GUIDE TO

ASSESSMENT OF ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP

(STAGE 1 COMPETENCY)

FOR CANDIDATES NOT HOLDING AN

ACCREDITED OR RECOGNISED QUALIFICATION

and

AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERING COMPETENCY STANDARDS

Stage 1

PRODUCED: FEBRUARY 2004

Engineers Australia
National Office: Engineering House
11 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600
Telephone: +61 2 6270 6555 Facsimile: +61 2 6273 1488
Website: www.engineersaustralia.org.au
Engineers Australia is the common name of the Institution of Engineers Australia
 GUIDE TO ASSESSMENT OF ELIGIBILITY FOR
MEMBERSHIP
(STAGE 1 COMPETENCY)

FOR CANDIDATES NOT HOLDING AN ACCREDITED

OR RECOGNISED QUALIFICATION
(Draft 5 February 2004)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION 3

2 ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP OF ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA 3

2.1 Recognised qualification 3
2.2 Direct demonstration of competency 4
2.3 Mutual Recognition Agreements 4

3 THE COMPETENCY STANDARDS 4

4 PREPARING A COMPETENCY DEMONSTRATION REPORT 5

4.1 Overall form of report 5
4.2 Self-assessment of occupational category 5
4.3 Qualification details 5
4.4 Curriculum vitae 6
4.5 Narratives demonstrating Stage 1 competency – nature and purpose 6
4.6 Narratives relating to an educational program 6
4.7 Narratives relating to engineering employment 7
4.8 Work-based learning 7
4.9 General – all narratives 8
4.10 Summary of competencies 8
4.11 English-language competency 8
4.12 Application for assessment 9
4.13 Assessment fee 9

5 CHECKLIST OF MATERIAL TO BE SUBMITTED 9

6 ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE 9

7 REVIEW OF DECISION 10

APPENDICES

Appendix A Qualifications accredited, recognised or approved by Engineers Australia 11

1 Professional engineers 11
2 Engineering technologists 11
3 Engineering Associates 12

Appendix B Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers 13

Appendix C Stage 1 Competency Standard for Engineering Technologists 18

Appendix D Stage 1 Competency Standard for Engineering Associates 24

Appendix E Persons authorised to sign documents 29

________________

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 GUIDE TO ASSESSMENT OF ELIGIBILITY FOR
MEMBERSHIP
(STAGE 1 COMPETENCY)

FOR CANDIDATES NOT HOLDING AN ACCREDITED

OR RECOGNISED QUALIFICATION
(Draft 5 February 2004)

1 INTRODUCTION

This guide is for persons seeking admission to Engineers Australia as a Graduate or Member, who do not hold
engineering qualifications that are already accredited or recognised by Engineers Australia. Examples include:
• Candidates holding Australian engineering qualifications that have not been accredited or approved by
Engineers Australia;
• Candidates holding engineering qualifications from overseas countries with which Engineers Australia does
not have formal accreditation or mutual recognition agreements;
• Candidates holding qualifications in fields related to engineering, not recognised by Engineers Australia,
who have substantial experience in engineering work.

Australian-resident candidates with other combinations of qualifications and experience should inquire whether
they may be eligible for admission, before submitting an application.

A separate guide is available for overseas residents seeking assessment of their engineering qualifications by
Engineers Australia for the purpose of immigration to Australia under the Skilled Migration program.

2 ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP OF ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA

Membership of Engineers Australia is open to persons in three occupational categories: professional engineers,
engineering technologists, and engineering associates.

To be eligible for admission as a Graduate or Member, you must demonstrate the competency needed to enter
practice as a qualified member of the engineering team. This is known as Stage 1 Competency.

Membership of Engineers Australia at Chartered level requires further assessment of competency (see Section
3), which is described in separate handbooks.

You may demonstrate Stage 1 competency and eligibility for admission in one of the following ways:

2.1 Recognised qualification

If you hold an engineering qualification which has been accredited, recognised or approved by Engineers
Australia you are immediately eligible for admission as a Graduate. The basic qualifications are:

Professional engineer: four-year Bachelor of Engineering degree

Engineering technologist: three-year Bachelor of (Engineering) Technology degree
Engineering associate: two-year Advanced Diploma of Engineering (Australian Qualifications
Framework Level 6), or earlier equivalent such as Associate Diploma
of Engineering (RATE), approved by Engineers Australia.

If you are studying for such a qualification in Australia you are eligible for admission as a Student.

