Chartered Engineer

Guide to CEng Registration

for existing CABE members

cbuilde.com v2 Feb 2021

cabeengc 1
Contents
Section 1 – Before You Apply 3
About this guide 3
CABE and CEng 3
Competency for Specialist Building Engineers 3
Eligibility 3
Routes to Registration 4

Section 2 – The Assessment Process for CEng Registration 5

Academic Route 6
Technical Report Route 6

Section 3 – Guidance on Completing your Application 7

Information accompanying your application 7
The application form 8

Annex A – CEng Application Form 8

Annex B – Preparing a Technical Report 8

Annex C – Your Professional Review Interview 11

Annex D – Fees 13

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Section 1: Before you apply
About this guide
These guidance notes set out what you need to do in order to attain Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration with
the Engineering Council through your current CABE membership.

It details the criteria you will need to meet in order to be eligible for CEng registration.

CABE and CEng

In July 2018, CABE members voted in favour of the Chartered Association becoming a fully licensed member of
the Engineering Council. In January 2020, CABE was awarded an Engineering Council licence, and now acts as an
awarding body for the registration of its members as Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
and Engineering Technician (EngTech).

Registration for CEng requires you to demonstrate your competency based on the CEng Competencies in the
United Kingdom Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC) which governs all engineering
institutions.

UK-SPEC is published by the Engineering Council, and provides a framework for assessment and the
requirements that must be met to register as a professional engineer. It is important that, before you apply, you
understand the current requirements for becoming a Chartered Engineer and are confident you meet them.
Please ensure you have read the relevant CEng section of the UK-SPEC.

Competency for specialist Building Engineers

For members working in highly specialised disciplines, it may be difficult to demonstrate the full range of
competencies. Those concerned with leadership and management or broader building engineering knowledge
could still be eligible to apply for CEng registration, and should be able to provide supporting evidence of some
of the following:

• in-depth knowledge of a complex specialist discipline

• involvement in innovative design, development, research or analysis
• evidence of the broader relevance of, and applicability in, the use of your specialism
• evidence of presentations to seminars, conferences, technical audiences etc
• publications, including articles and peer-reviewed papers; and
• evidence of recognition of your expert status within your chosen specialism.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, you will need to be a current Chartered Building Engineer or Fellow of CABE.

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Routes to registration
Depending on the type of qualifications that you possess and the nature of your professional experience, there
are two possible routes to CEng registration – the Academic Route and the Technical Report Route (TRR).

Academic Qualification-based Registration Route

If you have obtained a suitable academic qualification recognised by the Engineering Council, this can form the
basis for your registration as CEng.

Find out if your qualification is recognised

Recognised degrees at varying levels are detailed on the Engineering Council Accredited Course Search
Database (QuaD) (transcripts may be required). Visit: www.engc.org.uk/courses

There are two types of relevant qualification:

1. Accredited Degree or Recognised older qualification – for members with an accredited

Master’s, BEng Degree (Level 6/7 qualification) or equivalent recognised by the
Engineering Council.

2. Individual Case Procedure (ICP) Assessment – members with qualifications not accredited with
the Engineering Council or those requiring further training/learning may still be assessed on a
case-by-case basis through the Individual Case Procedure (ICP) assessment to see whether their
qualification can benefit them in this process. This will be assessed by the CABE Academic Panel.

Competency-based Registration – Technical Report Route

If you do not have a qualification that is eligible for the Academic Route application process, you will need to
use a combination of qualifications and experience to demonstrate compliance with the Engineering Council
requirements by following the TRR, which is a competency-based application route.

