and/or design and implementation of a structure, a
product, a transmission system or other physical subject;
an engineering research project, provided that the work has taken you from
investigation and design through to implementation;
For more specific guidelines relating to different practice fields, please refer to the
Practice Field Guidelines in SECTION H - on page 31.
Competence Assessment Reference Guide
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The forms required in your portfolio of evidence for continued registration assessment
are:
CA02 - Submission for continued registration assessment
CA04 work history summary form - you can send in a detailed CV (i.e., a CV
that youd use for a job-search, so long as it contains the same type of
information requested by the CA04 form).
CA05 CPD summary form
CA26 Referee Declaration and Evaluation form which your referees complete
and submit directly to IPENZ. Access the form (or use the on-line referee request
system) via the IPENZ website.
Work samples refer to paragraph 15 on page 19 for details.
You need to submit a portfolio of evidence consisting of the documents listed above.
You can either submit your portfolio of evidence electronically (if it is larger than 2MB,
please do not email it but send it on a memory stick or CD) or submit printed versions,
but if you submit printed copies, you must send in 3 copies of the documents. Collate
papers into 3 separate bundles containing 1 copy of each form and send all 3 copies to
the IPENZ national office at the address listed on the application form.
12.
If your practice area has not changed materially since your last assessment, the
standard for continued registration requires essentially two things (i) that you
have taken reasonable steps to maintain your competence and (ii) that you are still
able to practice competently in your practice area.
If your practice area has changed materially in other words you have developed a
new body of knowledge rather than extended your previous body of knowledge
then you need to prepare your portfolio of evidence as if you were undertaking an
AFA in your current practice area. Examples of such a situation would be an
electrical engineer who is now practising in fire engineering. A change where an
electrical engineer had been promoted to a position where he or she was
responsible for fire engineers would not be regarded as a material change to his or
her practice area.
Update your Work History Summary (Form CA04) or your CV if it includes the same
information. IPENZ Members recording their work history online in the IPENZ
Members area may submit a copy of those records instead.
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13.
The CA02 form contains many fields that are similar to those required on the CA01 form.
The following sections of the CA02 form are the same as the CA01 so refer to the
relevant sections of paragraph 5 on page 6 for guidance.
Practice fields;
14.
You must submit the names and contact details of two independent referees who meet
the eligibility criteria (see SECTION E - on page 25). However, unlike the AFA, your
referees will need to fill out a Referee Declaration and Evaluation (Form CA26), and send
it directly to the IPENZ National Office.
IPENZ Members can use the on-line referee request system to enter their practice area
details and up-load their completed CA02 form. On entering the referees email contact
details, referees will be sent an email containing a link to the CA26 form which can be
completed on-line. When they have completed the form, they can submit it directly to
your assessors applicants will get an email confirmation once the report has been
submitted.
Using this on-line system will save time and expedite the process. You should follow up
with your referees if you do not receive an email within a reasonable time indicating that
they have completed and submitted their report.
Non-IPENZ Members will need to give each referee
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A Referee Declaration and Evaluation Form (CA26), with your CA02 form (which
includes your practice area description and work sample annotations), along with
the date the referee must submit the completed form to National Office;
Referees must fill out the CA26 form referencing your annotations on the completed
CA02 form and send it to the IPENZ National Office by the date you specified on the
CA26 form..
It is your responsibility to set the due date referees are to submit the completed form to
IPENZ. This is specified on the front page of the CA26 form.
15.
WORK SAMPLES
Candidates for CRA must now include work samples as part of their portfolio of
evidence.
The purpose of work samples is to allow the assessment panel to verify your current
competence. Choose your examples carefully. The choice of samples is also important
and reflects your decision making and engineering judgment. You should outline at the
start of each sample exactly how and why you have chosen each sample.
The onus is on you as the registrant to provide evidence that you think demonstrates
your current competence. The thrust of the continued registration assessment is not
tell us what you do but to show us what you do. The Rules (see Rule 23 for details)
require work samples with annotations explaining how the samples demonstrate that
the candidate meets the minimum standard for continued registration. Section 6.2 of
the CA02 is where you provide the annotations.
As CRA candidates are already registered, those who have been competently practising
engineering since last assessment and have been taking reasonable steps to maintain
their competence are likely to show they meet the standard for continued registration by
a relatively quick interactive assessment (see Rule 24 for details). This expectation
being based on candidates presenting actual work samples with annotations to clearly
identify evidence of current competence.
