HOW TO PREPARE YOUR

APPLICATION FOR CHARTERED

Engineers Australia

1. Pre-Enrolment
In addition to this guide, you will need to refer to the other resources & competency standard documents
on the Chartered Resources and Help section of the Engineers Australia website. The eChartered
online system itself contains information buttons throughout to help you understand each step.
At any time if you have questions, experience technical issues or just need help, please call our Member
Services team on 1300 653 113 or email memberservices@engineersaustralia.org.au

1.1 Eligibility to Achieve Chartered?

Chartered Status is open to current members of Engineers Australia only.
You must join Engineers Australia as a Member through our online application process or through one of
our Mutual Recognition Agreements and be Stage 1 competent. For more information on Stage 1
Competency please refer to the relevant section of the Engineers Australia website.

Applicants must demonstrate suitable English language skills as part of the Assessment process for
Chartered. Assessors will use IELTS Band 7 as a guide. If necessary, the Assessor may seek an
English language test in accordance with IELTS guidelines to satisfy Band 7 in each of the four
components (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking) in either the Academic or General Training
module.

1.2 Which Pathway will you choose?

The Professional Development Program (PDP) Pathway
The PDP pathway is for engineers wanting staged submission and assessment and support throughout
their Chartered journey. A PDP Participant is generally Organisation-sponsored, where the organisation
has an agreement with Engineers Australia and supports the fees payable as well as providing other
support to help you progress through the competencies such as access to mentoring schemes, in-house
workshops and guidance. You can elect to be Self-Sponsored to access the pathway benefits of staged
submission and a draft claim if you are not part of a PDP Organisation.
Unlike the other pathways, the PDP can be started if you only hold the grade of Graduate. You have the
option of submitting one draft claim to get some general feedback before you prepare formal claims. On
the PDP you respond to the full set of 16 Competency Standards, provide a CV, CPD Log & Engineering
Experience Record. You can submit your Claims in minimum bundles of 4. On the PDP, you also have
access to tailored resources and communications throughout your journey.

The Engineering Competency Report (ECR) pathway

The ECR pathway is for engineers who have been in the workforce for some time practising engineering
and who are more confident in their competence to respond to all 16 Competency Standards, provide
your CV & CPD Log and provide an Engineering Experience Record in the one submission.
You must hold the grade of Member or above to access the ECR pathway.

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Engineers Australia

The Mature Experienced Engineer (MEE) pathway

The MEE pathway is for engineers who are operating at a senior level and have developed their
engineering skills over a period of time. Generally, you must have over 15 years of engineering
experience post-graduation to be approved for this pathway. On the MEE pathway, you prepare claims
for 11 of the 16 Competency Standards.
To enrol on the MEE pathway, you must be a member of Engineers Australia at the grade of Member or
higher. At enrolment you need to demonstrate via your CV and a CPD Log that you have the required
experience including at least five years employment in a position(s) of major responsibility in the design
or management of important engineering work. Upon submission of the enrolment application, a
National Assessor will review your suitability to proceed on the MEE pathway. They may ask for further
information to make their decision. If you are unsuccessful you will be automatically enrolled onto the
ECR pathway as an alternative.
You will also need to submit an Engineering Experience Record that clearly shows your competence
through work experience of the remaining 5 Competencies were formal claims are not required.
Other Options
Through eChartered, applicants in all three pathways can seek Registration outcomes on the National
Engineering Register and receive a Letter of Assessment for RPEQ to support your separate application
for RPEQ status with the Board of Professional Engineers Queensland (BPEQ). For further information
about these Registration outcomes, please refer to the information on the Engineers Australia website.
If you are a non-member, but are seeking the Letter of Assessment for RPEQ, you only need to
complete your response to the Stage 2 Competencies through eChartered and the ECR pathway if you
are seeking Registration in a Special Area of Practise. If seeking the Letter of Assessment for RPEQ in
a General Area of Practise, it is recommended that you use the National Engineering Register
application process instead.
There are a few options outside of eChartered including through our Mutual Recognition Agreements
(MRA); for Special Areas of Practise and Special pathways such as for our Defence members of certain
Rank & Qualification. If this is you, please refer to the information about these other options available on
the Engineers Australia website.