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Section 2: The assessment process for CEng Registration
The flowchart defined below provides an overview of the process

STAGE 1
Submit Current
Standard CV and Academic Individual
Qualifications

Standard Academic Technical Report

Individual Route
Route

STAGE 2
*ICP Assessment STAGE 2
Application form and Approved for ICP Approved for Application form,
supporting documents *Only required if academic
as requested on the Academic Route qualifications require Technical Report supporting documents
as requested on the checklist
checklist individual assessment Route & submission of synopsis

STAGE 3 STAGE 3
Pre-Professional Pre-Professional
Review Interview Review Interview
Assessment Assessment

STAGE 4 STAGE 4
Professional Review Submission of
Interview Technical Report

STAGE 5 STAGE 5
Technical Report
MPSC Ratification Assessment, if satisfactory
you will be invited to a
2-stage interview

STAGE 6
STAGE 6 Technical Report Interview
if a pass is awarded
Outcome proceed to Professional
Review Interview

STAGE 7
MPSC Ratification

STAGE 8
Outcome

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Standard / ICP Academic Route
The key stages for applicants following this process are as follows:

Stage 1 – Submit current CV and evidence of relevant academic qualifications

These must include all relevant academic qualifications (certificates, transcripts etc.) and verified by two persons
as true copies of the originals – these persons should either be registered with the Engineering Council, a
Chartered Member, Chartered Building Engineer or Fellow of CABE, your sponsors or a senior manager in your
place of work.

Stage 2 – Application
Complete and submit the application form (Annex A) along with all of the necessary supporting information.
See Section 3 for guidance.

Stage 3 – Pre-Professional Review Interview assessment

CABE will undertake an assessment of information provided and validate that the application is complete, at
which point your eligibility for Pre-Professional Review Interview (PRI) will be confirmed, if your application is not
complete CABE will write to you and explain why they believe this is the case and what you should do next.

Stage 4 – Professional Review Interview

You will attend a PRI which will be used to further explore the competencies covered in your application (see
further guidance on PRI at Annex C).

Stage 5 – Marking Panel

Recommendations from the PRI Panel are passed to the Membership and Professional Standards Committee
(MPSC) for ratification.

Stage 6 – Outcome
CABE will notify you in writing of the outcome of the PRI process, including any relevant feedback within a
period of no longer than three months.

Technical Report Route

The key stages for applicants following the Technical Report Route (TRR) process are as follows:

Stage 1 – Submit current CV and evidence of all academic qualifications

These must include all relevant academic qualifications (certificates, transcripts etc.) and verified by two persons
as true copies of the originals – these persons should either be registered with the Engineering Council, a
Chartered Member or Fellow of CABE, your sponsors or a senior manager in your place of work.

Stage 2 – Application
Complete and submit the application form (Annex A) along with all of the necessary supporting information and
your professional synopsis. You should submit a synopsis of up to 1,000 words outlining the content and projects
to be contained in your full Technical Report. The synopsis will be assessed by the panel and feedback provided
to allow you to complete your Technical Report to demonstrate that you meet the CEng competencies.
See Section 3 for guidance.

Stage 3 – Pre-Professional Review Interview assessment

CABE will undertake assessment of information provided and validate that the application is complete, at which
point your eligibility for PRI will be confirmed, if your application is not complete as required CABE will write to
you and explain why they believe this is the case, and what you should do next.

TRR applicants will need to prepare and submit a Technical Report, which will be used as the basis for assessing
the member’s competency. It will be assessed by the Professional Review Interview panel prior to the interview
itself. If the Technical Report (TR) is assessed as satisfactory, a date for a Technical Report Interview will be set and
proceeding to the PRI will be provisional until successfully completing the Technical Report Interview.

Stage 4 – Submission of Technical Report

The report should be between 4000-6000 words, and should follow the guidance for the structure and content
indicated in Annex B.

The aim of the report is to provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate the depth and breadth of your
knowledge, skills, understanding, experience and competency in your chosen discipline.

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Stage 5 – Technical Report Assessment
The Technical Report Interview panel will assess the Technical Report when submitted and, if the panel is
satisfied that it demonstrates the application of knowledge requirements of the Engineering Council, you will be
invited to attend a two-stage interview. If the panel is not satisfied that the report meets the Engineering Council
requirements, you will be provided with feedback of areas for improvement.