Some portfolios of evidence received early after the rule changes were not only
voluminous but lacked any labelling to identify the critical evidence among the work
samples - no page numbers, masses of computer printouts without any annotations, no
tags or labels to highlight critical pieces of work as evidence. Candidates are expected
to use the interactive assessment to lead the assessment panel through their portfolio
of evidence, highlighting key evidence that shows the standard has been met. A poorly
presented portfolio of evidence makes it difficult to pin point critical evidence without
time consuming descriptions to locate it.
To assist you in presenting your work samples and annotations, ask yourself the
following questions:
a.
Have I explained the changes that have occurred in my practice area since my
last assessment?
b.
Does my CPD summary show that I have taken reasonable steps to address
these changes and keep up to date?
c.
Do my work samples show how I am able to apply the new knowledge in the
course of my work?
d.
Have the work samples I have provided show that I am still able to practice
competently in my current practice area?
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e.
Have I clearly identified the critical evidence so that it is easy for the assessors
to find it?
f.
15.1
an engineering problem requiring a physical solution for instance your work may
have involved the investigation and/or design and implementation of a structure, a
product, a transmission system or other physical subject
an engineering research project, provided that the work has taken you from
investigation and design through to implementation.
For more specific guidelines relating to different practice fields, refer to the Practice
Field Guidelines in SECTION H - on page 31.
16.
CRAs now require an interactive assessment. To facilitate the process and keep costs to
a minimum, this will normally be done by videoconference. There are some essential
steps you must take to ensure the process runs smoothly and effectively.
16.1
IPENZ has invested in technology that enables videoconferencing via the internet but
does not require you to download any proprietary software to your PC this eliminates
any concerns of viruses or the like. However, to connect to the videoconference, the
computer you plan to use must have:
a. a webcam; and
b. Adobe Flashplayer (this is commonly used software and is required to view
videos such as those on YouTube).
Before the interactive assessment, you will receive an invitation from IPENZ National
Office to test your computers ability to join an on-line videoconference using the IPENZ
technology.
If your computer is able to satisfactorily connect to the on-line
videoconference, you should make sure you can use it for your interactive assessment.
16.2
Your Staff Assessor will send you a link which includes an invitation to the
videoconference interactive assessment. This will give you a date and time and the link
to click on to join the videoconference.
You are expected to make every effort to be available on the appointed date. If this time
and date is not convenient, you should take immediate action to either change your
other commitments if it possible to do so, or contact your Staff Assessor to see what
alternative dates your assessment panel can offer you.
Please be considerate to your assessors they are doing many of these assessments
each year (some are doing one or more each week!), whereas you are only likely to do
Competence Assessment Reference Guide
Page 20 of 38
one once every 5 or 6 years. If you are not available for the alternative date, it will then
be your responsibility to make arrangements that are mutually suitable for yourself and
your assessors within a reasonable timeframe. If you make unreasonable demands, the
assessment panel will be directed by National Office to make a recommendation on the
evidence it has available.
17.
ASSESSMENT FEE
The cost of a CRA is covered by the annual fees so no fee is payable when you submit
your portfolio of evidence. However if the assessment panel requires the use of a
second interactive assessment to complete the assessment, you will be advised as you
will need to pay a further fee (as listed on the CA02 form) before the panel can complete
the assessment.
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ASSESSMENT PROCESS
What does competence assessment involve? To apply for a competence
assessment, you must submit a portfolio of evidence which shows that you meet
the relevant competence standard. Your portfolio includes your Work History
Summary, CPD Activities, competence self-review and work samples. Assessors will
also have access to the referee inputs as well.
Remember: Actual performance is the only determinant of competence. The
evidence you present must show that you are able to do the things required by each
of the competence elements. The applicant is responsible for presenting his/her
best evidence to demonstrate competence.
Once an application has been received IPENZ will convene an assessment panel of
at least two assessors to assess the application. Assessors are required to use the
following assessment tools unless they decide they are unnecessary.
Written assignment The Assessment Panel will use the written assignment as
further evidence for the assessment. If your evidence of competence is strong and
the Assessors are satisfied that you meet the standard, they may exempt you from
this assignment. However, if you have qualifications not assessed as equivalent to
the relevant Accord qualification you should not expect any exemption from a
written assignment.
The assessment panel will decide on the nature and topic of the written assignment
and provide you with clear instructions as the purpose of the exercise which
elements they seek further evidence on, whether the assignment is to be a closed
book or open book exercise etc. If you are unclear on anything, you should
discuss these concerns with the panel. Assessment panels may require you to do a
written assignment at any stage through the assessment. For example, the
Assessment Panel may set a written assignment where you are expected to
complete in your normal work environment, with the topic title being emailed to you,
say, at 9am in the morning with a deadline of 5pm for you to email your written
assignment back to the assessors. They may then wish to discuss it with you at
your interactive assessment.
