1. CPD Policy

In this fast changing and dynamic environment, there is a need for professional engineers (PEs) to maintain and update their professional competence on a continuing basis.

The objective of the Board’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme is to reinforce the need for lifelong learning and to provide a framework through which PEs could systematically maintain and enhance competency to do a job in their area of expertise.

As a PE may be operating under circumstances which are unique to him, the focus of the CPD activities is best left to each PE to decide. The principle is that the relevant CPD activities must be those related to the scope of practice of each PE.

The Board will therefore not prescribe specific rules as to the nature and type of activities to be undertaken but will allow each PE the flexibility to select from amongst a broad range of activities. The range of activities in this CPD programme is not intended to be inclusive but to act as a general guide.

The activities that would be relevant are those that will enable one to:

1. maintain, improve, or expand technical skills and knowledge;
2. keep abreast of changing procedures and standards;
3. understand and apply advances in technology;
4. better serve the engineering profession, community and environment;
5. develop communication and management skills; and
6. broaden into related fields, such as those covering management, financial or legal aspects.

The terms used in this document have the following meanings:

1. "contact hour" refers to an attendance or involvement lasting one clock hour of not less than 50 minutes;
2. "professional development units" or "PDU" refers to the unit of measure for effort in continuing professional development program;
3. "PC" means the annual practising certificate;
4. "renewal qualifying period" refers to a 12-month period immediately prior to an application for renewal of the PC. For a PC commencing on 1 Jan of the following year, the renewal qualifying period will be from 1 Nov of the preceding year to 31 Oct of current year. For example, for a PC commencing on 1 Jan 2004, the renewal qualifying period will be from 1 Nov 2002 to 31 Oct 2003;
5. "structured activity" refers to a course or activity that is accredited by the Board or which involves active participation;
6. "unstructured activity" refers to an activity that involves self-directed learning, reading, discussion or participation;

3. Requirements for renewal of PC

Every PE who wishes to renew his PC for the year 2004 onwards is required to obtain a minimum of 40 PDUs over the renewal qualifying period. The 40 PDUs shall comprise a minimum of 15 PDUs in structured activities, and the remainder can be obtained from either structured or unstructured activities.

The determination of PDUs in structured and unstructured activities is as shown in Appendix A.

4. Carrying over of excess PDUs

If a PE exceeds the annual requirement in one renewal qualifying period, a maximum of 40 PDUs from excess PDUs obtained from structured activities may be carried forward into the next renewal qualifying period.

5. Insufficient PDU for renewal of PC

A PE who has not obtained sufficient PDUs in the renewal qualifying period to meet the requirement for renewal of his PC may apply to have his PC renewed by providing reasons for the failure to meet the requirement. The Board may renew his PC and may impose a condition that the shortfall in PDUs in that renewal qualifying period has to be obtained during the following renewal qualifying period. The PDUs to be obtained in the next renewal qualifying period to meet the shortfall cannot be used for the renewal of the PC for the next renewal period.

6. Reinstatement after a lapse of 3 years

A PE whose PC had lapsed for 3 years or more is required to obtain 80 PDUs within the renewal qualifying period, of which at least 30 PDUs must be obtained from structured activities.

7. Exemptions

A PE may be exempt, subject to review and approval of the Board, from CPD requirements if he experiences physical disabilities, prolonged illness or other extenuating circumstances.

8. Records

When applying for renewal of PC, a PE will submit a declaration on Form PEB-CPD-A showing the PDUs obtained during the renewal qualifying period. A copy of the form, together with the detailed worksheets, is in Appendix B. The form can also be downloaded from Board’s web site at http://www.peb.gov.sg. PEs do not have to submit documentary evidence together with the application for renewal of PC. PEs are advised to retain the documentary evidence for a period of at least 2 years.

9. Audit Process

The Board will conduct random audit of PEs each year and those selected will be asked to produce documentary evidence of their CPD participation during the particular period. The documentary evidence may take any one of the following forms:

1. Summary of diary records or a log showing the activities claimed;
2. Course enrolment record;
3. Receipts;
4. Certificate of attendance;
5. Attendance list from course organiser;
6. Employer’s report or certification;
7. Statutory declaration.

10. Accreditation of Category 1 Structured Activities

Structured activities under Category 1 will be accredited by the Board’s CPD Committee. All activities that are accredited will be posted on the Board’s web site to keep PEs aware of the available accredited structured activities and the corresponding PDUs. PEs are advised to refer to the Board’s web site, (at http://www.peb.gov.sg) for events related to the CPD programme.

11. Fee for accreditation

No processing fee will be levied on applications for accreditation initially. However, the Board reserves the right to impose charges to defray administrative costs.

12. Framework for accreditation

The Board’s CPD Committee will constitute 4 panels of evaluators to assist in the accreditation of structured activities - one panel each for activities pertaining to civil & structural engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and others. Each panel will comprise 5 members drawn from various organisations such as government agencies, university, IES, ACES and industry.

Applications which are straightforward and can meet certain minimum prescribed criteria will be approved directly by the co-ordinator. Those applications which fall outside this category will be referred to one relevant panel of evaluators for evaluation and decision.

The main criteria for accreditation of a Category 1 Structured Activity are:

• the activity should be relevant to the development of PEs; and
• there should be sufficient confidence that the knowledge could be imparted to the participants.

Courses on engineering by professional and tertiary institutions will generally be accredited. Other courses will be assessed on whether the above criteria could be met, and the following factors will be considered:

a) Topic of activity

A synopsis of the activity will have to be submitted by the applicant. The activity should be relevant to PEs practising in their respective engineering disciplines, viz. civil, electrical, mechanical or others. The evaluation will be based mainly on the synopsis and other information that are submitted.

b) CV of the speaker

The speaker is expected to satisfy the following criteria:

• is a PE who has more than 5 years of practical experience or involved in the research of specific engineering works;
• is a non-PE, but possesses more than 10 years of specific experience in that relevant engineering field or involves in innovative engineering works;
• had published a paper on the subject in distinguished publications, conference proceedings, professional journals or books; or
• possesses qualification or knowledge acceptable to the Board.

13. Information on accredited activities

All activities which had been accredited by the Board will be posted on the Board’s web site, at http://www.peb.gov.sg.

14. Overseas Courses, Seminars, etc

Either the course organiser who is organising, or PE who is attending, the seminar/course can submit the overseas course/seminar for accreditation.

15. Online system

A web-based application system is currently being developed by the Board to cater for:

1. submission and processing of applications for accreditation of structured activities; and
2. recording of PDUs obtained by PEs.

The Board will inform all PEs about details of the system at a later date closer to the completion of development of the system.

Course organiser of Category 1 Structured Activities can apply for the activity to be accredited using the form in Appendix C.

The course organiser will be informed of the outcome of the application for accreditation within 2 weeks. All activities which have been accredited by the Board will be posted on the Board’s web site, at http://www.peb.gov.sg. The Board will provide a hyperlink from the list of accredited activities on the Board’s web site to information on the course at the course organiser’s web site, if the URL has been provided by the course organiser.

After the activity has been successfully accredited by the Board, the course organiser is required to submit, within 2 weeks after completion of the event, a copy of the attendance records to the Board for information. This record is intended to be used only for verification when a random audit is conducted.