For admission as a Member, as well as holding such a qualification, you must be able to show that have at least
three years experience in engineering or engineering-related work appropriate to your occupational category.
(You must also meet some other requirements, detailed on the application form.)

Appendix A describes what is meant by qualifications accredited, recognised or approved by Engineers

Australia. If you hold such a qualification, you may apply for directly for membership using the appropriate form
available on the web at www.ieaust.org.au/membership or through Engineers Australia offices, and providing
documentation as indicated on that form.

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2.2 Direct demonstration of competency

When Engineers Australia accredits a program leading to an engineering qualification, it does so against the
Stage 1 Competency Standards (see Section 3). Accreditation means that after examining the program in
depth, Engineers Australia is satisfied that it enables and requires all its graduates to achieve and demonstrate
Stage 1 competency. Recognition of equivalent qualifications, under the agreements described above and in
Appendix A, is based on similar in-depth examination.

If you have not demonstrated Stage 1 competency through possession of an accredited or recognised
qualification, then you may undertake a direct demonstration of competency on an individual basis.

Section 3 introduces the Competency Standards. Section 4 explains how to prepare and submit a Competency
Demonstration Report.

2.3 Mutual Recognition Agreements

Engineers Australia has Mutual Recognition or Mutual Exemption Agreements with professional engineering
bodies in a number of other countries. If you are a Graduate, Member or Fellow of an engineering body with
which Engineers Australia has such an agreement you may be entitled to automatic acceptance for Engineers
Australia membership. You should apply for admission using the Application Form for Admission through a
Mutual Recognition Agreement, available at www.ieaust.org.au/membership. In case of doubt, please inquire
from your own institution or from the Membership Team at Engineers Australia’s National Office.

3 THE COMPETENCY STANDARDS

Engineers Australia publishes and maintains the Australian Engineering Competency Standards for
Professional Engineers, Engineering Technologists and Engineering Associates. The Standards are available in
full at www.ieaust.org.au/membership/res/downloads/ngcs.pdf. The Standards recognise two Stages of
competency:

• Stage 1 is the level of competency needed for entry to practice as a qualified member of the engineering
team, corresponding to completion of an accredited or recognised educational qualification.

• Stage 2 is the level of competency expected of an experienced engineering practitioner, and is the
requirement for Chartered membership of Engineers Australia. Stage 2 assessment is outside the scope of
this Guide and is described in separate handbooks.

Stage 1 competency means you have:

• a thorough understanding of the body of engineering knowledge relevant to your occupational category
(professional engineer, engineering technologist, or engineering associate); and
• the ability to apply this knowledge to representative problems and situations, typical of the responsibilities of
practitioners in your category.

You must also have the attributes and skills necessary to function as a professional, and the intellectual skills to
test and continually extend your knowledge through lifelong learning in formal and informal contexts. Stage 1
competency is in fact a combination of knowledge, competencies and professional attributes.

Appendix B sets out in full the Stage 1 Competency Standard for professional engineers.
Appendix C sets out in full the Stage 1 Competency Standard for engineering technologists.
Appendix D sets out in full the Stage 1 Competency Standard for engineering associates.

Each Standard comprises three Units of Competency:

• Unit 1: Knowledge Base
• Unit 2: Engineering Ability
• Unit 3: Professional Attributes.

Each Unit comprises a number of Elements - for example Knowledge of science and engineering fundamentals.
Details of the Elements are different for the three categories.

Within each Element are a number of Indicators describing ways in which the Element would typically be
demonstrated.

To be assessed as Stage 1 competent you must demonstrate each Element of Competency in an overall sense.
Assessment is made on a holistic basis and it is not expected that every indicator will be met in detail.

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4 PREPARING A COMPETENCY DEMONSTRATION REPORT

4.1 Overall form of report

You may apply to have your engineering competency assessed by preparing and submitting a Competency
Demonstration Report (CDR). The report should include:

a) Documentation of your qualification/s including the degree or diploma testamur/s or certificate/s, and
academic transcript/s listing the courses, subjects or units studied and the results you gained in each.

b) A Curriculum Vitae including an outline of any engineering employment history. This may include
employment or engineering experience undertaken before, during and since your formal qualification/s.

c) Narratives describing major learning experiences through which you personally developed and
demonstrated Stage 1 competency, as set out in the relevant Appendix. These narratives may relate to
your educational program, and/or experience gained in engineering employment.

d) A summary table, relating each Element of competency to one or more paragraphs in your narratives.

e) Evidence of your English-language competency.

f) A signed declaration that the report is your own work and that the information it contains is true and correct.

