Stage 1 Booklet May 2020
Stage 1 Booklet May 2020
Contents
Introduction 3
► Mandatory Requirements 3
Making an Application 6
► General 6
► Material Required 6
- Photo identification 7
- Curriculum Vitae 7
- English language competency 8
- Qualification details 8
► Career episodes 9
- Career episodes relating to engineering employment 10
- Career episodes for those recently graduated 11
► Summary statement 11
Checklist 13
Fees 14
Appendix A 14
► Defining the Engineering Team – Role Description 14
- The Professional Engineer 14
- The Engineering Technologist 15
- The Engineering Associate 16
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Appendix B 17
► Career Episode Example 17
Appendix C 19
► Summary Statement – Professional Engineer 19
► Summary Statement – Engineering Technologist 20
► Summary Statement – Engineering Associate 21
Appendix D 22
► Statutory Declaration Example 22
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year Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree or This typically corresponds to completion of an accredited
Bachelor of Engineering Science degree or recognised engineering qualification
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Each element has a set of indicators which provide a You may find a list of accredited programs on our website
guide to the level of performance and allow a judgment at www.engineersaustralia.org.au/About-Us/Accredita
to be made on whether the element of competency has tion
been achieved. These indicators describe and list the
If you hold an accredited qualification, you may apply
ways in which the element would typically be
directly for membership online at www.engineers
demonstrated and assessed.
australia.org.au/membership/join
While it is expected that every element will be achieved,
If you hold a qualification other than in engineering and
assessment is made on a holistic basis and it is not
have an active interest in contributing to the engineering
expected that every Indicator will be met.
profession, then you can apply directly to Affiliate online at
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/membership/join
Eligibility for Membership
Mutual Recognition Agreements
with Engineers Australia Engineers Australia has Mutual Recognition or Mutual
To be eligible for membership in any of the three Exemption Agreements with professional engineering
occupational categories, you must demonstrate that you bodies in a number of other countries. If you are a Member
have the competencies needed to enter practice as a of an engineering body with which Engineers Australia has
qualified member of the engineering team. This is what a mutual recognition agreement, you may be suitable to
is known as Stage 1 competency. apply for membership with Engineers Australia. You may
This may be demonstrated in one of the following ways: submit an application for membership through a Mutual
Recognition Agreement at www.engineersaustralia.org.
Recognised Qualification au/Membership/Membership-Benefits/MRA-Benefits
If you hold an engineering qualification which has been As a condition under the agreements, formal academic
accredited, recognised or approved by Engineers qualifications must be acceptable to both parties in
Australia, then you are immediately eligible for accordance with the Washington, Sydney or Dublin
membership. The benchmark qualifications are: Accords. Where the academic qualifications are not
acceptable under the International Engineering Alliance,
► Professional Engineer: 4-year Bachelor of
the applicant may be asked to submit a Stage 1
Engineering degree or 5-year Engineering Masters
Competency assessment application.
► Engineering Technologist: 3-year Bachelor of
In case of doubt, please inquire through the Member
Engineering Technology or Bachelor of Engineering
Assessment Team at www.engineersaustralia.org.au/
Science degree
Contact-Us
► Engineering Associate: 2-year Advanced Diploma or
Associate Degree in Engineering.
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International Engineering Alliance Accords You are expected to have demonstrated each element of
competency in an overall sense, but it is not expected that
Recognition of substantially equivalent international
you will have demonstrated every indicator within each
qualifications under the Washington, Sydney or Dublin
element.
Accords is based on similar in-depth examination by
overseas professional bodies. More information is Occasionally, a candidate may be asked to provide more
available at https://www.ieagreements.org/ information or to attend an interview with one or more
assessors. In the majority of cases, assessment is based on
If your qualification has been accredited by a Signatory
the report as submitted. Engineers Australia reserves the
of one of these accords, and you have graduated since
right to seek confirmation of particular information. It
the date of the Signatory becoming a member, then you
may, for example, seek confirmation from your university,
may apply directly for membership at
college or other educational institution that the details of
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/membership/join
your qualification/s are correct. Those who verify your CV
may also be contacted.
Making an Application Once your application has been assessed you will be
General advised by email of the outcome. The outcome will advise
Preparing and submitting an eligibility for membership your eligibility for membership with Engineers Australia
application allows your engineering Stage 1 competency and in which membership category. If your application has
to be assessed. You will need to supply your personal not been successful in your nominated category, you will
details and to upload supporting documentation. be provided with reasons for this outcome.
You will need to apply for recognition in the Professional Material Required
Engineer or Engineering Technologist or Engineering
Supporting files to be uploaded should preferably be in
Associate category. However, the outcome of the
PDF format. Scanned documents should be clear, in
assessment is never guaranteed. You may be offered
colour and with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Each
another category (including that of Affiliate) or found not
individual file should preferably be smaller than 5Mb, with
to be eligible for any category.
a maximum 10 Mb.
