Chartered Engineer Guidance Notes

Chartered Engineer
Guidance Notes: your guide to making a
successful application

YOUR GUIDE TO MAKING A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION

This guide has been prepared to provide support, assistance and advice to you as you prepare to submit your
application for Chartered Engineer.

This document does not in any way replace the Regulations for Chartered Engineer but aims to assist you
in meeting the application requirements outlined in the Regulations.

It is important that you understand the current requirements for becoming a Chartered Engineer. You should be
absolutely confident that you meet the education standard, have the requisite professional engineering experience
and have acquired the five competences (Appendix 1 of the Regulations) before making your application.

Please ensure that you read the full Regulations for Chartered Engineer carefully when preparing your
application. If you do have questions or queries at any stage of the application process, please contact our
Membership Team:

Tel. +353 1 6651334

or Email membership@engineersireland.ie

Good luck and we look forward to welcoming you as a Chartered Engineer – the next important goal in your
engineering career!

Chartered Engineer
Membership Director

Page 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1. THE COMPETENCES OF A CHARTERED ENGINEER EXPLAINED 7

2. TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR PROFESSIONAL REPORT 12

3. APPLICATION CHECKLIST 13

4. A SAMPLE LAYOUT OF A REPORT 14

5. TIPS FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW 23

6. WHAT CONSTITUTES CPD 24

7. THE ENGINEERS IRELAND CODE OF ETHICS 26

8. THE FUTURE PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME 26

Page 5

1 THE COMPETENCES OF A CHARTERED ENGINEER
EXPLAINED

• Use your copy of the five competences from the Regulations for Chartered Engineer and read
them in conjunction with these guidance notes.

• Make comparisons and then see where they fit in to YOUR professional career and how YOU can
demonstrate how you satisfy each sub-element.

• This is NOT a layout for your report but a useful tool when drafting your ideas in advance of
preparing your report.

COMPETENCE 1 – YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

Use a combination of general and specialist My examples
engineering knowledge and understanding
to optimise the application of existing and
emerging technology

Includes but not restricted to:

• How YOU use the engineering theory you
learned through your qualification and apply it
to your practical experience.

• How YOU keep aware of, and improve your
knowledge, of technological advances and
innovations.

• How YOU implement innovation and knowledge
gained in order to approach problem solving.

• How YOU successfully pass this knowledge on
to improve the advantage to your project and
company.

This is NOT a layout for your report but a useful tool when drafting your ideas in advance of preparing your report.

Page 7

COMPETENCE 2 – APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

Apply appropriate theoretical and practical My examples
methods to the analysis and solution of
engineering problems


• How YOU apply your engineering knowledge
and experience to improve and innovate.

• How YOU continually review and take the
initiative for the enhancement of products
and processes.

• How YOU plan, cost, analyse, correct and modify.

• How YOU actively participate in consultation.


Page 8

COMPETENCE 3 – DEMONSTRATING YOUR LEADERSHIP!

Provide technical, commercial and My examples
managerial leadership


• How YOU prepare, structure and agree the
development and improvement of a project.

• How YOU project manage resources, processes
and technical and non-technical teams.

• How YOU develop and improve the capabilities
and skills of your staff.

• How YOU promote, apply and improve quality
standards and control.


Page 9

COMPETENCE 4 – HOW YOU COMMUNICATE!

Use effective communication and interpersonal skills My examples


• How YOU develop, maintain and promote
effective working relationships.

• How YOU present, clarify, discuss and identify
plans, proposals and common goals.

• How YOU continuously improve your written
and spoken communication skills.

• How YOU resolve conflicts, promote confidence
and effectively negotiate with all project
participants.


Page 10

COMPETENCE 5 – PROFESSIONAL STANDARD

Make a personal commitment to abide by the My examples
appropriate code of professional conduct,
recognising obligations to society, the profession
and the environment.


• How YOU place responsibility for the welfare,
health and safety of the community at all times
before responsibility to the profession, to
sectional interests, or to other engineers.

• How YOU comply with the Code of Ethics of
Engineers Ireland.

• How YOU maintain adequate knowledge in
order to implement appropriate safe systems
of work.

• How YOU take precautions when dealing with
hazards.

• How YOU approach issues which impact on the
environment.