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(i)
Request for further information If the assessment panel does not receive the
information it requests, then progress of your application will cease until the panel
receives it. If you are requested to supply additional information or referee details,
and this information is not received within 6 months, your application may lapse.
They may approach you or your referees for further information to help assess
whether you meet the competence standard.
Additional referees The panel may also require you to provide extra independent
referees if it feels it is necessary.
What are relevant registers? For AFAs, the assessment panel will assess your
portfolio of evidence and make a recommendation for the relevant register(s) based
on the level of complexity of the work you are doing competently. If the panel
considers that you are performing complex engineering competently then it will
recommend CPEng - and if you are eligible for IntPE(NZ) it would also recommend
that (even if you did not apply for it). If on the other hand you applied for CPEng but
the assessment panel considered you are competently performing broadly defined
engineering then it will recommend ETPract you will, of course, be invited to make
a natural justice submission on this recommendation before the Competency
Assessment Board makes its final decision. Assessment panels are required to
consider not only those registers for which an applicant has applied, but also other
registers for which the applicant may qualify these are referred to as the relevant
registers. For example, an applicant for CPEng may also be considered for IntPE.
18.1
An online system allows candidates to check the progress of their assessment at their
convenience by accessing the Members Area of the IPENZ web site.
As soon as you lodge documents for a competence assessment for any register or
Membership class with IPENZ, a link will be automatically generated in the entry page to
the Members Area under the heading Competence Assessment. The date this record
was last updated will be shown, reflecting the last action taken in regard to your
assessment.
Typically this will be in a list with the last line being the current status of the assessment,
such as:
Application received 20/05/12 View Details
Assessment panel assigned to application 27/05/12
Interactive assessment scheduled 27/05/12
Written assessment scheduled 17/08/12
Competence Assessment Reference Guide
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18.2
You will normally be advised in writing of the assessment result within a week of the
Competency Assessment Board making its final decision on your assessment.
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The requirements for referees are that they (i) have successfully undertaken a
competence assessment to at least the same level of competence as you are applying
for, and (ii) are independent.
To meet requirement (i), referees should either have been assessed in the last 5 years,
or be members of a recognised professional engineering body which has an ethical
obligation on its members to maintain their professional competence. The list of
recognised bodies is at: http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/Join/Credit_For_Registrants.cfm
Referees must also be independent. Independent is not defined in the Rules or
Regulations, but is taken to mean they should have no vested interest in the outcome of
the assessment. While it may be alright for you to have one engineer from your
immediate workplace as a referee, it is preferable that the other referee is from outside
your immediate workplace especially if you work for a small organisation.
Ideally referees will have sufficient first-hand experience of your recent engineering
activities to be able to evaluate your competence against the quality mark(s) for which
you are applying. Generally speaking your referees are likely to be a current or former
manager/supervisor, engineering colleague or client so long as they are able to
confidently assess your competence as an engineer and attest to your ethical behaviour.
Referees do not need to be in the same field of engineering as yourself.
If you are unsure if one or both of the engineers you wish to select as referees meet the
eligibility criteria - they may not be sufficiently independent or they may not have
demonstrated competence to the required level, you could use them as a third (or
fourth) referee after identifying 2 referees who clearly comply with the eligibility criteria.
19.1
Referees must either be CPEng registered or have CPEng equivalence. CPEngequivalent is not defined in the Rules, but for the purposes of being a CPEng referee the
Registrar applies the following interpretation.
CPEng equivalence, for the purposes of being a referee, means a qualification or title
requiring the same level of competence to that required of a Chartered Professional
Engineer.
It requires
(i)
attainment of competence to the CPEng standard; and
(ii) reasonable evidence that the competence is current.
As the rule is currently interpreted, to demonstrate CPEng equivalence a person must:
1.
have undergone a competence assessment to the same standard as CPEng, as
evidence by either of
a. registered on the International Professional Engineers Register in any
jurisdiction
b.Professional Membership of IPENZ or an equivalent professional body; or
registration which requires competence assessment meeting the standard
implied by the Engineers Mobility Forum and APEC Engineers agreement
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2.
The acceptance of CPEng equivalence will be determined by the Registrar on a case-bycase basis.
19.2
Referees need not work in the same field of engineering as the applicant, but should
have a sound knowledge of good professional engineering practice in New Zealand. This
does not require that they currently reside or practise in New Zealand, but if they are
currently overseas, they should comment on the extent to which they can make an
evaluation of the candidate's competence for element 2.