On the basis of the information contained in your
The required material includes:
application, an Assessor appointed by Engineers
Australia will assess whether you have demonstrated a. Passport size photograph
eligibility for membership and Stage 1 competency. The
b. Photo Identification
assessment is made on a holistic basis, taking into
account all your qualifications and experience as c. A verified Curriculum Vitae
described in your application.
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If your current name is not the same as on the original You must describe work you have actually performed
documents, or if different spellings of your name are yourself and write in the first person singular (I … ) to make
used over your documentation, then you must upload your personal contribution very clear.
evidence of your name change or a statutory declaration
A total of 1500 words should be enough for each career
stating that the variation of your name all designates one
episode and you should not exceed 2000 words for each.
and the same person.
When writing about a team project, you should describe
Career Episodes
the project overall, but you must also describe the specific
The purpose of the career episodes is to demonstrate to part you played personally, how it contributed to the
the Assessor that your underpinning engineering overall objective, what you actually did, and what
knowledge for entry to the profession has been: competency or competencies you believe this
demonstrates.
► Consolidated and
Number each career episode and each paragraph within it
► Applied appropriately to confirm the Stage 1
so that you can refer to them later in the summary
competencies
statement. For example, paragraph 3 in Career Episode 2
You should prepare and upload three career episodes would be referred to as CE2.3.
describing engineering experiences through which you
As you write your career episodes, ask yourself
believe you developed and demonstrated Stage 1
continually: How can the Assessor, reading my application,
competency.
be satisfied that I have actually demonstrated Stage 1
Before starting, you should read the competency competency? The Assessor will expect that you, in your
standard for your chosen occupational category. series of career episodes will have covered every element
of competency. You must try to show that you have
Choose three major learning experiences that you
demonstrated each element in an overall sense. In judging
believe are able to demonstrate the range of
whether or not you have demonstrated each element, the
competencies for your occupational category. A
Assessor will rely on the indicators for that element as a
substantial project or design exercise, for example, may
guide. Remember always that you must write about your
have required you to demonstrate many different
personal performance. It is not enough to say that a
competencies, and could be a very suitable basis for one
project or unit of study in which you took part covered
of your career episodes.
certain competencies. You must describe what you did
After you have completed each career episode, indicate yourself, as an individual.
in your summary statement which elements of
Formulae, tables, photographs and drawings are no
competency it enabled you to demonstrate.
substitute for a concise description of individual activity
You should not try to write separately about each and their relationship to the Stage 1 Competencies.
element of competency, nor is it expected that each
career episode will demonstrate all elements of
competency. Rather, you should aim to ensure that your
career episodes, taken together, cover all the elements.
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Remember that Stage 1 competency requires: novel or critical nature. You must write in the first person
singular, describing what you actually did and how this
► The acquisition of appropriate engineering demonstrates the competencies claimed. A mere listing of
foundation knowledge your responsibilities or a position description will not be
► The ability to apply this knowledge to problems and accepted.
situations within your occupational category Please ensure that each work-based career episode
Engineers Australia needs to be satisfied that you have includes:
both. Your career episodes should focus on the ► Introduction
application of your knowledge.
- Dates and duration of the project or
Refer to Appendix B for an example of a career episode. appointment you are writing about
Career episodes relating to engineering - Name of employing organisation and location of
employment worksite
- Title of the position you occupied
It is expected that career episodes are based on - Background, nature and objectives of the overall
experience gained in engineering employment. The engineering project
career episode should describe the application of your - Nature of your particular work area
engineering knowledge with the intention to - An organisation chart highlighting your position
demonstrate competency which has been consolidated
► Personal performance
through work performed in engineering employment.
- Detailed description of the work you performed
Each career episode should be based on a project or a
personally
piece of work you have worked on or are currently
- Technical details of the work
working on, detailing particular problems you were
- How you applied your engineering knowledge
required to solve.
and skills
You need to ensure that the section of your CV relating - The tasks delegated to you and how you went
to your chosen example is verified. about accomplishing them
- Any particular engineering problems you
You must write about what you actually did, indicating
encountered and how you solved them
what elements of competency you believe you
- Strategies you devised, including any original or
demonstrated, and how you did so. You should identify
creative design work
any particular problems encountered and problem-
- How you worked with other team members
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
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Review Appeal
The normal process for a review is for your application The process of an appeal requires an Appeal Committee to
to be re-examined by another Assessor. You can make be convened. You can make a request for an appeal within
a request for a review within three months of the date six months of the date of the original assessment outcome
of the original assessment outcome letter. letter.