• How YOU set personal goals to achieve
personal and professional objectives.


Page 11

2. TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR PROFESSIONAL REPORT

1. Write it in the first person

2. Write about your personal contribution and responsibilities

3. Tell us about the problems you faced

4. Let us know the solution(s) you found

5. What were the engineering judgements you made?

6. Emphasise what impact your solutions(s) and judgements generated.

7. Link each block of experience to the competence or sub-competence you believe that experience
represents.

8. Ensure that your essays are a clear articulation of your opinions, arguments, conclusions and analysis.
We would expect to see phrases such as, “I think”, “In my opinion” and “I have found”.

9. Although we ask for all your experience from date of graduation, concentrate the content of your
IPD on your experience or projects which best demonstrates the competences.

10. Make sure you include all the elements required. If any element is omitted it will delay you
progressing to interview!

11. Be absolutely certain of the closing date and ensure that you submit your report and payment to us
on time.

12. We recommend you ask a colleague, who has successfully completed the CEng process, to read your
report and offer comments and advice.

13. CHECK, CHECK and RE-CHECK, especially spelling, grammar and syntax. Your report is a perfect
example of your achievement of Competence 4!

Page 12

3. APPLICATION CHECKLIST

You have completed all the elements of your report and are now ready to submit it to us. Use this
handy checklist to make sure you have included EVERYTHING that is required.

Item Description
1. I meet the Education Standard for Chartered Engineer
2. I have a minimum of 4 years post graduate engineering work experience
3. I have read and understood the Regulations for Chartered Engineer and in my opinion,
I have acquired the five competences (Appendix 1)
4. I have spent at least two years in responsible charge of significant engineering work
5. My Report is all my own work
6. My Report contains, collated in the following order:
• Original application form, completed in full and signed by myself and my Supporters
• A title page which includes my name, the title being sought and date of submission
• A table of contents
• A Summary of Career Details Table (Appendix 2)
• A Table of CPD (Appendix 3) with minimum of five days CPD per annum for the two
years prior to application
• A 3,500-4,000 word description of my IPD in chronological order, starting with
my date of graduation
• My IPD links to my Career Details Table and demonstrates my achievement of each
of the five competences
• I have included headings
• My supporters have initialled at least 50% of my IPD
• I have included a word count for my IPD
• My two essays of 500 - 600 words each
• The essays express MY OWN opinion
• I have included a word count for my essays
• A signed and dated Statement of Authenticity
• A Glossary of Terms is contained in an Appendix
• Optional drawings and photos are contained in an Appendix
7. If I am including drawings/photos, there are no more than 6 and they are all of A4 or A3 size
8. I have carefully edited my report and checked my spelling, grammar and syntax and
have avoided excessive use of jargon and abbreviations
9. I have numbered my pages
10. My original report is bound and photocopied 3 times
11. I have included my professional interview fee
12. I have 1 electronic copy of my report ready to send to Engineers Ireland

Page 13

4. A SAMPLE REPORT LAYOUT

The sample report on the following pages simply shows how we would expect to see your report
collated. The style, format and layout are entirely up to you, as long as it adheres to 5.1 of the
Regulations for Chartered Engineer.

Page 14

Application for the
Title of Chartered Engineer
Engineering Practice Report

BRIAN MURPHY, BEng MIEI
Membership Number: 123456

Submission date: 27 January 2012

Sample report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1. SUMMARY OF CAREER DETAILS 3

2. CPD AND TRAINING TABLE 4

3. DESCRIPTION OF INITIAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
3.1 ABC Group – Graduate Manufacturing Engineer 5
3.2 XYZ Engineering – Assistant Project Engineer
3.3 XYZ Engineering – Lead Project Engineer

4. ESSAYS 6
4.1 Essay 1 – Health & Safety Makes Sense 6
4.2 Essay 2 – Project Management and its Role Today 6

5. STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY 7

6. APPENDIX 1 – GLOSSARY OF TERMS 8

1. SUMMARY OF CAREER DETAILS

Employment/Project Dates Company Position Responsibilities Supervisor Duration claimed for:

From To Training Responsible
Experience
Sept 03 Oct 04 ABC Group Graduate Training, Bill of Brendan Aherne 3 months 10 months
Manufacturing Materials, Review Lead Engineer
Engineer of product materials
Oct 04 May 05 XYZ Assistant ETC!!
Engineering Project Engineer

3

2. CPD AND TRAINING TABLE

CPD Type No. Description Training provider Date CPD days

E.G. Internal or External
Training Course,
Conference or Lecture,
structured reading,
post-grad studies, etc.