The first stage of the interview will consist of a Technical Report Interview (Stage 7 – see below). Where the
outcome of this stage is satisfactory by the interview panel you will move to a second stage Professional Review
Interview (Stage 7 – see below) which will be on the same day.

Stage 6 – Technical Report Interview & Professional Review Interview

Your Technical Report Interview will last approximately 60-90 minutes and will allow the panel of assessors to
further explore your attributes and competency based on the Technical Report that you have submitted. Once
the first stage of the interview is complete, you will be asked to leave the room for a short period whilst the
review panel decides on the Stage 6 outcome.

You will then be invited back into the interview room and informed of the outcome of the Technical Report
Interview. If you have demonstrated the necessary competency, the interview will proceed to the Professional
Review Interview.

If, on completion of your Technical Report Interview, the panel is not satisfied of your competency, you will not
proceed to the PRI and feedback will be provided of areas for improvement.

The Professional Review Interview will further examine your professional competencies and will last
approximately 40-50 minutes (see guidance on Professional Review Interview in Annex C).

Stage 7 – MPSC
Recommendations from the PRI Panel are passed to the MPSC for ratification.

Stage 8 – Outcome
CABE will then notify you in writing of the outcome of the PRI process, including any relevant feedback within a
period of no longer than three months.

Registration
Following successful completion of the CEng Professional Review Interview process, members will be registered
with the Engineering Council through CABE.

Section 3 – Guidance on completing your application

How to apply
All applicants for CEng registration must complete the CEng application form (Annex A — separate document),
completing all the relevant sections, ensuring all requirements stated in the checklist are complete. Completed
application forms need to be submitted to assessment@cbuilde.com

Information accompanying your application

You should ensure that your application includes the following:
• a completed application form (Annex A); and
• the required registration fee (Annex D).

You will also need to provide the following

• your CPD record for the last two years
• a Career Development Plan explaining how you intend to maintain and develop your
professional skills over the coming years; and
• an organisational chart identifying your role.

The application form

The application form consists of the following:

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Section 1 – Personal Information
Please provide all of the information requested. This includes information about your education, industry
qualifications, professional memberships and a summary of your career. Your application must also be
supported by a sponsor. The sponsor could be your line manager, HR manager or a professional person.

Section 2 – Training and Experience Statement

A full CPD record detailing training undertaken and learning outcomes, ensuring that CABE minimum
requirement of 35 hours annually has been met.

Section 3 – Personal Competency Statements

The application form provides an opportunity for you to detail how your education and experience underpins
your ability to meet the required competency. A guide of 200-300 words per competency is recommended.
You can include photographs, sketches, calculations and diagrams as appendices – if you wish to discuss these
at interview, you must bring copies with you.

Section 4 – Personal Commitment

On completing this application, you are agreeing to adhere to the Chartered Association of Building Engineers’
Codes of Professional Conduct, including making a professional commitment to developing and maintaining
your competency.

Section 5 – Checklist and Submission

You should use the checklist provided to ensure that your application is complete.

Annex A – CEng Application Form

See separate application form.

