BECOMING A CHARTERED ENGINEER

Transcription

1 BECOMING A CHARTERED ENGINEER

2 BECOMING A CHARTERED ENGINEER Contact us at: membership@engineersireland.ie or

3 WHY BECOME A? It is a wonderful achievement to obtain your third level engineering qualification. It is the starting point to your professional career. From this point you will continue to develop, broaden and enhance your engineering skills and knowledge beyond those developed in your degree. Working towards becoming a ensures you are developing your skills and knowledge in line with an internationally recognised and respected competence framework. Beyond the specific statutory functions reserved for s, achieving this registered professional title is a public statement of your own individual and independent competence to practice as a professional engineer. As a, you are reassuring the public of your respect and consideration for their society, their safety and their security in your work. The public no longer desires this reassurance, they demand it. It is a seal of approval by your peers that you have developed your ability beyond that achieved in your academic formation to that of a professional practitioner. It is also a mark of your commitment to the continuing development of your professional expertise and ethical practice. Why is this important to the public, your clients and your organisation? Because regardless of whether you are responsible for writing code for a banking system, developing a medical device, designing a windfarm interconnector or teaching our next generation of engineers, as a, you are reassuring them of your respect and consideration for their society, their safety and their security in your work. The public no longer desires this reassurance, they demand it. PAGE 3

4 HOW DO YOU BECOME A POST 2012? s Ireland is the professional body for engineers and engineering in Ireland. It is the statutory authority with responsibility for awarding the registered professional title of. Through a range of international agreements becoming a with s Ireland ensures you are recognised as a professional engineer in a range of global locations including the UK, Australia and Canada. The full requirements for applying are set out in the s Ireland Regulations for the professional registered title of. A new set of regulations is being launched in 2013 and this information note outlines what you can expect from these new regulations. The new regulations are referred to throughout this document as the 2013 regulations. Through a range of international agreements becoming a with s Ireland ensures you are recognised as a professional engineer in a range of international locations including the UK, Australia and Canada.* The first step to becoming a is to complete the required education. This is termed as Phase 1 of your formation. There are many pathways to completing your educational formation and they are described in detail in the pathways to Phase 1 overleaf. You must be successfully assessed in Phase 1 by s Ireland before you can progress to your Phase 2 assessment. Phase 2 of your formation involves completing your initial professional development, during which you will develop the competences required of a. These competences are outlined in detail in the 2013 regulations. PHASE 1 Evidence of Education PHASE 2 Evidence of Competence *New regulations will be launched in 2013 and this information note outlines what you can expect from them. Figure 1: The formation of a. PAGE 4

5 PATHWAYS TO COMPLETING Phase 1 Formation OF A CHARTERED ENGINEER: To become a : 1 Firstly you must be a member of s Ireland at least three months prior to application. Then if you hold: (please note where there is a reference to accredited in the list below it implies accredited by s Ireland. Information on accredited programmes is available on engineersireland.ie/services/accredited -Courses.aspx) a. a masters degree in engineering accredited by s Ireland 1. For this route you will have completed a full-time accredited masters degree programme or the summation of accredited qualifications leading to a masters degree in engineering, e.g, an ab initio integrated accredited masters in engineering; or an accredited bachelor (honours) degree in engineering plus an accredited masters degree in engineering; or an accredited bachelor (ordinary) degree in engineering plus accredited add-on bachelor (honours) and masters degrees; MIEI + BEng (Hons) pre 2013 c. a combination of a bachelor (honours) degree 2 in engineering awarded post 2012 which is accredited by s Ireland as a degree requiring further learning to reach the educational standard required for a plus an unaccredited masters degree in engineering. If you are unsure if your degree requires further learning please contact our membership team; MIEI + BEng (Hons) post 2012 Phase 1 Check Phase 1 Route A Phase 2 Phase 2 MIEI + Accredited MEng Phase 1 Check Phase 2 b.an accredited bachelor (honours) degree 2 in engineering awarded in or before 2012 which is accredited by s Ireland at the educational standard required for a. This will be the case until the end of 2020 at which time holders of this degree will be required to demonstrate evidence of further learning; PAGE 5