External training 1 An introduction to Engineers Ireland November 2004 1
Project Management

Internal training 2 Manual Handling ABC Group December 2004 .25

Etc… 3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Total

4

3. DESCRIPTION OF INITIAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
[3,900 WORDS]

3.1 ABC Group – Sept 2003 – Oct 2004
Graduate Manufacturing Engineer
In September 2003, I began a Graduate Training Programme with ABC Group…….etc.

BO’D [supporter signature]

[competences claimed – 1a, 1b]

3.2 XYX Engineering – Oct 2004 – May 2005
Assistant Project Engineer
I was successful in gaining the post of Assistant Project Engineer in May 2005…….etc.

BA [supporter signature]

[competences claimed – 2a, 2b]

5

4.1 ESSAY 1
Health and Safety Makes Sense [500 words]
I believe that Health and Safety is a critical aspect of all our lives…etc

4.2 ESSAY 2
Project Management and its Role Today [560 words]
It is my opinion that Project Management is a problem scheduled for solution…etc

6

5. STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY

I hereby certify that the Engineering Practice Report and Essays have been prepared in their entirety
by me and that all statements and claims made therein are true and accurate.

Signed Date

Brian Murphy 27/01/12
_______________ _________________
Brian Murphy, BEng MIEI 27 January 2012

Page 7

6. APPENDIX 1 – GLOSSARY OF TERMS

CEng MIEI Chartered Engineer and Member of Engineers Ireland

CPD Continuing Professional Development

IPD Initial Professional Development

MIEI Member of Engineers Ireland

8

5. TIPS FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW

1. Prepare your ten minute presentation in advance of your interview. This is your ten minutes to impress
so make sure that it’s not just a summary of your report – your interviewers have already read this
and made notes on it.

For example, the Panel will want to know about significant engineering work you have undertaken,
perhaps additional projects which were not included in your report or an update on a project which
was incomplete at the time of submitting your report.

You may use hand notes or drawings. No other visual aids are permitted so you will be relying on
your own presentation and articulation skills.

Consider practising your presentation in front of a family member or colleague.

Remember, this is your opportunity to partly demonstrate your achievement of Competence 4 –
Communication!!

2. Study your report and familiarise yourself with it before your interview.

3. Re-visit the Regulations and make sure you are familiar with the five competences. These are what
your interviewers will be investigating and assessing you on throughout the interview.

4. Do your research. If you are giving statistics make sure that they are correct and up to date.

5. Double check the date, time and venue of your interview and ensure that you arrive at least ten
minutes before the start time.

6. Know your venue. How long does it take to get there? Is it easy to get parking? Do you need to
pay for parking and if so, do you have change?

7. Bring your photographic identification.

8. Nervousness can make people race through their interview so concentrate on speaking slowly and
pause appropriately.

9. If you disagree with your panel, be persuasive rather than aggressive. Convince them of your point
of view. Say that you accept their point of view but that you feel differently and explain why.

10. Finally, if you want to give a successful interview just think of the three R's –
Research, Reconnoitre and Relax!

Page 23

6. WHAT CONSTITUTES CPD

Many people are unsure as to what counts as CPD. There is a misconception that CPD only means
formal courses, seminars and training days. In fact, there’s a lot more CPD that you might be doing
without actually realising it!

Types of CPD and corresponding time credits
1. Types of formal CPD i.e. excluding on-the-job general learning and development.