The following sections explain these requirements more fully.

4.2 Self-assessment of occupational category

You should apply for assessment in only one of the three occupational categories: professional engineer,
engineering technologist, or engineering associate. Before starting to prepare a CDR, you should:
• read carefully the general role descriptions for the three categories in Appendices B, C and D, and
• note the benchmark qualifications for the three categories, mentioned at Section 2.1 above and repeated in
the corresponding Appendix.

On this basis, decide which category you believe matches your qualifications and experience. This is the basis
on which your application will be assessed.

4.3 Qualification details

You must provide certified true copies of your original degree or diploma testamur/s or certificate/s, or
certificates of other contributing qualifications, together with the associated academic transcript/s showing
courses, subjects or units studied and the results gained in each.

If you have more than one qualification that you believe is relevant, please provide the above details for each
one. Examples might be an undergraduate degree in a non-engineering (but engineering-related) field, plus a
masters degree in engineering; or an advanced diploma followed by a graduate diploma in engineering.

If available, please provide extracts from university, college or other handbooks giving brief descriptions of the
courses, subjects or units you have studied.

Certified copies Each photocopied page of an original document must be signed by an authorised person
who has sighted the original document and certifies that the page is a true copy. Authorised persons are:
• a current member of Engineers Australia in a grade other than Student; or
• a person authorised to sign Statutory Declarations, such as a Justice of the Peace (see Appendix E).

The signature must be accompanied on each page by the printed name, status and contact details of the
authorised person. If the person is a member of Engineers Australia their membership number must be shown.
Where an official stamp is available it must be shown. Photocopies of previously certified copies will not be
accepted.

Where qualifications are not in the English language you must provide copies of both the original language
document and a certified English-language translation. The name and contact details of the translator must be
provided on the English-language version.

If your current name is not the same as on the original documents you must provide evidence of your name
change.

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4.4 Curriculum Vitae

You must provide a CV which includes a summary statement of any engineering employment to date. This
should include engineering experience gained prior to your current qualification or concurrently with it.

For each engineering appointment you have held, please include:

• the name, location and contact details of the employing organisation
• the dates and duration of your employment in this appointment
• the title of the position you held
• your defined role and responsibilities.

Your CV should be no more than three A4 pages and may be shorter.

4.5 Narratives demonstrating Stage 1 competency – nature and purpose

This is the most important part of your Competency Demonstration Report.

You are asked to prepare a number of narratives describing major learning experiences through which you
believe you developed and demonstrated Stage 1 competency.

Before starting, you should carefully read and digest the Competency Standard for your occupational category.
Then think of some major learning experiences that you believe were really important steps in your formation as
a professional, able to demonstrate the range of competencies described in the Standard. A substantial project
or design exercise, for example, may have required you to demonstrate many different competencies, and could
be a very suitable basis for one of your narratives.

You should put your effort into developing comprehensive descriptions of several such learning experiences –
perhaps three or four in total. After you have described each experience, indicate which Elements of
competency it enabled you to demonstrate. You should not try to write separately about each Element of
competency.

It is not expected that each narrative or major experience will demonstrate all the Elements of competency. You
should aim to ensure that your complete set of narratives, taken together, covers all the Elements.

You must write in the first person singular (I … ) and describe work you have actually performed personally.
When writing about a team project, you should describe the project overall – but you must also describe the
specific part you played personally, how it contributed to the overall objective, what you actually did, and what
competency or competencies you believe this demonstrates.

Remember that Stage 1 competency requires:

• a thorough understanding of the engineering body of knowledge, and
• the ability to apply this knowledge to problems and situations typical of your occupational category.

Engineers Australia needs to be satisfied that you have both of these. Your narratives should focus on the
application of your knowledge. They should also show that you acquired the knowledge in a systematic and
comprehensive way, through an educational program or otherwise.

4.6 Narratives relating to an educational program

Narratives based on your experiences during your educational program should focus on the most advanced
pieces of work you have done, the knowledge you needed in order to perform that work, and the abilities you
needed in order to apply your knowledge in an engineering context. Project work is likely to be one of the best
ways of illustrating your knowledge and abilities. As well as projects conducted within the university or college,
you may find it useful to write about any experience in industry you were required to undertake as part of the
educational program. You must write about what you actually did, indicating what Elements of competency you
believe you demonstrated, and how you did so.