6 d. a combination of a bachelor (honours) degree 2 in engineering awarded post 2012 which is accredited by s Ireland as a degree requiring further learning to reach the educational standard required for a plus further learning equivalent to the outcome of a masters degree in engineering. If you are unsure if your degree requires further learning please contact our membership team; MIEI + BEng (Hons) post 2012 Phase 1 Route B Phase 2 MIEI + formation unaccredited for s Pre Approval Application to MQB 4 Phase 1 Experiential learning Phase 2 f. if you hold a qualification accredited by s Ireland at the educational standard required for the professional title of ing Technician 5 you will be required to apply for pre approval by the MQB 4 to apply for the professional title of Associate prior to applying for that of. e. if you hold a qualification, or equivalent, not accredited at the educational standard required for a (this includes qualifications accredited by s Ireland for the professional title of Associate 3 ; cognate qualifications in a field related to engineering; and those holding no formal qualifications but with experiential learning); Tech. IEI Pre Approval Application to MQB Pre Approval Application to MQB Phase 1 Experiential Learning Experiential learning to Associate Phase 2 Associate 1 This route will also apply to those holding international qualifications recognised under the Washington Accord or by FEANI (programmes of 5yrs duration). If a further learning requirement is imposed by the Washington Accord then option c. or d. above will apply depending on your formation. 2 The award at this level may also include a BSc or BAI; the details of all the accredited programmes may be found at accredited programmes. This is normally, but not always, at Level 7 of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. 3 This route will also apply to those holding international qualifications recognised under the Sydney Accord or by FEANI (programmes of <5yrs duration). 4 MQB Membership and Qualifications Board 5 This route will also apply to those holding international qualifications recognised under the Dublin Accord. PAGE 6

7 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. I am qualifying from a bachelor of engineering (honours) programme accredited by s Ireland in 2013, how can I become a? Having successfully achieved your accredited bachelor (honours) degree you have completed a significant proportion of the educational formation required of a. You have a number of choices to complete the remaining learning required: a. you may choose to continue your educational formation by completing a masters degree in engineering programme accredited by s Ireland of a minimum one year duration. When you have completed your bachelor degree plus your masters degree you will be asked to provide evidence of this to s Ireland. This documentation will be checked and you will be advised that you have completed Phase 1 of your formation as a. You may apply for your Phase 2 assessment when you are ready. Full advice on this will be offered in the 2013 regulations; b. You may choose to continue your educational formation by completing a masters degree in engineering not accredited by s Ireland of a minimum one year duration. This includes research master degrees and those completed outside of Ireland. In this case you must apply for an assessment of your Phase 1 formation through Route A. This will require you to submit a copy of your masters thesis amongst other documentation. The full requirements for Route A will be described in the 2013 regulations; Having successfully achieved your accredited bachelor (honours) degree you have completed a significant proportion of the educational formation required of a. PAGE 7

8 verified copies of any additional educational, training or professional development programmes you have completed. The full requirements for Route B will be described in the 2013 regulations. A graduate of an accredited masters degree in Ireland will have achieved the equivalent learning outcomes as that of a graduate of any of the signatory countries to the Washington Accord. c. You may choose to continue your educational formation by completing further learning equivalent to the learning outcomes expected of a graduate of a masters degree in engineering accredited by s Ireland. This learning is that which you have developed beyond the learning you achieved in your bachelor degree. The requirements are described in full in the 2013 regulations. What qualifies as further learning is described in the next question. You should familiarise yourself with the further learning requirements outlined in the regulations and ensure you can provide evidence of your sufficient learning against these requirements. Always remember this is an assessment of learning and not experience and the evidence you provide should clearly indicate the basis on which you have developed the learning outcomes required. In this case you must apply for an assessment of your Phase 1 formation through Route B. This will require you to submit a statement of your formation plus 2 What does further learning after my bachelor (honours) degree mean? Phase 1 of your development as a involves your educational development. The educational development or formation of a is outlined in the s Ireland accreditation criteria for third-level programmes. These criteria list the outcomes you would be expected to have achieved by completing an accredited masters degree programme. They are benchmarked against and aligned to international best practice including the Washington Accord. This essentially means that a graduate of an accredited masters degree in Ireland will have achieved the equivalent learning outcomes as that of a graduate of any of the signatory countries to the Washington Accord. The 2013 regulations will outline clearly the additional learning outcomes required beyond those you have achieved in your accredited bachelor (honours) degree. You must demonstrate in your formation report that you have completed this further learning through structured examples and evidence. Your further learning will likely be accomplished through a combination of a number of learning and development activities. These activities may include the completion and application of: a masters degree in another subject area (e.g. MBA, MSc. etc.); and/or a module of further study at masters degree level (e.g. a diploma at Level 9 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications) such as the s Ireland Future Professional Programme; and/or a range of CPD certified training plus proven application of the learning; and/or, a work-based research project facilitating the development of the required learning outcomes. When the 2013 regulations are launched you should consider the requirements detailed within at length before completing your further learning and your application for assessment. PAGE 8

