FAQ Sheet for Competence Assessment

Questions on CPEng

General Questions

Compiling my Submission


Questions on CPEng

Why should I get CPEng?  What are the advantages?
The CPEng quality mark offers registrants a number of benefits.  These include:

  1. Peer recognition for having attained competence as a professional engineer
  2. Independent validation of current competence (somewhat like a ‘health check’ or ‘warrant of fitness check’)
  3. Enhanced employment prospects, as CPEng is increasingly used by employers as a benchmark for recruitment and professional development
  4. Enhanced career opportunities, as companies use CPEng as a quality standard for clients (e.g. on tender documents)
  5. The right to undertake certain work that is restricted by Government regulatory requirements
  6. Access to other work that may be restricted by local and regional authorities
  7. Marketing advantages deriving from inclusion on the CPEng Register and use of the CPEng postnominal

Is CPEng of value to the telecommunication and IT fields?
Yes.  Although these fields of engineering may not be subject to the same level of regulation as some other areas of engineering (such as structural and geotechnical engineering where regulators are using the CPEng quality mark as a reference), the benefits outlined in bullets 5 and 6 above may not be so important but the other benefits of CPEng are applicable to engineers working in these fields.

I was previously a Registered Engineer in New Zealand.  What do I do to get CPEng?
Former Registered Engineers have been through a competence assessment before, but will need to demonstrate current competence through the assessment process.  The requirements for previously assessed applicants and the process involved are set out in the Competence Assessment Reference Guide (CARG).

Can academics obtain CPEng?
Yes.  Engineering Academics are a vital part of the profession and central to its future strength and development.
IPENZ has developed guidelines to assist engineering academics to identify evidence for a competence assessment from an academic context.  These can be downloaded here:
http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/forms/pdfs/
Guidance-Notes-for-Engineering-Academics-October-2007.pdf

I am nearing retirement, is CPEng worth it?
This answer to this will likely depend on individual circumstances.
Ultimately it comes down to assessing the benefits of CPEng (see above) and weighing these against time and cost considerations. 

General Questions

How do I apply for a register and/or membership?  What is the process?
If you wish to apply for competence based membership and registration, you will need to show evidence that you meet the relevant competence standard.
The standards are available for download here:
Competence Standard for Professional Engineers.pdf
Competence Standard for Engineering Technologists.pdf
Competence Standard for Engineering Technicians.pdf

The nature of the assessment will vary depending on whether you have had a previous competence assessment by IPENZ and if so how long ago. 
Generally the steps involved are as follows:

  • Submission of a portfolio of evidence: this includes continuing professional development (CPD) records, referee reports, work history summaries and self-review forms.  Refer to the Competence Assessment Reference Guide (CARG). for further details
  • Evaluation by an Assessment Panel: a panel made up of an IPENZ Staff Assessor and at least one Practice Area Assessor is appointed to assess each portfolio and prepare an assessment report and recommendation for the Competence Assessment Board.  If you have not been assessed before, the evaluation process will involve an interactive interview and, typically, a written assignment.
  • Registration decision: the Competence Assessment Board (CAB) is the body authorised to make decisions on each application.  The CAB meets monthly to consider assessment reports and recommendations from assessment panels.
  • Outcome advised: successful applicants receive a certificate and are placed on the relevant registers They can then use the relevant postnominals (e.g. CPEng, MIPENZ, ETPract etc.) after their name.

Can I apply if I live overseas?
Yes you can, but you need to remember that if you are applying for CPEng you are required to demonstrate current competence in a New Zealand context - knowledge and application of New Zealand codes, regulations and practices.  If you have been overseas for a period of time then it may be difficult for you to demonstrate this, particularly in some fields of practice, such as geotechnical or structural engineering where there is significant New Zealand contextualisation.  In other disciplines, such as IT or Telecommunications, where international codes and standards predominate, this is less of an issue.  You will need to demonstrate how you have developed or maintained your knowledge of New Zealand-specific engineering good practice.  This may be because you have been working with New Zealand clients; you may be employed by a multi-national company with a NZ office which distributes work around various offices; you maybe doing work based on New Zealand design standards and codes. 

I am an experienced engineer who recently moved to New Zealand from overseas. How many years experience do I need in New Zealand before applying?
Time is not a relevant measure, as the test is your ability to demonstrate current competence in a New Zealand context.  The length of time required to develop a sound understanding (and evidence of application) of New Zealand codes and practices will vary depending on where you have come from, the type of project exposure you get in your new role, your area of practice and the extent of New Zealand specific codes and regulations that are applicable.  This could take anything up to 18 months.

I am a member of or registered with an engineering body in another country.  Is there a mutual exemption agreement?
We give as much credit as we can for applicants who have previously been assessed by one of our international accord partners and the details of the credit that is given for membership and registration is set out in the Competence Assessment Reference Guide (CARG).
Because CPEng in New Zealand requires evidence of current competence to practice in New Zealand, an assessment will always be required for CPEng to confirm current competence to practice in a New Zealand context, unless you are a Registered Professional Engineer in Queensland. Please see the CARG for more information.