Some aspects of your knowledge and abilities may not have been applied through project or design work, but
may have been tested through assignments or other tasks. In such a case, you can demonstrate your
competency by writing about the most advanced work you did in particular topic areas – what kinds of problems
you were able to solve, how you solved them, and what knowledge was required to do so. It may be useful to
describe what you found most challenging about them, and how you developed the ability to handle them with
confidence.

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It is not enough to say simply that a particular unit of study covered the competencies required. You must
explain one or more pieces of work that you performed (during the educational program, or subsequently), how
you performed it, and how you believe it demonstrates the knowledge or competency in question. It is important
also to indicate which units of study contributed to the knowledge you needed in order to perform the work.

Give some indication of the breadth of your technical knowledge. You may wish to write about your competency
in one particular technical area in some detail, and about other areas in shorter form.

Where an Element of competency requires you to demonstrate awareness or appreciation, describe how you
developed this awareness or appreciation, and (if possible) a task or experience that required you to exercise it.

4.7 Narratives relating to engineering employment

You may wish to demonstrate some competencies through work performed in engineering employment. If so,
you may base one or more of your narratives on:
• a project you have worked on or are currently working on;
• a specific position you occupied or currently occupy;
• a particular problem you were required to solve as part of your job.

The narrative should describe the application of your engineering knowledge in such a context. It should identify
any particular problems encountered and problem-solving techniques you used. The Assessor must be able to
identify the contribution you made personally to the project or task, particularly if the contribution was of a novel
or critical nature. You must write in the first person singular, describing what you actually did and how this
demonstrates the competencies claimed.

Please try to ensure that any work-based narrative includes the following:

Introduction Dates and duration of the project or appointment you are writing about;
Name of employing organisation and location of worksite;
Title of the position you occupied;

Background Nature and objectives of the overall engineering project;

Nature of your particular work area and statement of your duties;
An organisation chart highlighting your position;

Personal performance Detailed description of the work you performed personally, including:
• technical details of the work;
• how you applied your engineering knowledge and skills;
• the tasks delegated to you and how you went about accomplishing them;
• any particular difficulties you encountered and how you solved them;
• strategies you devised, including any original or creative design work;
• how you worked with other team members;

Summary Your view of the overall project (brief summary);

How well the project succeeded in meeting its goals and requirements;
How your personal role contributed to the project.

As a guideline, a total of 800 to 1,000 words should be enough for each narrative.

4.8 Work-based learning

The Stage 1 Competency Standards place great emphasis on formal knowledge of engineering principles and
fundamentals, particularly in Unit 1: Knowledge Base and Technical Competence. It is vital to understand not
only what makes good engineering practice, but why. If your formal educational program did not cover all of the
knowledge base expected, you may wish to claim that you developed some of this knowledge through work-
based learning.

Please note that it is not enough simply to say that you have performed work requiring such knowledge. You
must explain how you acquired the knowledge – for example through training courses, continuing professional
development, work-based learning modules, or private study. You must give enough detail for the Assessor to
be satisfied that you have developed the knowledge in a serious and comprehensive way. An unsubstantiated
claim of “private study” or “on-the-job experience” will not be enough. If possible, include certificates or
statements of satisfactory completion from any relevant courses.

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4.9 General – all narratives

As you compose your narratives, ask yourself continually: how can the Assessor, reading my report, be
satisfied that I have actually demonstrated Stage 1 competency?

The Assessor will expect you, somewhere in your series of narratives, to cover every Element of competency.
You must try to show that you have demonstrated each Element in an overall sense. In judging whether or not
you have demonstrated each Element, the Assessor will rely on the Indicators for that Element as a guide.

Remember always that you must write about your personal performance. It is not enough to say that a project
or unit of study, in which you took part, covered certain competencies. You must describe what you did yourself,
as an individual. It’s your competencies that are being assessed.

As a guideline, it is suggested that a total of 2,500 to 3,500 words, covering several narratives, should provide
ample scope to demonstrate your competencies.

Please number each narrative and each paragraph within it so that you can refer to them later (see 4.10).
For example, paragraph 3 in Narrative 2 would be referred to as paragraph N2.3.