9 3. I am qualifying from a PhD in engineering, how can I become a? Your Phase 1 Check will assess if you have a combination of accredited programmes to PhD level; in other words it will assess if you have successfully completed an accredited bachelors (honours) degree and/or accredited masters degree prior to completing your PhD. This check will involve you submitting verified documentation. Once successfully checked you will be advised that you have successfully completed your Phase 1 formation. If you have completed an accredited bachelor (honours) degree in or before 2012 you will have completed your Phase 1 formation. If you have completed an accredited bachelor (honours) degree post 2012 but not an accredited masters degree you will be required to complete Phase 1 Route A or B; both routes will be defined in full in the 2013 regulations. See question and answer 1 to see which route would apply. If you have completed a bachelor degree in engineering, or another related area, that is not accredited by s Ireland you will be required to complete the Experiential Learning Route for your Phase 1 assessment. 4 I qualified from a bachelor of engineering (honours) programme accredited by s Ireland in 2013 and I am completing a masters degree in engineering in the USA, how can I become a? See question and answer 1 (b) above. 5 I qualified from a bachelor of engineering (honours) programme accredited by s Ireland in 2013 and I am completing a masters degree in business, how can I become a? See question and answer 1 (c) above. 6 I qualified from a bachelor of engineering (honours) programme accredited by s Ireland in 2013 and I will be working in an engineering role while completing the Future Professional Programme (level 9), how can I become a? See question and answers 1 (c) and 2 above. 7 I qualified from a bachelor of engineering (honours) programme accredited by s Ireland in 2013 and I am completing a research masters degree in engineering how can I become a? See question and answer 1 (b) above. 8 I qualified from a bachelor of engineering (honours) programme accredited by s Ireland in 2012, how can I become a? If you qualified in 2012 or before from an accredited bachelor of engineering (honours) programme you hold the educational formation required and therefore you should apply for a Phase 1 check. Once your qualification has been successfully checked and verified you will be notified that you have successfully completed your Phase 1 formation and you may proceed to your Phase 2 assessment. In September 2012 a decision was taken by s Ireland Council to allow those who graduated from an accredited bachelor (honours) degree prior to 2013 to proceed to the Phase 2 assessment of a without further learning until After that all those holding an accredited bachelor (honours) degree, regardless of their graduation date, will be required to provide evidence of their further learning under Phase 1 Route A or B; both routes will be defined in full in the 2013 regulations. You should familiarise yourself with the further learning requirements outlined in the regulations and ensure you can provide evidence of your sufficient learning against these requirements. PAGE 9

10 9 I qualified from a bachelor of engineering (honours) programme accredited by s Ireland in 2005, how can I become a? See question and answer 8 above. 10 I qualified from a computer science degree and an accredited masters degree programme in engineering, how can I become a? s Ireland is home to many s whose formation includes qualifications outside of the traditional engineering formation. The spectrum of engineering is always growing due to the broadening of diversity of those involved in the profession. Many engineers start their educational formation in qualifications outside of a traditional engineering programme. Candidates who have achieved the educational formation required for a this way should apply for their Phase 1 assessment through the experiential learning route. This requires additional information on your learning and development so that you can be assessed as having achieved the equivalent learning outcomes to a graduate of an accredited programme. The full requirements for the experiential learning route will be described in the new regulations, which will be launched in Please contact our membership team if you wish to discuss this in advance of the launch at membership@engineersireland.ie. 11 All of my qualifications are unaccredited and not formally recognised by s Ireland, how can I become a? s Ireland is home to many s whose formation includes qualifications that are not formally accredited by s Ireland or one of our signatory agreements. This includes candidates who have completed qualifications within related subject areas to engineering, those who have completed qualifications from abroad or those who have developed through many years of learning in the workplace. There is a clear distinction between the educational formation and the competences required of a. The full requirements will be described in the 2013 regulations. Please contact our membership team if you wish to discuss this in advance of the launch of these regulations at membership@engineersireland.ie. s Ireland is home to many s whose formation includes qualifications outside of the traditional engineering formation. The spectrum of engineering is always growing due to the broadening diversity of those involved in the profession. PAGE 10

11 BECOMING A CHARTERED ENGINEER

12 s Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland. Tel: +353 (0) Web: Membership team or membership@engineersireland.ie