1.3 How do I pay for my application?

Payments are made at the Enrolment, Submission and Professional Interview request stages of
eChartered by Credit Card.
Accepted credit cards are Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Payments made on eChartered are non-refundable.
Once payment is made, a confirmation appears on the screen and receipt will be emailed to your
designated email address.
Please view the fee schedules on the website for details of the fees payable at each eChartered stage.
Organisation-sponsored PDP Participants do not need to pay their own eChartered fees. The fee
amount shown will be sent to their PDP Coordinator for approval, then invoiced to the Organisation
direct. Organisations may not support all fees. If this is the case, then the PDP Participant must either
make internal arrangements for reimbursement or swap to Self-Sponsored to make payment
themselves.

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Engineers Australia

2. Enrolment
2.1 Pathway chosen, let’s enrol
A. Go to www.engineersaustralia.org.au

B. Login to the member portal using your Engineers Australia Member number and password (reset if
necessary)

C. Access the eChartered system through the menu.

D. Once inside eChartered you will be presented with the enrolment screen. Only options that are
applicable to you will be visible for selection.

E. Click on the Enrol button next to your chosen pathway.

F. Complete the enrolment form including a passport style photo, Area of Practise selection, agreement
to the terms and conditions and other information as required applicable to your pathway.

G. Pay the fee required or request sponsorship (PDP only)

H. You are enrolled!

Note – once enrolled, you cannot easily change your pathway to Chartered. Please contact Member
Services if you experience any issues with your enrolment or pathway selection.

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Engineers Australia

If you have enrolled as an Organisation sponsored PDP participant, your sponsorship request will be
sent to your Organisation’s PDP Coordinator for approval. They have 14 days to approve or decline
your request. If the request is not actioned within this time, you may need to submit a new request. We
recommend PDP Participants talk to their PDP Coordinator prior to enrolment to understand any special
requirements that may be in place.
A confirmation email and a receipt if payment was made will be sent to you following your successful
enrolment.

Compatible Browsers:
The following recommended browsers can be used for eChartered:
 Chrome 22 (but earlier versions as far as 20 can be expected to work)
 Firefox 15 and 16 (but earlier versions as far as FF10 can be expected to work)
 Safari 5 and 6
 IE 9
Can be used but not preferable:
 IE 8 - may encounter some technical issues
 IE 7 - some pages may display slightly differently to other browsers, and the clickable region of
controls like checkboxes may be smaller and less well aligned than in other browsers

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Engineers Australia

3. Submission & Application

After enrolment, it is time for the work to start. We recommend you take your time to attend an
information session or workshop in our Divisions to understand the Chartered writing process and ask
questions of our Assessors. We also recommend you take some time to read the Australian Engineering
Competency Standards Stage 2 applicable to your occupational category, take note of any requirements
relating to Special Areas of Practise chosen and read our writing guidance material and examples on the
website. The more planning you do upfront, the easier and more successful you will be in completing
the submission phase.

3.1 What am I writing to?

All applicants must demonstrate their competencies against The Australian Engineering Competency
Standards Stage 2. The Stage 2 Competency Standards for each occupational category consist of 16
Elements of Competence. Indicators of Attainment have been provided to guide applicants as to the
engineering work that is likely to be considered as demonstrating each Element of Competence.
Applicants need to address each Element of Competence as an Engineering Competency Claim through
examples of work that involves engineering problems and engineering activities as described in the
Stage 2 Competency Standards under the heading Demonstration of Competence.
Please note that if you are seeking Chartered in Leadership & Management, Systems Engineering or
Cost Engineering, you need to address the separate Competency documents provided.
Chartered applicants and applicants for registration will also need to declare that they are willing to abide
by the Engineers Australia Code of Ethics. It is essential that you read and review the Code in
preparation for your Chartered application and the Professional Interview.
Stage 2 Competency Standards documents can be downloaded from Chartered help and resources
section of the Engineers Australia website.

3.2 What will I need to write, prepare and have verified within
eChartered?
A. Engineering Competency Claims (ECCs). One claim per applicable Stage 2 Competency Standards
is required (16 for PDP & ECR, 11 for MEE)

B. Engineering Experience Record

C. CV (No verification required)

D. CPD Log (No verification required)

A reminder that for MEE applicants, you will have already provided your CV & CPD Log at enrolment.

