Congratulations on applying for the Registered Professional Title of Associate Engineer. Associate Engineers are problem-solvers. They apply current technologies and exercise independent technical judgement in their day-to-day work. In general, they are experienced engineers who actively participate in financial considerations.Gaining your registered professional title is a milestone in your career.

We encourage you to read the Regulations for Associate Engineer in conjunction with this document but draw your attention to the fact that the Regulations are currently being updated (see Appendix 1) and you should use this Guidance for all details regarding the preparation, requirements and submission of your application.

When to apply

At either one of our two annual deadlines – the last Friday in January and the last Friday in June.

How to apply

The online application template is available to you via your Membership Dashboard/My Professional Title.Once you access the template you will see the following sections, all of which, must be completed:

• Member details
• Personal details
• Employer details
• Qualification details
• Area of Expertise
• Engineering Discipline
• Career Summary Table (in chronological order from date of graduation. If you have been working with the same company for a number of years, you should list the projects/roles you have been involved in)
• Career Summary Report - 2,000 words (in chronological order as per the Career Summary Table).
• Glossary of Terms (all acronyms used within your submission, in alphabetical order)
• Six Competence Statements – 300 words per competence (see Appendix 2)
• CPD Training Table (Reverse chronological order. 35 hours of CPD per year for the two years prior to application and a demonstration of your commitment to CPD in previous years.
• Supporter Declarations (2 chartered engineers or 1 chartered engineer and 1 associate engineer who are familiar with, and can verify the projects cited in your report)

What you should be demonstrating in your written application

When describing your career, you should highlight:

• Your personal contribution and responsibilities;
• the problems you faced;
• the solution(s) you found;
• the engineering judgements you made;
• the impact your solution(s) or judgements had.

1. Your Engineering Technology Work

Any particularly interesting or challenging problem which you have experienced should be described. You should provide information on any subject in which you have specialised or obtained exceptionally good experience. Where possible, an indication of the importance of projects should be given referring to factors such as innovation, cost or magnitude.

2. Extent of Personal Contribution and Personal Responsibility

You must demonstrate the extent and character of the personal contribution and level of responsibility you have exercised and, where possible include some quantified measure of impact e.g. budget, level of risk, loss implications, etc. This information will assist the Interview Panel in reaching a judgement on your competence and personal responsibility. You should include specific information relating to your personal responsibility within your employing organisation. Your scope for freedom of action as well as the nature of any constraints imposed should be described.

3. Grammar, Spelling and Syntax

This is a professional report and grammar, spelling and syntax errors will not be tolerated by your assessor. Check, check and re-check to make sure your application is of the highest written standard.

The Role of your Supporters

See Appendix 3

What happens after you apply?

1. Assessment of your Application

Your application will be forwarded to one of our expert Chartered Engineer Assessors. Your assessor will be seeking to determine if your application broadly meets the standard for Associate Engineer. Your assessor will choose from the following recommendations:

• Progress straight to interview. Your assessor has found no issues with the application and deem that it meets the standard to progress to the interview stage of the process;
• Modify application and resubmit for the next deadline. Your assessor has found some issues with the report. For example, it’s poorly written or it doesn’t express your own duties and responsibilities.
• Defer application to develop further competence. This is where your assessor has determined that you have shown a deficit in your competence and need to gain further depth and breadth of experience.
• Modify application and resubmit for this deadline. This is for exceptional cases only if perhaps, your assessor has determined that you have omitted something in the report in error or perhaps have not given a complete glossary of terms. In other words, something VERY minor that does not affect the overall acceptability of the application.

2. Approved to progress to the interview-stage of the process

• If your assessor approves you for interview, you will be called for interview within a 6-month period.
• You will be interviewed by three Chartered Engineers (in exceptional cases it may be two Chartered Engineers).Their role is to further explore the information and experience cited in your written application.
• The interview will last 45-60 minutes.
• The content of the interview is strictly confidential.All assessors and interviewers are bound by our Code of Ethics.
• You will be required to give a 10-minute, uninterrupted presentation at the start of your interview.Your presentation may be an overview of your career, an update on a project that was not completed at the time of application, or a highlight of a project that you feel demonstrates your achievement of the competences.This is your 10 minutes to also demonstrate your Communication Skills.
• Your interview panel will question you on your experience in line with the requirements of the Competences for Associate Engineer.
• After your interview, your interview panel will make a recommendation on whether you are to be awarded the title or not.
• You will be informed of the panel’s decision once it has been approved at the next available monthly meeting of our Membership and Qualifications Board (with the exception of August).
• If you are unsuccessful, your result must also be submitted to our Board of Examiners.This Board ensures that all interview feedback is fair, consistent and helpful towards a future application.