Your request for review should set out the basis on If you apply for an appeal, then you should understand that
which you believe the outcome is inappropriate and be all necessary documentation from your file will be
addressed in writing to forwarded to the Appeal Committee. Under Australian
Privacy Legislation your permission is required for this to
The Manager
happen. Your signature on your letter applying for an appeal
Review/Appeal
will be taken as denoting your consent for your file
Engineers Australia
documents to be forwarded to the Appeal Committee.
11 National Circuit
Barton, ACT 2600 Your request for appeal should set out the basis on which
you believe the outcome is inappropriate and addressed in
For those decisions remaining in dispute, a formal
writing to:
appeal process is available.
The Manager
Review/Appeal
Engineers Australia
11 National Circuit
Barton, ACT 2600
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► Effective oral and written communication in ► Knowledge of contextual factors impacting the
professional and lay domains engineering discipline
► Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour
► Understanding of the scope, principles, norms
► Professional use and management of information
accountabilities and bounds of contemporary
► Orderly management of self and professional
engineering practice in the practice area
conduct
► Effective team membership and team leadership
Engineering application ability
Engineering Technologists may lead teams appropriate
to these activities. When in a senior role they may even ► Application of established technical and practical
be responsible for employing professional engineers and methods to the solution of well-defined engineering
other specialists where appropriate. problems
► Application of technical and practical techniques,
The Engineering Associate
tools and resources to well defined engineering
The benchmark Stage 1 qualification for engineering problems
associates is the 2-year Advanced Diploma or Associate ► Application of systematic design processes to well
Degree in Engineering. defined engineering problems
Engineering Associates must demonstrate Stage 1 ► Effective oral and written communication in
competencies that involve all of the following: professional and lay domains
► Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour
Knowledge and skill base
► Professional use and management of information
► Descriptive, formula-based understanding of the
► Orderly management of self and professional
underpinning natural and physical sciences and the
conduct
engineering fundamentals applicable to the practice area
► Procedural level understanding of the mathematics, ► Effective team membership and team leadership
numerical analysis, statistics,
and computer and information sciences which underpin Engineering Associates may lead or manage teams
the practice area appropriate to these activities. When in a senior role
► In depth practical knowledge and skills within the they may even be responsible for employing
specialist sub-disciplines of the practice area professional engineers and other specialists where
appropriate. In Australia the term ‘para-professional’
is frequently used to describe the engineering
associate occupation.
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CE1.6 I considered various design possibilities. In one issued earlier than anticipated, so I diverted more of
particular possibility, due to the height difference in the my time and resources to this task in order to get the
external ground level to the internal slab finished level, drawings and documentation ready by the deadline.
it was required to provide retaining walls. Providing Key documentation met this deadline, with supporting
retaining walls was a cost-effective solution compared to section drawings being delivered a few days later.
importing fill to raise the external ground level. I
CE1.9 The client was concerned about the deflection
introduced concrete ramps and steps to the entrance. I
under load of the suspended ground floor slab. I
undertook the concrete design to satisfy Australian
discussed my computer model results with the client
standards AS 3600. Whilst I was checking the drawings, I
and demonstrated that the design case deflections
noticed that some area in the added mezzanine floor was
were acceptable. I also showed that changing the
created as part of the structural system and redundant. I
design to provide less deflection would significantly
was convinced that this area was necessary for the
increase construction costs.
structural framing and that in future, it had a potential to
be used as extra storage space. I performed design CE1.10 Another engineer completed an independent
checks for the related structural elements for a storage- verification of the ground floor structure. I then went
imposed load. This exercise avoided any anticipated through and addressed all the issues raised, making
potential risk. changes where necessary. The head office also
CE1.7 It was also my task to draw up and update the reviewed and directed many queries to our chief
reinforcement drawings. I produced a sample mark-up project engineer. I was then given the task of
which was checked by the chief project engineer and the reviewing and addressing many of these issues and
clients to ensure an acceptable format for the rest of the providing responses. The reviewed design was
drawings. After we issued this sample mark-up, the chief provided to the client who advised that the design
project engineer went on several weeks holiday, which brief had been met.
left me with the task of managing the timing and CE1.11 Apart from my design activities, my
production of the rest of these drawings, with minimal participation in this project involved health and safety
supervision from the department manager. Using the considerations, planning, obtaining approvals and
original design computations as my basis, I drew up all communicating effectively with stakeholders.
the detailed reinforcement plans. This approach allowed
By coincidence, a couple of months later I was on
me to check and verify the computations as I went and
holiday in this capital city and I used this opportunity
update the drawings accordingly.
to contact the head office and organise a site visit with
CE1.8 Altered drawings were revised and reissued as a
one of their engineers. At the time they were
next revision, in many cases with copies of relevant
constructing the basement and foundations, so not
calculations to show reasoning. During this time the rest
much of my design had been built yet. However, the
of my workload was light so, apart from one or two
experience was still very valuable to see the site and
difficult areas, I took the chance to push the drawings
discuss my designs with the site engineer to unearth
ahead and have the first revisions largely ready before
any problems and methods he believed things could
time. Whilst in the middle of this process, the client
have been done better.