If a referee with membership or registration from another jurisdiction is normally
resident outside New Zealand, he/she should also submit a copy of his or her CV so that
the assessors can make a judgement on the referees knowledge of good engineering
practice specific to New Zealand.
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21.
DESIGN VERIFIER
22.
There are some critical differences between CPEng in Australia and CPEng in
New Zealand. Engineers Australia has a Royal Charter (IPENZ does not) and uses the
CPEng title as a membership quality mark. In New Zealand the CPEng title is
established by statute. IPENZ in its role as the Registration Authority (as defined in the
CPEng Act) must assess applicants for CPEng registration. IPENZ has no discretion in
how it processes and registers CPEng applicants.
In Australia, Engineers Australia uses the CPEng title as a mark of competence for its
Members in a similar manner to the way IPENZ uses MIPENZ except CPEng(Aust) are
subject to a 5 yearly CPD audit.
The MIEAust postnominal marks 3 years of post-graduate work experience. There is no
New Zealand-equivalent to the MIEAust title - the nearest equivalent is the GIPENZ
postnominal used by Graduate Members.
IPENZ treats CPEng(Aust) and NPER registration as registers of equivalent competence
to CPEng(NZ).
23.
USEFUL LINKS
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23.1
CREDIT SCHEDULE
The credit schedule lists the extent to which IPENZ (or the Registration Authority)
recognises demonstrations to equivalent levels of competence in overseas jurisdictions.
The extent of recognition or credit given depends on what quality mark the engineer
seeks admission to in New Zealand. The credit schedule is located on the IPENZ
website
at
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/forms/pdfs/Credit_for_Registrants_from_other_Jurisdictions.p
df
23.2
CPENG ACT
A pdf copy of the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act 2002 is located
on the IPENZ website at
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/forms/pdfs/CPEngAct.pdf
23.3
A copy of the amended version of the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand
Rules (No 2) 2002 is located on the IPENZ website at
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/forms/pdfs/CPEngRules.pdf
23.4
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SECTION G - KNOWLEDGE
ASSESSMENTS
KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENTS AS PART OF THE COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
The general process for those needing a knowledge assessment is as follows:
a.
b.
The knowledge assessor reads your paperwork to become familiar with your
application.
c.
You are then contacted by the knowledge assessor, usually first by telephone and
then by email. This assessor introduces him/herself to you and requests the
following if it has not already been provided with your initial application (for example
on the CA03 form, and by way of extra documentation)
d.
Once the information requested in (c) has been supplied, a meeting is arranged
between you and the knowledge assessor. Where possible, this is face-to-face at
your workplace, but in many cases for practical reasons it has been carried out by
telephone.
e.
The interview takes place and the assessor discusses the following with you:
o
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f.
After the interview the assessor documents the assessment findings and provides a
report to the other panel members.
g.
The whole panel reviews the material supplied by the candidate, the knowledge
assessment, the interactive assessment and the written assessment before making
recommendations to the IPENZ Competence Assessment Board.
People who have completed NZCE (or similar qualifications overseas) and worked for
several years in organisations which value on-the-job learning and career
development.
Those who have degrees in subjects allied to engineering followed by further study in
engineering (say at Masters level) or in other areas.
Experience to-date has shown that the majority of knowledge assessment applicants
have university qualifications - but in non-engineering disciplines. These include
architecture, chemistry, geography, geology, management, mathematics, physics,
science and surveying. In reality, it is not the profile that is important; it is the
candidates' quest for knowledge and the way in which they apply it.
Q. Why do you need such detailed information on my education including my time at
school?
A. This information helps to build up an educational profile of the candidate. In many
cases, subjects studied at school have relevance to engineering. Examples of this would
include mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering drawing. Also by being asked for a
complete list of subjects, candidates have revealed a large amount of relevant
information that has not been disclosed in the initial application to IPENZ. In one case a
successfully completed year of relevant study at university was disclosed.
Q. As a candidate, how can I make the knowledge assessment as painless for myself as
possible?
A. The IPENZ processes are competence-based. This means that the assessment panels
are not there to "test" the candidate or to "trip them up". Rather they are there to gather
sufficient valid and reliable evidence that shows that the candidate meets the elements
of the competence standard. For the knowledge assessment, it is helpful if candidates
provide as much of the information outlined above as possible.
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24.1
You can apply for either a procedural review or a review of the evidence if you are not
satisfied with the final decision on registration on only one of the two following grounds:
(a)
that the assessment was not carried out in accordance with the procedures set
out in the IPENZ Regulations, or
(b)
that the decision reached by the Competency Assessment Board is manifestly at
odds with the evidence presented in the application.
