Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
(OP)
Sorry if this is not the right forum for this, but I figure it is relevant to the AS/NZS stuff.
How does everyone feel about Engineers Australia membership (MIEAust) and Chartership (CPEng)?
Apart from the (admittedly high quality and quite regular) seminars, webinars and the like (which I unfortunately don't have time to make use of), I can't really think of many benefits of being a member, and I probably wouldn't be if my work did not pay for it. Whereas other professional organisations seem to put a great deal of effort into promoting the esteem of the profession, pushing for better pay (e.g. trades, nurses, teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc.), and generally working in the interest of their members, I'm not exactly sure what the point of EA is or what benefit it is to most engineers.
Chartership is another thing. It seems like such a huge amount of effort and work to get there, but for what gain? The recognition would be a nice perk, but it is rarely a requirement to do any sort of work, especially as a junior to mid-level engineer. Most workplaces, from what I can glean, do not reward chartership with any remuneration benefit. Maybe only about one half of the engineers I work with have CPEng (or some international equivalent); the other half are equally as skilled and experienced but simply have never bothered.
I have not been in the field for a very long time, so would be interested to hear some more experienced opinions on all this.
How does everyone feel about Engineers Australia membership (MIEAust) and Chartership (CPEng)?
Apart from the (admittedly high quality and quite regular) seminars, webinars and the like (which I unfortunately don't have time to make use of), I can't really think of many benefits of being a member, and I probably wouldn't be if my work did not pay for it. Whereas other professional organisations seem to put a great deal of effort into promoting the esteem of the profession, pushing for better pay (e.g. trades, nurses, teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc.), and generally working in the interest of their members, I'm not exactly sure what the point of EA is or what benefit it is to most engineers.
Chartership is another thing. It seems like such a huge amount of effort and work to get there, but for what gain? The recognition would be a nice perk, but it is rarely a requirement to do any sort of work, especially as a junior to mid-level engineer. Most workplaces, from what I can glean, do not reward chartership with any remuneration benefit. Maybe only about one half of the engineers I work with have CPEng (or some international equivalent); the other half are equally as skilled and experienced but simply have never bothered.
I have not been in the field for a very long time, so would be interested to hear some more experienced opinions on all this.
Talk To Other Members
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/credentials/....
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
CPEng in practice seems to mean colleagues will come to you to sign things. It's convenient to have when a client drops a requirement for CPEng sign-off at the last moment but that's about all. It also makes/will make state registration basically a rubber stamp but supervision rules and limited enforcement will provide a workaround as they do in Qld.
Overall, wouldn't pay my own money and know several who don't even spend company money. Would be a different story if one man band.
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
In Qld all engineering work needs to be certified by a chartered engineer. I understand NSW introduced something similar recently and Vic is about to.
https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/trades-and-busi...
https://www.rpeng.org.au/RPEng/Victoria/RPENG/Cont...
That has not been my experience. Generally I have found that most companies will not promote you to senior level or above if you are not chartered.
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
As for MIEAust, I have no idea what it would be needed for in the workplace. Outside of the workplace the seminars and the like seem interesting at least, if I ever had the time to go to any.
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
CPEng has often been a proxy as it meets the assessment criteria for RPEQ (and for the last few years at least, EA has been an assessment entity). CPEng is the definitive criteria in NT for membership of the Building Practitioners Board, which is required for certain disciplines (such as structural and mechanical).
One of the main benefits of being chartered is that it's accepted as meeting the criteria for registration in any of the states. Since the states have not managed to agree on any reciprocal agreements this is a benefit if you wish to work in various states of Australia. If you're only ever expecting to work in the one location your entire career then CPEng is probably less appealing. I also understand that one can get registered on the NER now without having to go through the chartered process, and this avenue also allows for registration as an RPEQ. In that case CPEng may be of less benefit.
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
I do agree that all engineers should be registered, or at least those directly supervising and signing off on work of others. However, I don't think the current CPEng system really addresses competence or key abilities required in specific areas. It is particularly lacking on the design engineering side, and while I understand that EA doesn't support design engineering in Australia (with an apparent sole focus on projects, leadership and management), I believe there is a need for a separate assessment criteria and certification levels for those in responsible charge of design.
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
I agree - but as a structural engineer 99% of the work I do falls under Professional Engineering. I understand that may not be the case for mechanical/electrical/hydraulics engineering.
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
Part of the reason why I'm so curious is that I'm fairly cut off from the way most structural consulting firms work and type of work most structural engineers do. My pathway has been fairly odd for a structural engineer. At the beginning I lacked suitable mentorship so I had to forge my own way with care.
Regarding EA. I've heard many engineers express how useless they are and that it is just a ticket clipping exercise. RPEng is the budget version of the CPEng and given the lack of benefits from a CPEng I expect more engineers to go down this path particularly because it is cheaper and easier.
I agree. Honestly in many ways it is quite shocking we don't have proper professional registration requirements. That said, it does not seem that the quality of engineering in Australia is any worse than places such as the US which has far more onerous requirements. Though the number of extremely poor decisions that I see from professional engineers, especially young ones, does make me worry a bit. (I would count myself as a 'young' engineer'.)
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
State registrations in Qld / Vic do not require CPEng, but it can make it easier. I understand that NSW does not accept CPEng as a form of compentence for Class 2 buildings with the background that it didnt see it as providing competence for structural engineers. NT Registration is very easy with CPEng.
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
My understanding is that as a structural engineering in Qld, to get the RPEQ registration, you first need to be chartered by either Engineers Australia or the Institution of Structural Engineers.
Possibly you could also go through Professionals Australia, but I am not sure if that applies to structural engineering or not?
RE: Engineers Australia MIEAust and CPEng - Is it worthwhile?
Not the case either. In years gone by BPEQ was their own assessment entity, or they would accept assessment from a designated assessment entity, which was mostly Engineers Australia.
Now, as noted for Institute of Structural Engineers, there are a number of assessment entities that can assess, some of them subject to discipline (such as IStructE, or AusIMM). My understanding is that the Board no longer assesses directly.
If one was assessed directly through BPEQ they got RPEQ and that was it. If they chose to go through EA and get CPEng, then with the additional application (there are criteria for RPEQ in addition to CPEng) one would get both. Now there is the option to only be assessed for RPEQ by an assessment entity.
Also worth noting that in my previous response there was no specific discipline mentioned, this is as the Board in QLD does not make any delineation on discipline, rather whether or not it is considered a Professional Engineering service. One can be registered under one or more disciplines but that's in regards to area of competence, not whether or not it's a Professional Engineering service. If it's considered a Professional Engineering service under the definition of the state board, then one needs to be an RPEQ or supervised by one. CPEng doesn't come into it.