advised us that the pile capping drawings needed to be
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Appendix C
Summary Statement – Professional Engineer
Competency element Paragraph number in the career A brief summary of how you have
episode where the element is applied the element
demonstrated
PE 1 Knowledge and Skill Base
PE 1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning
natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to
the engineering discipline
PE 1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis,
statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the
engineering discipline
PE 1.3 In depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the
engineering discipline
PE 1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions
within the engineering discipline
PE 1.5 Knowledge of contextual factors impacting the engineering
discipline
PE 1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and
bounds of contemporary engineering practice in the specific discipline
PE 2 Engineering Application Ability
PE 2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex
engineering problem solving
PE 2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources
PE 2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design
processes
PE 2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and
managementofengineeringprojects
PE 3 Professional and Personal Attributes
PE 3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability
PE 3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay
domains
PE 3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour
PE 3.4 Professional use and management of information
PE 3.5 Orderly management of self and professional conduct
PE 3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership
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Competency element Paragraph number in the career A brief summary of how you have
episode where the element is applied the element
demonstrated
ET 1 Knowledge and Skill Base
ET 1.1 Systematic, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural
and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the
technology domain
PE 1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis,
statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the
technology
ET 1.3 In depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the
technology domain
ET 1.4 Discernment of knowledge development within the technology
domain
ET 1.5 Knowledge of contextual factors impacting the technology domain
ET 1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and
bounds of contemporary engineering practice in the technology domain
ET 2 Engineering Application Ability
ET 2.1 Application of established engineering methods to broadly defined
problem solving within the technology domain
ET 2.2 Application of engineering techniques, tools and resources within the
technology domain
ET 2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design
processes within the technology domain
ET 2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and
management of projects within the technology domain
ET 3 Professional and Personal Attributes
ET 3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability
ET 3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay
domains
ET 3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour
ET 3.4 Professional use and management of information
ET 3.5 Orderly management of self and professional conduct
ET 3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership
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Competency element Paragraph number in the career episode A brief summary of how you have
where the element is demonstrated applied the element
EA 1 Knowledge and Skill Base
EA 1.1 Descriptive, formula-based understanding of the underpinning
natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to
the practice area
EA 1.2 Procedural level understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis,
statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the practice
area
EA 1.3 In depth practical knowledge and skills within specialist sub-
disciplines of the practice area
EA 1.4 Discernment of engineering developments within the practice area
EA 1.5 Knowledge of contextual factors impacting the engineering
discipline
EA 1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and
bounds of contemporary engineering practice in the practice area
EA 2 Engineering Application Ability
EA 2.1 Application of established technical and practical methods to the solution
of well-defined engineering problems
EA 2.2 Application of technical and practical techniques, tools and
resources to well defined engineering problems
EA 2.3 Application of systematic design processes to well defined
engineering problems
EA 2.4 Application of systematic project management processes
EA 3 Professional and Personal Attributes
EA 3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability
EA 3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay
domains
EA 3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour
EA 3.4 Professional use and management of information
EA 3.5 Orderly management of self and professional conduct
EA 3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership
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Appendix D
Statutory Declaration Example
Following is an example Statutory Declaration that could be used when verification of a CV cannot be obtained. I,
► I am an applicant for an Eligibility for Membership (Stage 1 Competency) Assessment of Engineers Australia.
► I declare that it is not possible for me to provide independent verification of certain sections of my CV. This is due to
the following circumstances which were beyond my control.
(State circumstances which prevent independent verification and/or the provision of written references, and the
steps taken to retrieve the documentation)
I declare that the information given by me in relation to these sections in my attached application dated
_/ _/ is accurate, true, correct and complete in all relevant details to the best of my knowledge and belief
I also declare that the relevant experience and level of professional responsibility claimed in the application
and supporting documents provide a fair and balanced statement which may properly be taken into account by
Engineers Australia in assessing my eligibility for membership.
I stand ready to respond to any reasonable requests of Engineers Australia for explanations or further information in
relation to my application.
I make this solemn declaration by virtue of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959, and subject to the penalties
provided by that Act for the making of false statements in statutory declarations, conscientiously believing
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the statements made in this declaration to be true in every particular. I am fully aware of the serious nature of
making a Statutory Declaration or it has been explained to me.
Signed
(Signature of declarant)
Declared at
Before me
(Full name, qualification, and contact details (including address), in printed letters, of the person before whom the
declaration is made)
This declaration must be witnessed and signed by an authorised person under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959
to witness statutory declarations. More information about Statutory Declarations is available at
www.ag.gov.au/Publications/Pages/Statutorydeclarations.aspx
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