Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

I came across this comment in another thread.

and it brought to mind my own experience. I too have an HND in Mechanical Engineering from a student apprenticeship with English Electric (anyone remember them?) and had worked as an engineer in the UK for 13 years before emigrating, but when I arrived out here I discovered that not having a degree precluded me from applying for any engineer's job - I was only able to get work as what was termed a Technical Officer in the Civil Service. I was eventually able to get membership of the Institution of Engineers Australia based on a combination of my HND plus testimonials from people I had worked with in the UK regarding my experience. I am now a Chartered Engineer with full recognition.

So you need to bear in mind that in order to work as an engineer in Australia you have to have qualifications that are recognised by IEAust (also known as Engineers Australia): it is not necessary to actually join the institution as long as you have a degree. If you are in Queensland then you need to be registered as a Registered Professional Engineer (Queensland) or RPEQ - if you are not registered then you can only work under the direct supervision of someone who is. Theoretically, that is - there are plenty of engineers based in Queensland who aren't registered, but it is becoming more common for clients to insist on RPEQ sign-off on documents. This is largely due to legal liability concerns and professional indemnity insurance.

So if you have been working in the UK as an engineer but you don't have a recognised university degree, check very carefully what your status will be over here. I didn't (in 1983) but I got lucky - things are tighter now. For example my CPEng status came automatically - nowadays you have to put forward a CV and a presentation to crusty old sods like me to get Chartered status and in QLD you need Chartered status to become RPEQ.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

Your not an Engineer in Australia without an Engineering degree. Even many drafties these days now have engineering degrees.

To be honest many locals as here as well won't even classify you as a nengiener unlesss you work on the big resource projects.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

You can't call yourself legally an Engineer in Britain without a degree either. You're not legally allowed to sign off on documentation etc as you're not qualified without a degree. Same here really, a lot of people with HND's etc call themselves engineers or designers but cannot legally sign off on work

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

You can if you are a Chartered Engineer.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

Not necessarily true - I am a case in point. But the fuss I had to go through to be recognised as an engineer is not something I would wish on anyone.

When I got my HND in 1969 there were probably as many engineers in the UK with diplomas as there were with degrees. Probably all changed now since all the Colleges have become Polytechnics and the Polytechnics have become Universities.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

Although I agree with what your saying there is no way now people can do a HND or Diploma or be trade qualified and call yourself an engineer. You will look silly in this country if you do.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

If you are in Queensland then you need to be registered as a Registered Professional Engineer (Queensland) or RPEQ - if you are not registered then you can only work under the direct supervision of someone who is. .[/QUOTE]

I have just searched on the net and see that this is actually true. I am a Chemical Engineer who has worked for a Steel company and now an oil and gas company in Brisbane and i have never heard this ( i have been here for 2 yrs from the UK). I also dont think any of the engineers i have worked with are RPEQ registered as most have come up from Victoria. I wonder if something happened whether anyone (regulators) would actually ask for your RPEQ registration, i doubt very much.:unsure:

What a money making, red tape waste of time i woule like to know how many registered engineers there actually are in QLD

Funny thing with both companies i have worked for is that the only check they did that i had a degree was my CV.

I also agree with Weebie an engineer needs a degree (although that doesnt make them better than a diploma person) However it seems that Australia does distinguish between the 2 by calling degree graduates -Professional Engineers and diploma graduates- associate engineers

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

When TheOriginalMrDreamy went to register the children's births, he wasn't able to describe his occupation as Electrical Engineer (despite being in charge of the supply in North Wales) because he'd done his training inhouse.

It pissed him off so much he started a degree course with OU.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

It's all about liabilities - technically an engineer is liable in most instances for their work, and if someone were to die as a result of poor design by said person he can become legally responsible for this, hence why you need to be properly qualified to sign designs etc. There was a case in Germany of a structural engineer being sued as a result of a roof collapse in an ice rink killing someone - if you're not fully qualified the personal indemnity insurance companies and individuals carry isn't valid.

To quote Dilbert - 'An engineers' main priority is to retire without causing a major catastrophe'

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

A newbie here, also looking at submitting my Quals for assessment, 25 years in the aviation industry with a HND in Eng, God where do i start, looking for this list Sydney / Washington Accord of quals so i dont have to go through Engineers Australia assessment to prove equivalence.

any advice greatly recieved people :thumbsup:

Also looks like i will need IELTS for the points, age is not on my side so the max 20 would be required, as a british passport holder and resident all my life, how hard is the test/s ???? need the 8 or 9 score.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

Not actually true. If you don't have RPEQ you can't sign off on final drawings that's it, you can do everything else.

Curious to know how the OP got Chartered without a degree as I've been advised that even with the career assessment and proffessional review it's impossible, even for someone who has 16 years experience and who does do everything other than sign a bloody drawing. I'm working towards doing it through ICE rather than Engineers Australia because of this.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

Just as well my employer disagrees :D

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

Comes to the same thing. If the work that you do has to be signed off by an RPEQ then he has to approve what you have done: if he doesn't he will tell you what corrections to make before he will sign it. If that isn't 'supervision' I don't know what is. I have several unregistered engineers working with me: I tell them what needs doing, then check their work when they have finished it. I let them work out how to do the job, but nothing leaves the office until I am happy with it.

I got my MIEAust in 1984 - things have changed since then.

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

Here's the Engineers Australia page on the Washington/Sydney Accords:

Washington/Sydney Accord

Re: Engineering Qualifications in Australia
 

[QUOTE=KJCherokee;9507915]Comes to the same thing. If the work that you do has to be signed off by an RPEQ then he has to approve what you have done: if he doesn't he will tell you what corrections to make before he will sign it. If that isn't 'supervision' I don't know what is. I have several unregistered engineers working with me: I tell them what needs doing, then check their work when they have finished it. I let them work out how to do the job, but nothing leaves the office until I am happy with it.

Still a load of garbage, I was able to sign off designs that allowed trains to run at 200km/hr in UK and here need someone with less experience but an RPEQ to sign off a 130km/hr design.

Its a jobs for the boys thing only.