Note you can check the progress of all of your tasks by hovering your mouse over the symbols on the
right-hand-side of each Task.

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Engineers Australia

3.3 Preparing your Application

A. Re-access eChartered after login to the member portal

B. Review the task list presented on the right hand side of the screen.

C. Select a Competency from the list to begin - you can complete the Competencies in any
order. You can save and edit at any time until a submission is made.
It is recommended that you leave the EER, CV & CPD Log upload until all Competencies
have been completed so that these entries are up to date at the time of submission.

D. For the Competency selected, write directly or cut and paste from a separate document,
your Claim into the Segment box. Please start your Claim with a title and date range of the
project/experience being described. Use the tool bar to apply appropriate formatting. Up to 3
segments can be completed for the one Competency. You may choose to use the
segments to break up your claim into separate projects that need separate verification of the
content written. Note there is a word limit of 700 words which applies for the full claim
regardless of number of segments used. Save regularly!

E. Once you are happy with your claim, you need to verify it:
i. Select the “Submit for Verification” button and add the verifier details.
ii. Send for verification. The text you want verified will be sent via email to your chosen
verifier. Your verifier has 14 days to make their verification.

If the verification is successful, your Claim will move down the task list under “Items ready for
Assessment”. Please note that if you have more than one segment to be verified, all
segments will need to have been verified before it will move down the task list. If you edit
the claim again, you will need to resubmit it for verification again.

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Engineers Australia

If the verification is not successful, it will remain in your top task list. You will receive an
email from your Verifier giving reasoning for the un-successful verification. Revise your
Claim and resubmit for verification again.

Please note that if you have more than one segment to be verified, all segments will need to
have been verified before it will move down the task list. If you edit the claim again, you will
need to resubmit it for verification again.

If you are unable to achieve verification, you can attach a Statutory Declaration in instead.
Please select the option “I do not have suitable verifier for this Claim”. Please use the form
available with the Chartered resources & help section.

Please read the Verification guidelines available within the Chartered resources & help
section to ensure an appropriate verifier is chosen.

F. Repeat the writing and verification step for all Competencies.

G. Once you have enough Claims appearing under “Items Ready for Assessment” you can
submit them for Assessment:
i. For PDP Participants, when you have 4 or more ready to go, you can submit for
assessment. Note when you have the final 4 or less to submit, you will at this point,
also need to submit your EER, CV & CPD Log.
ii. For ECR participants, you need to have all 16 ready to go + your EER, CV & CPD
Log
iii. For MEE participants, you need to have all 11 ready to go + your EER.

You will know you are able to submit items as a “Submit Items for Assessment” button will
appear at the base of your task list.

H. To submit, click on the “Submit Items for Assessment” button. Then on the page presented,
tick the items to be submitted and press submit.

I. Payment for the submission is required. If an organisation sponsored PDP participant, a

request will be sent to your PDP Coordinator for approval. Approval must be given before
your Claims are forwarded to our Assessors for review.

J. PDP Participants only can submit one, one time only, draft Claim for general feedback
purposes. To submit a draft claim, select any from the task list, prepare your claim in the
segment boxes and then press the “Submit as Draft” button. Verification of the draft claim is
not required.

3.3.1 Preparing your Engineering Experience Record, CV & CPD Log

The Engineering Experience Record (EER) is a verified record of your engineering employment.
It asks you to detail your engineering roles and responsibilities.
The EER is a separate document from your CV. It is a verified record of your recent engineering
employment. In the Role Description field, you need to provide a detailed description of the job
roles you have held and your responsibilities and achievements for each role.

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Engineers Australia

The EER needs to be verified. You can use the same Verifiers that you set up to verify your
Engineering Competency Claims (ECCs) or you can set up a new Verifier(s).

For PDP and ECR pathway participants, your EER needs to cover at least the last three years
of your engineering experience.

For the MEE pathway participants, your EER needs to cover at least the last five years of your
engineering experience.

The experience claimed needs to be full-time equivalent engineering experience in the

occupational category in which you are seeking Chartered Status, namely Professional
Engineer, Engineering Technologist or Engineering Associate.