4.10 Summary of competencies

Following your narratives you are asked to provide a summary table, identifying each Element of competency
claimed and indicating where you have addressed it. A suitable format would be:

Competency Element Where the Element was Where the underpinning

demonstrated – narrative knowledge was developed
paragraph reference
(e.g.) PE1.3 (e.g.) N1.4, N2.6-2.7 (e.g.) Degree program -
Design and Laboratory units
(e.g.) EA2.3 (e.g.) N3.5-3.8 (e.g.) CAD advanced
training course provided
by equipment supplier

4.11 English-language competency

Stage 1 competency requires fluency in written and spoken English. Engineers Australia will normally accept
your English-language competency if:
• you are a native speaker of English; or
• the program of study leading to your major academic qualification, and the assessments within that
program, were conducted entirely in English; or
• you have successfully completed a major program of study (for example, a Masters degree) at an Australian
university.
If one of these statements applies to you, please provide a statement to this effect.

If English is not your first language, and none of the above statements applies, then you must provide evidence
that you have achieved sufficient English-language competency to enter engineering practice in Australia.

You should provide an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) assessment showing that you
have achieved a minimum of Band 6 in each of the four modules of speaking, listening, reading and writing, in
either the general or the academic modules of IELTS.

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4.12 Application for assessment

Please submit your report under cover of the form Application for Assessment of Stage 1 Competency, available
at www.ieaust.org.au/membership.

The application form includes a declaration that the report submitted is entirely your own work and that all the
information it contains is true and correct to the best of your knowledge. Please ensure you sign this
declaration.

4.13 Assessment fee

The fee for assessment of Stage 1 competency is:

• for applications lodged from overseas: AUD 450.00.
• for applications lodged from within Australia: AUD 450.00 + GST = AUD 495.00.
Cheques and money orders should be made payable to Engineers Australia.

5 CHECKLIST OF MATERIAL TO BE SUBMITTED

Numbers in parentheses refer to the relevant Section of this Guide.

‰ Completed application form including signed declaration (4.12). The address for submission is on the form.
‰ Certified true copies of academic testamur/s or certificate/s (4.3).
‰ Certified true copies of academic transcripts, showing courses, subjects or units studied and results gained
in each (4.3).
‰ Curriculum vitae (4.4).
‰ Narratives demonstrating Elements of Competency (4.5-4.9).
‰ Summary table of competencies (4.10).
‰ Statement or evidence of English-language competency (4.11).
‰ Assessment fee (4.13).

6 ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE

On the basis of the information contained in your Competency Demonstration Report, an Assessor appointed by
Engineers Australia will assess whether you have demonstrated Stage 1 competency and eligibility for
membership. The assessment is made on a holistic basis, taking into account all your qualifications and
experience as described in the Report. You are expected to have demonstrated each Element of competency in
an overall sense, but it is not expected that you will have demonstrated every detail within each Element.

Occasionally, a candidate may be asked to provide more information or to attend an interview with one or more
assessors. In the great majority of cases, assessment is based on the report as submitted.

Engineers Australia reserves the right to seek confirmation of particular information. It may, for example, seek
confirmation from your university, college or other educational institution, that the details of your qualification/s
are correct. Engineers Australia will not approach your employers or other third parties without first seeking your
permission to do so.

You will be advised by letter of the outcome: that your application has been assessed as demonstrating, or not
demonstrating, Stage 1 competency and eligibility for Engineers Australia membership in the category for which
you have applied.

If your application has not been successful, the letter will give an indication of the areas in which you are not
considered to have demonstrated Stage 1 competency. You may wish to take steps to strengthen those
competencies which are lacking or not strongly developed, for example through Continuing Professional
Development, further study, or targeted workplace practice. You may then wish to submit a revised application
for re-assessment. Engineers Australia would expect that such a program of development would take at least
six months, and would not normally accept a revised application in less than six months unless there are special
circumstances.

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A revised application submitted within twelve months will be accepted for assessment at no additional fee. An
application received more than twelve moths after the original will be treated as a new application, and a new
fee will be charged.

7 REVIEW OF DECISION

If you believe your assessment outcome is not appropriate you may apply for a review of the decision. Your
request should be addressed in writing to:

Director Education and Assessment

Engineers Australia
11 National Circuit
Barton, ACT 2600

and should set out the basis on which you believe the decision is inappropriate. The request for a review must
be accompanied by a review fee of $200.00. The fee will be credited to your membership account if the
decision is amended in your favour, but not if the original decision is confirmed.

If you apply for a review you should understand that all necessary documentation from your file will be
photocopied and forwarded to a review committee. Under Australian Privacy Legislation your permission is
required for this to happen. Your signature on your letter applying for a review will be taken as denoting your
consent for your file documents to be forwarded to a review committee.

________________

See Appendices A, B, C, D & E for additional information (available as separate downloadable

documents)

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