Annex B – Preparing a Technical Report

Technical Report (TR) Guidance Notes for Candidates and Assessors
C1. Introduction
CABE believes that individuals who achieved a high standard of professional competence in the course of their
careers should not be restricted by a lack of early formal educational achievements.
The Engineering Council Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC) states: ‘Applicants who
do not have exemplifying qualifications may demonstrate the required knowledge and understanding in other
ways, but must clearly demonstrate they have achieved the same level of knowledge and understanding as those
with exemplifying qualifications’.
One of the ways to demonstrate this is by writing a Technical Report, based on their experience, and
demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of engineering principles.
The purpose of producing a Technical Report is to provide a pathway to Engineering Council registration for
those who do not have formal academic qualifications at the required level, but are able to demonstrate that
they have achieved a high standard of engineering experience and technical knowledge.
It should be stressed, however, that the burden of proof upon the candidate seeking registration using a
Technical Report is stringent. If the assessors agree that the technical standard of the report is met, they will
proceed to examine the candidate verbally on the submission and any other matters they may consider relevant.
The assessors need to identify that the candidate has, thorough experience, gained the fundamental knowledge
and understanding of engineering principles expected of an engineer of similar standing who has satisfied the
educational requirement in the academic manner.
It must be noted that the Technical Report should focus on the knowledge and understanding of engineering
principles required by the competency areas A and B in the UK-SPEC. Other aspects relating to competencies
C to E, such as finance control and project management, should only be used to complement the main theme
of the report. Candidates who satisfy the criteria will then be invited to attend a Professional Review Interview
(PRI) to assess competence and commitment. On successful completion and ratification by the Membership &
Professional Standards Committee (MPSC), candidates will be registered with the Engineering Council at the
appropriate level.

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C2. The Technical Report
The Technical Report should be written in English. The length of the paper is determined by the amount of
‘top-up’ content required from the candidate’s base qualification to the registration level – e.g. a candidate
with a Bachelor’s degree applying for CEng should be able to satisfy the requirements in less than 5,000 words,
whereas a candidate with a HND would need to demonstrate a greater depth of ‘top-up’ content, which would
require more than 5,000 words.

The report may be based upon a design or project case study, a report of original work or on other previously
published works of the candidate’s own authorship, but in the case of joint authorship, the candidate’s
contribution should be made clear. Candidates should note that in the Technical Report they will not be required
to demonstrate their professional competence e.g. management experience and skills.

The candidate will be expected to offer an ordered and critical exposition of some aspects of industry-related
engineering, defining the problems or development aims involved, and demonstrating their resolution or
achievement by the application of building engineering principles and knowledge. Historical reviews should
not be undertaken, except where necessary as an essential background to the subject. Most candidates will find
it more profitable to concentrate in-depth on a recent building engineering achievement for which they had
technical responsibility than to attempt to cover a wider field.

The Technical Report should contain more descriptive matter than could be assembled from published material.
It should contain reasoned analysis, assessment and synthesis. There should also be discussions on the validity
of the applications of basic knowledge to the development of the subject of the paper.
In many topics, cost-effectiveness and optimisation could be introduced beneficially as fundamentals of good
engineering where they support the technical content of the report. Consideration should also be given to safety
and environmental aspects where they support the technical aspects of the project.

The Technical Report should be written in the first person to demonstrate what you –
the candidate – have achieved.

Where appropriate, the Technical Report should contain mathematical calculations to demonstrate the basic
building engineering principles involved in the design, or consideration, of the subject matter. It should also
contain references to standards and published guidance that may be used.

Where appropriate, the text should be illustrated by clearly drawn sketches and/or diagrams and a reference list
should be provided if the candidate makes use of any source material.

A covering statement must be included in the report to state that the Technical Report is the candidates own
work and that any works from external sources are clearly shown within the report and/or appendices. This is to
prevent plagiarism.

Report Structure
If the Technical Report is based on a design or project case study or report, the documents submitted may take a
variety of forms but, in every case, should be such as to illustrate the candidate’s understanding and application
of building engineering principles. Commentary and calculations illustrating the lines of thought followed
should accompany drawings covering a design, assessment or feasibility study. Papers or reports published or
unpublished, of which the candidate is the author may be used provided the subject is original work for which
the candidate was responsible and that is industry-related engineering.

The Technical Report should be self-contained and not refer to other papers unless they are provided in
appendices. The report should flow logically and be possible for an engineer to read and understand without
prior knowledge of the subject. Typical sub-divisions might be as follows (not all need be included):

1. Title

2. Contents list

3. Personal Statement – this is a declaration that the work is original and by the candidate

4. Introduction
• what the report is about
• could include synopsis, if applicable.

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5. Aims and Objectives
• this will inform how the report meets the TRR requirements.