Timetable for Processing Applications

APPENDIX 1

Please disregard the following sections in the Regulations and refer to this Guidance Document for up-to- date information:

5.3.3, 5.3.4, 5.3.6, 5.3.7

5.4 (b and d)

5.5 (all)

5.6, 5.7

6.1. 6.4, 6.5

Appendix 1 of the Regulations

Appendix 5 of the Regulations

Appendix 6 of the Regulations

APPENDIX 2

The Six Competences for Associate Engineer

Competence 1: Exercise independent technical judgement at an appropriate level.

This normally includes the ability to:

a) Develop, review and select techniques, procedures and methods to undertake tasks;

b) Apply appropriate scientific and engineering principles;

c) Undertake a significant role in the achievement of technical tasks.

Competence 2: Assume responsibility, as an individual or as a member of a team, for the management of resources and/or guidance of technical staff.

This includes the ability to:

d) identify and specify resource requirements;

e) plan and co-ordinate activities against objectives;

f) assist in the preparation and control of budgets;

g) monitor and control performance against agreed targets (criteria);

h) manage change;

i)exhibit leadership in the working environment supporting team members and managing work groups and projects.

Competence 3: Design, develop, manufacture, commission, operate and maintain products, equipment, processes and services.

This includes an ability to:

j) identify problems;

k) formulate solutions;

l) evaluate options, considering cost, safety, quality, reliability, appearance and environmental impact;

m) prepare and implement plans;

n) evaluate results.

Competence 4: Actively participate in financial, statutory and commercial considerations and in creation of cost effective systems and procedures.

This includes an ability to:

a) operate within the financial and commercial constraints of an organisation and the overall statutory framework;

b) contribute to the design and development of systems and procedures;

c) assist in the identification of costs and benefits;

d) monitor and assess operation against criteria;

e) assist in the evaluation of criteria.

Competence 5: Utilise effective communication skills and actively participate in human and industrial relations.

This includes an ability to:

f) use oral, written and electronic methods for the communication of technical and other information;

g) utilise people management skills.

Competence 6: Make a personal commitment to live by the appropriate code of professional conduct which recognises obligations to society, the profession and the environment.

In order to achieve this commitment they must:

h) comply with the Code of Ethics of Engineers Ireland;

i) manage and apply safe systems of work;

j) undertake their engineering work in compliance with the Codes of Practice on Risk and the Environment;

k) carry out the continuing professional development necessary to ensure competence in their areas of future interested practice;

l) support new entrants to the profession in their initial continuing professional development.

APPENDIX 3

The Role of your Supporters

You are required to have your application validated by two supporters who are Chartered Engineers (or one Chartered Engineer and one Associate Engineer) with Engineers Ireland or another professional body with which we have an agreement.Please check with the Membership Team if you are unsure.

In exceptional circumstances, Engineers Ireland will consider alternative arrangements, where, because of the nature of your employment, you cannot provide two Chartered Engineers (or one Chartered Engineer and one Associate Engineer) as supporters. If this applies to you, you must contact the membership team to discuss this option at least two months before you submit your application.

They should be familiar with all or part of your career as a professional engineer, and your engineering experience and ability.

Each Chartered Engineer should be familiar with all or part of your formation as an engineer and may be a supervising academic or engineer within your current or past employment.

You should note that Engineers Ireland may contact your supporters to discuss any aspect of your application.

Family members may not support your application.

Once you decide to apply for the title, you should contact your two prospective supporters to ask them if they would be willing to validate your application.Don’t leave it until the deadline is impending.

You should encourage your supporters to take an active role in mentoring/guiding you through the process of compiling your application.

You should ensure that you forward your draft application to both supporters at least one month prior to the deadline date. This will allow adequate time for your supporters to give you feedback on your application.

Let your supporters know when the deadline is.

You should ask both of your supporters to read your draft application thoroughly.

You should encourage them to give you constructive feedback on the following:

• Have you adequately expressed your own roles and responsibilities?
• Have you thoroughly demonstrated each of the competences?
• Are grammar, syntax and spelling of the standard expected of a professional report?
• Do your essays reflect your own opinions, arguments, analysis and conclusions?
• Are your supporters satisfied that you broadly meet the standard for Associate Engineer?

Once you receive the feedback from both of your supporters on your draft application, you should then be able to begin uploading the final version of your application to our website.

Your supporters, as part of the online application process, will receive an email alert and they will be able to then formally validate your submission via their own Member Dashboard.

Let your supporters know that this email alert is imminent.

You will not be able to continue with the process until both supporters have formally validated your submission through the online application process.

You will be able to check your application status to see when both supporters have validated your application. Once both supporters have validated your application, you will be able to upload your application to our website and pay the fee.