You must apply in writing within 14 days after being notified of the assessment decision;
and your application must include a statement supporting one of the two grounds given
above. The application fee for review is $1,000 + GST. If the reviewer finds in your
favour and considers that you have been disadvantaged by the decision, you will have
the fee refunded.
24.2
CPENG APPLICANTS
CPEng applicants have the choice of making an appeal to the Chartered Professional
Engineers Council or applying to the Registration Authority for a procedural review.
There is nothing stopping an applicant pursuing both a procedural review and lodging an
appeal except he/she must lodge the appropriate documents within the prescribed
times.
If you apply for a procedural review, you should also apply to the Chartered Professional
Engineers Council within the appeal time period requesting an extension of deadline for
lodging an appeal. This will preserve your appeal rights, as the CPEng Council is likely to
await the outcome of the procedural review before considering any appeal.
Under Rule 31 of the CPEng Rules:
(1)
A person may, in accordance with this rule, apply to the Registration Authority
for a review on the ground that the assessment was not carried out in accordance with
the procedures set out in the Act or these rules.
(2)
accompanied by
(i)
a statement of how the applicant considers that the assessment
was not carried out in accordance with the procedures set out in the Act
or these rules; and
(ii)
any evidence that the applicant wishes to be considered in the
review; and
(c)
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Page 33 of 38
1.
1.1.
OBJECTIVES
The level of an engineers competence when assessed against the standard (either
as marginally meeting the standard, or satisfactorily meeting the standard, or
demonstrating competence well-above the standard); and
2.
A candidate is considered to meet the standard marginally when his or her competence
is marginal in elements covering critical aspects of his or her practice area.
1.2.
POLICY APPLICATION
An assessment panel should apply this policy once it has decided to recommend that a
candidate meets the relevant standard of competence for registration and is deciding its
recommendation for the candidates term to next assessment. If a Panel deviates from
the policy in its recommendation it must document its reasons.
2.
The table below summarises the proposed policy for term to next assessment and uses
a risk-based approach in setting the term to next assessment.
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Term
Two years
AFA
CRA
Four years
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Term
AFA
CRA
OR
The applicant was successful in
an assessment to an
equivalent standard of
competence within the last six
years;
OR
Page 36 of 38
SECTION K - INDEX
Appeals and procedural Reviews
CPEng registration ................................. 32
IPENZ Registers ..................................... 32
Applicant Details
Contact details ..........................................7
Knowledge Assessment
Frequently asked questions .................. 30
Process involved .................................... 29
Occupational equivalence
TTMRA Applicants .................................. 12
Assessment Centres
UK Assessments .................................... 11
Within New Zealand ............................... 11
Assessment Fee
For AFAs.................................................. 13
For CRAs ...........................................20, 21
Practice Area
Description required ................................ 9
Examples .................................................. 9
Examples of poor descriptions .............. 10
New Zealand specific good practice ....... 8
Practice Field
Assessment Process
Additional Referees ............................... 23
Interactive assessment ......................... 22
Knowledge assessment ........................ 22
Natural justice submissions .................. 23
Notification of outcomes ....................... 24
Public Naming of Candidates ...................4
Relevant registers .................................. 23
Requesting further information ............ 23
Tracking progress .................................. 23
Written Assignment ............................... 22
Qualifications
Certified Copies ........................................ 8
Listing on application form ...................... 7
Quality Marks
Codes of Ethics
Links to codes ........................................ 28
Registers ................................................... 4
Recognised Engineer
Competence standards
Links to website ................................. 6, 17
Definitions
Assessment for admission (AFA) .............4
Continued registration assessment (CRA)
...............................................................4
CPEng equivalence ................................ 25
Credit Schedule ..................................... 28
Current competence .................................3
Design Verifier ...........................................4
Practice area .............................................9
Quality Marks ............................................3
Recognised Engineer ................................4
Referees
CPEng equivalence ................................ 25
CPEng referees from outside New
Zealand .............................................. 26
Eligibility criteria ..................................... 25
Referee Requirements for AFAs ............ 11
Use of a third referee ............................. 25
Using CA06 form .................................... 15
TTMRA Applicants
Design Verifier
Guidelines for applicants ...................... 31
Requirements for assessment .............. 27
When to use a CA02 .............................. 18
Forms
CA02 ....................................................... 18
CA03 Form ............................................. 13
Competence Assessment Reference Guide
Work Samples
Examples ......................................... 16, 20
For AFAs .................................................. 15
For CRAs ................................................. 19
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