6. Background
This sets the scene
• purpose; and
• sets out aims and objectives.

7. Main Body of Report

This section should contain the essence of the report
• elaboration of project
• outline of principles; and
• demonstration of underpinning technical knowledge and expertise for CEng.

8. Main Body Content

• mathematical calculations, these can be in background sub-division, or as an appendix
• fitness for purpose
• schematic and technical drawing
• mathematic aspects and calculations
• application of new and innovative technology
• application of analysis and modelling
• evaluation sustainable technologies
• selection and use of materials
• apply information from technical knowledge resources
• application of engineering practices and processes
• discussion of alternative sources of data and information
• analytical comment on theoretical work and engineering technology
• other design aspects; and
• financial considerations.

9. Conclusions
• in relation to the application of engineering principles
• summary of the report drawing argument together in a logical manner
• lessons learnt – successes and failures
• recommendations
• outcomes
• feasibility
• future/current application; and
• management of paper (report).

10. Appendices
This may contain the following to support the report:
• drawing
• graphs
• schematics
• project management charts
• financial aspects
• environmental
• sustainability
• health and Safety
• risk assessment
• detail calculations; and
• glossary of terms.

The appendices should only contain supplementary information which does not form part of the main content of
the report.

11. References
A summary of numbered references used throughout the report to indicate sources of information.

12. Bibliography
A general acknowledgement and list of books and papers used for research.

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The Technical Report must be typed and submitted in digital format to assessment@cbuilde.com.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to obtain their employer’s permission to submit work of a confidential
nature. Special arrangements can be made at the request of employers in cases where security needs to be
preserved. The purpose of the Personal Statement is to declare that the Technical Report is the candidate’s own
work.
Assessment of the Technical Report
The candidate’s Technical Report will be assessed by two CABE, registered assessors. The Technical Report will be
assessed against the following criteria:

Knowledge
• building engineering principles
• appropriate application of a scientific approach
• design concepts including solutions to problems; and
• analytical methods and tools.
Understanding
• application of technical standards
• use of relevant building engineering standards
• knowledge of limits of any process/es; and
• appropriate design methods including the use of IT.
Abilities
• creativity and innovation
• use of theoretical principles to solve problems; and
• communication skills (including presentation of), and content of Technical Report.

The assessors may require minor modification of, or additions to the candidate’s Technical Report. If the paper is
regarded as inadequate, the assessors may suggest modifications to overcome specific shortcomings.
A candidate whose Technical Report is deemed adequate for further consideration will be required to attend
an interview. A fee is payable for this interview and the interviewers may be the same people who assessed the
Technical Report. A member of staff or an internal auditor may be present during the interview to observe the
process, but will not play any part in it.

Notes
The Technical Report serves as a means for both assessors at the interview to determine that the candidate’s
knowledge of the underlying industry-related, fundamental engineering principles satisfies the educational
requirements of CABE and Engineering Council.

Annex C – Your Professional Review Interview

Guidance for candidates in preparation for the Professional Review Interview
Introduction
All applicants for Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration will have their competence and commitment assessed
at a Professional Review Interview (PRI). The assessment will be against the competence and commitment
threshold statements within the Chartered Engineer application document according to The UK Standard for
Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).

The Professional Review will include two components:

• a review of documentary evidence; and
• a Professional Review Interview (PRI).

The PRI is obligatory for all CEng registration applicants. The PRI will be conducted by two suitably experienced,
qualified and trained interviewers. The PRI will be conducted in English, subject to the provisions of the Welsh
Language Act 1993.

The interviewers will complete an assessment sheet and a summary report with a recommendation for each
applicant. The report will cover the competence and commitment standards and reflect the interviewers’
professional judgement of whether the required competence and commitment has been satisfactorily
demonstrated.