I have recently had a break from engineering but am practicing again.  Will that affect my application?
Not materially.  Like any applicant, you need to demonstrate current competence, so will need to show how you have kept abreast of developments within your area of practice and maintained your professional practice skills.  Your CPD will be particularly important in demonstrating how you have achieved this, and the panel will pay particular attention to your CPD records.  You will also need to reflect on whether or not your work history since recommencing working as an engineer provides sufficient evidence of the application of new practices or codes and current competence against each element of the standard.  As a rule of thumb, there should be 2-3 good examples of projects or activities that address each element.  Remember 1 project may provide evidence of competence against several elements of the standard.

Compiling my Submission

I am a bit daunted by the amount of information that I think you need!  How much is actually required?
The assessment panel requires sufficient evidence to demonstrate that you are currently competent to practice in your practice area..
While it helps the assessment panel to get a clear picture of your career history, typically through an up to date CV or Work History Summary (form CA04), information on your personal role in specific projects or activities only needs to be provided for more recent work (last 5 years).
A key document in your submission is the Competence Self Review (Form CA03) – it is here that you document or reference your best evidence of competence against each competence element.

We recommend the following steps:

  • Familiarise yourself with the Competence Assessment Reference Guide http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/forms/pdfs/
    CARG_Competence_assessment_Reference_Guide.pdf      and the competence standard that you will be assessed against.
  • Update your CV or work history record (CA04) to the level of key job roles, projects and achievements over the last 5 years.
    Note: company time recording or billing records may help to remind you about key projects.
  • Update your CPD records (you can use online forms or the CA05 form) to include CPD activities over the last 5 years.  The information that assessment panels are looking for is not a mere list of activities that you have participated in over the last 5 years, but also the learning that you gained from each CPD activity and how that was applied in your practice area.
    Note:  HR appraisal records may assist you to fill in the gaps. 

For key learning activities take the time to reflect briefly on the key learning that you gained, how it may have impacted on your practice, and contributed to demonstrating competence against any of the competence elements.

  • Work through the Competence Self Assessment Form CA03, identifying examples where you consider you have demonstrated competence for each of the elements, cross referencing these examples to projects or activities detailed in your CV, work history records or CPD records as appropriate. If necessary, provide further amplification of these (i.e. a clear description of the work, your role and responsibilities and the outcomes achieved) so that the assessment panel can clearly identify your competence (1-2 paragraphs per example).

I am a sole practitioner or there are no other qualified engineers in my office.  Who can I get to act as a referee?
We encourage engineers working in isolated circumstances to take positive steps to put in place networks that support their professional practice by providing peer review and support as part of a risk management strategy for their practice.  Such networks may be supported by IPENZ branch links, other professional body affiliations or company links (if working in a regional office of a larger company) and should provide a source of people who are able to act as referees. 
If you are in an area of practice that has not traditionally had a strong association with IPENZ and are unable to identify appropriately qualified referees in spite of having such a network in place, please contact National Office to discuss your situation.

What kind of material do I need to submit?
Information on the specific documents that you need to submit is given in the Competence Assessment Reference Guide (CARG): http://www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/forms/pdfs/
CARG_Competence_assessment_Reference_Guide.pdf

How many hours will it take to put together my application?
This will vary, but you can make it easier for yourself by maintaining records of your work history (e.g. have an up to date CV or have been recording your work history on-line) and your CPD records.
If you have got your CV and CPD records up to date, it should take no longer than a day to complete a self assessment against the standard and expand your CV or work history record to include more detail on key projects or activities  to align it with each of the 12 elements of the competence standard.

I work in a fairly specialised field or I work in a provincial area and have limited access to CPD activities.  How do I deal with this?
Engineers are under an ethical and professional obligation to remain current in their practice area. 
CPD can take many forms and, if you are working in a specialised or developing area, may include such things as research as part of developing a solution to a problem that you have not faced previously.
If technical isolation is an issue, particularly in disciplines where the rate of technological change is relatively rapid, then it may be necessary to look at web based resources, subscribe to international journals or attend national or international conferences.
It is also important to recognise that CPD should address not only technical competence, but professional practice skills (e.g. project management, financial management, ethics, inter personal skills etc) for which short course opportunities are likely to be more readily available throughout the country. 

My work conditions are confidential.  How do I get around this in submitting my evidence portfolio?
Generally assessors do not need a high level of detail on confidential information – they need sufficient evidence to be satisfied that the applicant is able to practice competently as a professional engineer.  We would expect that this could be demonstrated by documentation that describes the nature of your work and its complexities without disclosing confidential detail about solutions or business processes.
All assessors are required to sign confidentiality clauses and, as part of the panel selection process, we check with both the applicant and prospective assessors to confirm that there is no conflict of interest.
While first time applicants are required to provide work samples as part of their portfolio, often the above confidentiality arrangements will give an employer sufficient comfort to allow work samples to be released.  Alternatively, it may be that you are not able to provide details of current work, but your employer may be comfortable with you providing work samples relating to earlier projects that have been completed and are now in the public domain.

What is the 2008 CPEng assessment/appointment schedule?
Previously assessed applicants can submit applications at any time as an interactive interview is not generally required.
First time applicants need to submit documentation in line with the annual schedule for interactive interviews, which is posted on the website: 

You can book yourself a space on a round by viewing the timetable then clicking on the round you wish to select. You will be given full details of the round and then be asked to enter your contact details so that reminders can be sent before the deadline .



  
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