The experience deemed satisfactory is normally expected to have been gained after graduation,
although experience prior to graduation will be considered if suitable, i.e. the period during
which a post-graduate engineering degree is completed can be included as part of satisfactory
evidence, as long as the experience is in the occupational category in which Chartered Status is
sought.

Each Employment position held during the claimed period needs to be verified. If you have had
multiple positions above the segments allowed (3 for PDP/ECR, 5 for MEE), please include in
one segment and attach a statutory declaration for verification.

MEE participants also need to demonstrate that their EER at least infers competence in
Elements 12-16 in The Australian Engineering Competency Standards Stage 2. These are the
Elements in the group Technical Proficiency. Annotations that reference the Element number
and title can be used.

The upload of your CV is self-explanatory – please ensure it is up to date prior to submission.

You need to provide a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Log of activities covering a
minimum of 150 hours over the past 3 years. Please refer to the CPD guidelines available on
the Engineers Australia website to prepare your Log.

3.3.2 Extra Notes about Verification

For more detail about suitable Verifiers, please refer to the Verification Guidelines available
within the Resources & Help section of the Chartered webpages.

Engineers need to have each Engineering Competency Claim (ECC) and their Engineering
Experience Record (EER) verified by a responsible senior engineer, who is preferably a
Chartered Member of Engineers Australia.

Verifiers need to be able to attest that the work you have written about is your own.

Please ensure you contact your Verifiers prior to setting them up on eChartered to check that
their contact details are correct and forewarn them of your request. When you fill out your
verifiers details, you will have the option to send them your personal information so they can
contact you if needed.

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Engineers Australia

Once you have sent a verification request, you have the option to cancel the request if required.
If you click the 'Cancel verification' option on the segment you have sent, the claim will unlock
for you to edit, and re-send. Your Verifier will be informed that you have cancelled the request.

If your Verifier does not action your request after 14 days, your verification request will
automatically expire. A reminder email will be sent to your verifier after 7 days.

Engineers Australia will conduct random checks on Verifiers, or contact Verifiers if they want to
discuss their verification of your ECC or any Verifier information provided.

A Verifier has the option to accept or decline your request of them for verification. If they decline
they add a comment that is included in the email notification back to you. If you receive an
outcome that any segments of your Claim have been declined, then you need to have them
verified by a different Verifier.

If you need to rework your verified ECCs for any reason, you can choose to ‘unverify’ them in
eChartered.

Participants need to make all reasonable efforts first to have their work verified, i.e. at least try
and contact their previous supervisor, client or colleagues if they have changed jobs or cities.
As a last resort they can attach a Statutory Declaration to their claim. This is a legally
enforceable document whereby you declare the truthfulness and accuracy of your work.

Participants can use a Statutory Declaration in lieu of a Verifier for up to five ECCs only. A
separate Statutory Declaration must be used for each applicable ECC. If you need, for example,
to use a Statutory Declaration to cover two project examples in one ECC, simply write the
examples one after the other in the one box and upload one Statutory Declaration.

3.4 Assessment
Once you have submitted your Claims (PDP) or your full application (ECR & MEE), your
submission will be forwarded to one of our National Stage 2 Assessors. They will review your
Claims against the Stage 2 Competency Standards and Indicators of Attainment and provide
you with an Assessment. When an assessment outcome has been determined, you will receive
an email with your Assessment Report.

The Assessment Report will contain the assessment outcome against each Claim of either
Competent or Not Yet Competent. Feedback and General Comments will be provided,
especially in the result of a Not Yet Competent outcome where guidance for your resubmission
will be given.

For any Not Yet Competent Claims, you will need to provide a resubmission. To resubmit,
select Edit next to your Claim, revise as appropriate, resend for verification and then resubmit.
Payment is required for resubmission.

Please note if you are on the PDP Pathway, any revised Not Yet Competent Claims can only be
submitted for re-assessment when you have another 3 claims ready so that you meet the
submission requirements.

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3.4.1 Assessment Timeframes

Participants can anticipate the following estimated turnaround times for their assessments:

 Draft ECC (PDP only) - 2 weeks

 MEE Enrolment Review & Decision - 2 weeks
 PDP Submission of 4+ ECCs - 4 weeks
 ECR Submission - up to 6 weeks
 MEE Submission - up to 6 weeks
 Professional Interview - 6 weeks after the request is made, depending on personal circumstances. (It
may take up to two weeks for Division Representative to contact you to book your interview. This is
not in addition to the 6 week time frame.)