The panel will consider the technical report (applicable for the TRR only) for the professional review and will
make the final decision on whether to confirm the recommendation.

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The applicant will be informed of the outcome. If the application is unsuccessful, then any recommendations and
advice by the PRI interviewers will be passed on to the applicant.

Preparation by the Candidate: Organising the evidence for Technical Report

The assessment of the candidate is based on evidence submitted. To match the criteria, candidates can either
choose one significant project that covers all the necessary competences or small, but significant number of
projects or work activities in which they have been engaged. Ideally, these will:

• provide the interviewers with ‘hard evidence’ and may be in the form of design studies,
assessments, data sets, calculations, drawings, defect investigations, project plans, artefacts,
photographs, computer programmes; and
• be of the candidates own work; or larger pieces of work in which the candidate’s personal
contribution is identified and substantiated.

Registration is not narrow and job-specific; it requires a breadth of experience and an ability to transfer
capability from one area of work to another. Therefore, a candidate also needs to show a reasonable range of
work.

Planning ahead will provide several different approaches. For example:

1. Authenticated records will save much nugatory work at the Professional Review Interview. Even
if career directions have changed several times, it should still be possible to map ‘old’
achievements to ‘new’ criteria and demonstrate their continued validity.
2. A candidate may well have to approach former colleagues, clients or managers and ask them
formally to certify work which has been done in the past. These referees will not be asked to
make a judgment on the candidate, but only to confirm (usually in writing) whether certain
‘outcomes’ were achieved and, if so, with what degree of reliability, repeatability etc. It is
the Professional Review interviewers who make an holistic judgment and come to a registration
recommendation. This is based on all evidence; any single piece will rarely provide sufficient
basis for a decision.
3. No matter what retrospective evidence and records are presented for the Professional Review
Interview, there will always be a requirement for evidence of reflection upon past work,
evaluation of future needs and some form of action planning. The candidate must be prepared to
discuss their future development strategy with the interviewers.
4. No matter how much original material is available, it will only be valuable if it is indexed, cross-
referenced and organised against the A1 to E5 criteria.
5. A key to any acronyms used must be included.

At Interview
During the PRI, candidates may choose to give a short career overview presentation to the interviewers,
highlighting the pertinent areas of responsibility and responsible experience which support their case for
registration with the Engineering Council.

The presentation may be in the form of a PowerPoint© presentation or a verbal presentation with documentary
evidence. Anticipate searching questions to confirm your knowledge and involvement; verbal evidence alone will
not be accepted.

The candidate should also have evidence to demonstrate all aspects of their Continuing Professional
Development (CPD), which should include the planning and recording of CPD activities. The CABE CPD template
can be downloaded from the CABE website. Visit: cbuilde.com/cpd_template.

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Annex D – Fees
The following fees will be applied:

Standard / ICP Academic Route

£25 Admin Fee For assessment of your CV and supporting documentation
£165 Assessment Fee Payable at the time of submission of your application and prior
to a Professional Review Interview
£100 Interview Fee Payable at the time of receiving notification of your allocated
date for Professional Interview
£53.20 Engineering Council Entry Fee Fixed by Engineering Council

Technical Report Route

£25 Admin Fee For assessment of your CV and supporting documentation
£165 Assessment Fee Payable at the time of submission of your application
£50 Assessment Fee For assessment of your Technical Report
£125 Interview Fee Payable at the time of receiving notification of your allocated
date for both the Technical Report and Professional Interviews
£53.20 Engineering Council Entry Fee Fixed by Engineering Council

Both routes will be subject to an annual registration fee fixed by Engineering Council.

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We’re here to help
If you have any queries about becoming a Chartered Engineer,
please contact us membership@cbuilde.com.
You can also find out further information at cbuilde.com.

Lutyens House, Billing Brook Road,

Northampton, NN3 8NW,
United Kingdom
t: +44 (0) 1604 404 121
e: info@cbuilde.com
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