1.1. In-company training courses or lectures.
Time credit
• classroom training – actual duration
• lectures – actual duration
• computer based course – actual duration
• formal induction training – actual duration

Senior Staff:
• Teaching classes / Tutoring – actual class time plus materials preparation time

1.2 Postgraduate academic courses.
Time credit
• relevant Masters degrees from an institution recognised by Engineers Ireland – up to 50 days (25
days University or equivalent p.a. over 2 years)
• Degree in engineering related subjects – up to 60 days (20 days University or equivalent p.a. over
3 years)
• Diploma in engineering related subjects – up to 20 days
• Certificate in engineering related subjects – up to 15 days
• Other relevant academic courses with qualifications - actual lecture time

1.3 External training courses.
Time credit
• courses run by a recognised institution or training provider covering specific technical subjects,
sector specific subjects or generic training (management, law, finance, accounting, health and
safety, human resources, environmental issues, computer applications etc) – actual lecture time

Senior Staff:
• Courses such as Conflict Resolution, Management, Influencing Skills, PR & Media Training,
Advanced-level training, Systems Thinking training etc – actual lecture time

1.4 Professional Institution Activities.
Time credit
• attending a relevant lecture – actual lecture time
• organising a technical conference or lecture series – up to 3 days per annum
• participating in a committee, council or special task force – actual meeting time (up to 3 days
per annum)

Senior Staff:
• preparing and delivering a paper - up to 3 days per annum

1.5 Special study leave, including exam time.
This is covered by the allowances for Masters, Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates shown above
under 1.2.
For those sitting other formal examinations not covered by 1.2, actual exam time is allowable as an
additional CPD time.

Page 24

1.6 Special visits or assignments
• Targeted visits of a learning nature or active attendance at a work-related conference/seminar
when the cost is borne by the company or individual as an expense (i.e. not chargeable to a
client). Credit – actual time.
• Visits to an overseas company or installation would fall into this category where planned as a
developmental activity.
Credit – actual time at venue or site

1.7 Professional Titles
Where candidates successfully achieve a registered professional title (e.g. CEng, AEng, Eng Tech),
one day’s CPD credit can be allocated for the application and professional interview process.

1.8 Structured Reading
Where structured reading is identified as part of a developmental plan (e.g. familiarisation with new
legislation or new technology) a maximum of 1 day’s CPD credit per annum can be claimed.

1.9 Knowledge Management
Where formal knowledge sharing activities are planned and run in-house, the actual session times
are allowable for CPD purposes, up to a maximum of 2 days per annum.

1.10 Technical Blogs
Staff who host a Technical Blog, deemed to be beneficial as a knowledge source to other technical
staff, can claim 1 day’s CPD per annum

1.11 Mentoring
Staff who have completed formal training in mentoring skills and upkeep these skills by meeting
with a designated Mentee, at minimum four times per annum, can claim 1 day’s CPD per annum as
a Mentor

1.12 Volunteer work for a charitable organisation
Engineers/technicians who volunteer to assist with the work of a registered charitable organisation,
at home or abroad, can claim up to a maximum of 3 day’s CPD per annum, provided the volunteer
work is of a technical nature and involves imparting technical skills and know-how to aid workers,
local citizens etc

Important Note:
In considering a broad approach to CPD, we recommend that individual engineers / technicians should
ensure that a minimum of 3 days of CPD per annum is achieved under headings 1.1 to 1.3 inclusive.
This is particularly relevant where individuals are pursuing professional titles, such as Chartered
Engineer, or inclusion on the International Register of Professional Engineers, where specific
requirements relating to training activity apply.

Page 25

7. THE ENGINEERS IRELAND CODE OF ETHICS

The backbone of our professional organisation is our Code of Ethics.
Every member pledges to adhere to these and should at all times in
their professional practice, be cognisant of their meaning and content.

Membership of Engineers Ireland gives you rights and privileges. In
return, you must meet the standards of ethics and conduct set by
Engineers Ireland in its Code of Ethics. The Code applies to all
categories of Members of Engineers Ireland. It is the duty of each
Member to comply with the provisions of the Code.

Download the Code of Ethics booklet from our website:
http://www.engineersireland.ie

8. FUTURE PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME

Irrespective of your training environment, the primary concern of Engineers Ireland is that training
should enable the engineering graduate to learn how to apply engineering principles to the solution
of problems in the workplace.

The Engineers Ireland “Future Professionals Programme” offers structured training and advancement
to graduates through two strands of intense and challenging professional development. For further
details see our website

Page 26

Engineers Ireland
22 Clyde Road
Ballsbridge
Dublin 4.
Tel: 00 353 1 668 4341/6090234
Fax: 00 353 1 668 5508
www.engineersireland.ie

Chartered Engineer Guidance Notes

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