If you have a concern regarding the assessment received or have not received an Assessment
outcome in line with the Assessment timeframe guidelines, please contact Member Services on
1300 653 113 or memberservices@engineersaustralia.org.au

3.5 How long should I take to complete my application?

For the PDP, progress is expected within a 12-month period and for ECR & MEE participants
you should aim to fully complete your application within 12 months. Engineers Australia will
contact you to encourage progress and we also encourage you to contact us at any time to
seek help or ask questions. Don’t forget to refer to our help and guidance material on the
website or to attend our Chartered presentations and workshops.

You have access to the Individual Participant Progress Report (IPPR) at any time via the
Reports tab in your eChartered portal. This report will show your enrolment and submission
information as well as the detail of your submitted Claims and Assessment outcomes.

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Engineers Australia

4. Professional Interview & Chartered

Outcomes
4.1 I am ready for my Professional Interview
A. All my submission items have been assessed as Competent

B. Complete the Professional Interview Request within eChartered – you will be asked to
confirm the Areas of Practise desired and confirm your preferred location of your Interview.

C. Pay the Professional Interview Fee - includes Registration outcomes if selected.

D. Your Journey using eChartered is now complete. Your Professional Interview will happen
either face to face or via Skype as arranged.

4.2 The Interview

Your Professional Interview will be with an expert panel, comprising of at least one National
Assessor and one technical expert in your practice area. If you have more than one practice
area another panel member may attend.

The interview is your opportunity to present to the panel and for them to explore and confirm
your claims of competence.

The interview is typically one hour and held in your local Division however the interview may be
extended up to 1.5 hours. You should be ready to spend 2 hours in the interview process from
arrival to departure.

If you have any special requirements, such as living in a regional area or overseas, are moving
overseas or any other requirements, these will be discussed with you by the Professional
Interview administrator when your interview is organised.

If you have also applied for registration in a Special Area of Practice outside of eChartered first,
you should complete your written submission before arranging your Professional Interview
through eChartered, and advise the administrator that you are also wanting to sit your interview
in the Special Area at the same time. Depending on the Area of Practice this may not be
suitable.

You must bring with you to the Professional Interview:

 Photo Identification – Drivers’ License, Passport or National Identity Card

 The original witnessed and signed Statutory Declarations used in the Submission phase of
eChartered if you were not able to get independent verification of your ECCs.
 A copy of your eChartered Individual Participant Progress Report (IPPR) should you need to
refer to it. You can run a copy through your 'Reports' tab on your landing page.

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4.2.1 Format of the Interview

A 15 minute presentation
You are required to make a formal uninterrupted fifteen-minute presentation in support of your
eChartered Submission to the panel.
In your presentation, talk about your career development and your roles and challenges, then
talk specifically on your major projects.
Include some of your current experience, but do not attempt to cover your whole career or
evidence included in your Submission the 15 minutes. You should focus on examples of
problem solving, judgements and decisions made by yourself.

Thirty minutes of questions and answers

The panel will ask you questions about your presentation and eChartered Submission.
You should be prepared for:
 testing Engineering Competency Claims
 examining how you address the overall Elements of Competence
 ensuring your evidence is drawn from engineering problems and engineering activities
 discussing aspects of your engineering career
 discussing Engineers Australia Code of Ethics

Applicants for registration in a specific area of practice should note that the Assessment Panel
has to be satisfied that you have met the Stage 2 Competencies in a general area of practice
and provided evidence of your practice in the specific area

4.3 When will I be Chartered?

If your Interview is successful, you will be advised at the conclusion of your Interview of your
success. Your official Chartered, Registration Certificates and Letter will be sent directly to you
within 6 weeks of your Interview.

If you are not successful, you will be provided with advice and either set a follow on exercise or
a second Interview. You do have the right of Appeal and you will be advised of the standard
Appeals process as required.

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Engineering House
11 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600
Phone: +61 2 6270 6555 | Facsimile: +61 2 6273 1488
engineersaustralia.org.au