INITIAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (IPD)
Career Appraisal
A Career Appraisal is another way to complete IPD for graduates who have the knowledge and experience to meet the attributes at IEng or CEng level.
It is not designed for graduates who have not achieved the required level on all the attributes.
In many cases, it is NOT easier or quicker than IPD Online.
How do I apply for a Career Appraisal?
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Have the required academic qualifications (known as educational base. More info can be found here
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Have enough work experience to provide robust examples that you have met the requirements for IEng or CEng. Number of years experience ≠ meeting the attributes.
The Career Appraisal application
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Evidence of qualifications (for non members of the ICE)
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Non-refundable fee
Support from a Mentor
The ICE recommends that candidates wishing to complete IPD via the Career Appraisal route should seek support from a Mentor who is an ICE Member (if possible) at the equivalent grade or higher than the grade you are wishing to apply for.
The Civil Engineering Mentor understands the procedures and standards and can assess your experience and provide advice on your application. The Civil Engineering Mentor can also sign and verify the cover page of your report for the application.
Having support from a Mentor is not compulsory, but it will strengthen your application by having a Mentor verifying the contents of your report.
Cover Page
Make sure you include:
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Title - "Career Appraisal Application - November 2024"
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Your name, signature and ICE membership number
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For those who have the support of a Mentor, include name, signature and membership number (if applicable) of your Mentor
2 Page CV
Ensure that this is a maximum of 2 pages, with the most recent experience first. It needs to demonstrate progression in your career and include the size and value of the projects, and your role within each of the projects.
Career Appraisal Report and appendices
The report is where you demonstrate that you have achieved the required level for IEng or CEng. This is where most candidates struggle as there is no set format for this report.
My advice for the report:
DO Keep under 5,000 words. If you are unable to demonstrate that you have achieved the attributes within this word count, then maybe you are not ready or you will fail against the Effective Communication attribute.
DO NOT Copy another candidate's report or report format. Every candidate's experience is different.
DO Refer to 3 projects maximum, ideally 1 or 2 projects. Make sure the projects are recent where you have the most responsibility. It is not about the size/value of the project.
DO NOT Include too many appendices. Are they adding value? What do you want the assessors to see? If you are including an A3 design drawing, maybe highlight part of the drawing showing where you have influenced the design.
DO At the start of each project, include the name, location, project value, project fee, type of contract used, name of client
DO NOT Have a conclusion section at the end of each project. Just have one at the end
DO Annotate photos/figures. This is particularly helpful if you refer to it in your text. If you are including photos from a construction site, ensure everyone in the photo is wearing the correct PPE!
DO NOT Include a reinforcement schedule in the main body of the report. What would be the purpose of this?
DO Describe in detail the dey decisions that you made for each project and the impact that this made e.g. reduced costs/programme, support from residents etc.
DO NOT Have pages full of text. Each page should have at least one photo, plan, chart etc.
DO Describe in detail the dey decisions that you made for each project and the impact that this made e.g. reduced costs/programme, support from residents etc.
DO NOT Just list the activities that you undertook for each project. This is an assessment where you demonstrate that you are worthy of a professional qualification.
DO Include an organisation chart. Show your position in the project team and include internal and external teams.
DO NOT Exclude any attributes from the report.
