To get Victoria State Registration, professional engineers need to undergo the assessment procedure to ensure they meet the benchmarked qualifications and competency standards to practice. The Victoria state government is responsible for setting the standards. So, if engineers want to provide professional engineering services in Victoria, they must be registered under the Professional Engineer Registration Act 2019 (PER Act). In simple words, a candidate needs to have qualifications, competencies, and experience assessed by an Assessment Entity that the Victorian Government has approved.
Furthermore, Engineers Australia is approved as an assessment entity by the Business Licensing Authority (BLA) in order to assess the qualifications, experience, and talents required for the registration of professional engineers in Victoria.
Assessment Pathways by Engineers Australia for Victoria State Registration
Three available Assessment Pathways Under The Engineers Australia Assessment Scheme are:
- National Engineering Register (NER) assessment pathway for Engineers Australia’s members only.
- Chartered assessment pathway for Engineers Australia’s members only
- State registration eligibility assessment pathway for non-members of Engineers Australia only.
Thus, Engineers Australia can assess individuals’ registration under the PER Act, whether they are members of Engineers Australia or not.
The Two Components of The Assessment Under Each of The Three Assessment Pathways:-
- The first one is the ‘Entry to Practice’ assessment, in which the acceptability of applicants’ qualifications is determined.
- The second one is the ‘Independent Practice’ assessment, in which the acceptability of applicants’ competency and experience is determined.
Engineering Areas of Practice Required for BLA – Victorian State Registration
To practice professional engineering in Australia, candidates need to be registered under the PER Act in one of the five prescribed areas:
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Fire Safety Engineering
- Structural Engineering
Eligibility Criteria for Victoria State Registration Assessment Pathway
If individuals are not members of Engineers Australia and are willing to be assessed by Engineers Australia, they can apply to be evaluated under the Victoria state registration eligibility assessment pathway. As per the specified guidelines for each of the prescribed areas of engineering under the PER Act, applicants must have completed one of the following:-
- A relevant Washington Accord accredited undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering degree or post-graduate Master of Engineering degree; or
- A relevant non-Washington Accord academic qualification that has been assessed as equivalent to an accredited Washington Accord undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering degree by Engineers Australia; or
- A combination of education and experiential learning that exhibits equivalence with the competencies and outcomes of a Washington Accord undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering degree.
Self-Assessment Matrix
A self-assessment matrix enables applicants to evaluate how their combination of education and experiential learning contributes to the achievement of the Stage 1 Elements of Competency. Experience alone does not demonstrate the element of competency, but it is the learning that has been acquired from the experience – demonstrates the Stage 1 Elements of competency.
The self-assessment helps candidates determine whether they have a possibility to submit a successful application. To complete the self-assessment, it is suggested that the candidates must:
- Review the Stage 1 Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer
- Compare their qualifications with a range of engineering qualifications accredited at the level of the Washington Accord in the Area of Engineering sought
- Consider what additional professional development, courses, and qualifications they have completed
- Review the CV and reflect on the nature and range of positions held and work undertaken
- Recognise the projects and evidence of work that can be used to showcase the competency element.
What Engineers Australia Recognises Through Assessment?
When assessing whether applicants have demonstrated the required competencies and outcomes under this assessment, Engineers Australia takes the following into consideration:-
- Academic courses, qualifications, and training one has undertaken
- The professional membership one has acquired, and the assessment outcomes to achieve that membership
- Professional engineering experiences one has acquired.
Furthermore, the evidence applicants provide for any of the elements may include any combination of academic study and experiential learning. When providing evidence for academic study, applicants must explain the course content, subjects, learning outcomes, and results obtained. When providing evidence for experiential learning, they must describe what the work activity was and how the work activity expresses the elements. Applicants are required to provide a copy of the work activity output, where possible, with evidence.
The Assessor Uses The Following Methods to Assess Competencies:-
- Evidence of completion of top courses
- Evidence from work experiences
- Professional referee checks
- Interviews
- Evidence of qualifications held
Documentations Need to Be Produced
- Photo identification
- Copies of all qualifications held, including a transcript of results as well as a testamur
- A CV (with the name of a referee who confirms the experience)
- Evidence of competency in the English language at the Competent English level (e.g. IELTS Band 6)
- Three career episode reports
- A completed Self-Assessment matrix
- Evidence of any professional registration held
Two of The Stage 1 Competencies are Required for Victoria State Registration Eligibility Assessment:-
Applicants have to provide evidence that they have demonstrated all 16 stage 1 Competencies (including the in-depth understanding of mathematics and science) at the level demonstrated by a graduate of the Washington Accord Program of study.
- Element 1.1 – Extensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline
- Element 1.2 – Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences that underpin the engineering discipline
Preparing The Victoria State Registration Eligibility Assessment Application:
For each of the prescribed areas of engineering for which applicants are applying through the state registration eligibility assessment pathway, they must have:-
- Obtained five years of engineering experience in the relevant area of engineering, of which four years must be post-graduate experience. The experience must have been obtained within the last ten years.
The second component is the ‘Independent Practice’ assessment, in which the acceptability of applicants’ competency and experience is determined. This second component is based on workplace experience and requires a demonstration of the following five Elements of Competency from the Engineers Australia Stage 2 Competency Standard for the Experienced Professional Engineer:
- Element 1 – Deal with ethical issues
- Element 2 – Practice competently
- Element 3 – Develop safe and sustainable solutions
- Element 4 – Identify, assess, and manage risks
- Element 5 – Engineering knowledge – according to the area of practice, including a knowledge of standards and practices.
If candidates want to apply for assessment with a motive to apply to the BLA to become an endorsed building engineer, demonstrate knowledge and practical application of:-
- Victorian building laws and standards
- The operation and use of the National Construction Code as it applies to the relevant area/s of engineering (structural, civil, electrical, mechanical, and/or fire safety engineering).
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