AAC/04/12/05

CAREER LEARNING ASSESSMENT

CEng EXEMPLAR DOCUMENT - GENERAL

Purpose of the Career Learning Assessment CEng Exemplar Document - General

This Career Learning Assessment (CLA) exemplar document for Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration
is designed for use primarily by candidates/applicants (these terms are interchangeable for the purposes
of this document) who have sufficient experience at the appropriate level to have gained underpinning
knowledge and understanding of engineering so as to be commensurate with that of a graduate from
a Masters level qualification in engineering e.g. MEng or MSc. Thus, it should be considered that the CLA
is, in effect, replacing a full-time academic qualification delivered at Masters level.

It is understood that this document will also be used by IMechE Business Development Managers
(BDMs), IMechE Professional Development Consultants (PDCs), IMechE trained CLA facilitators and
committee and staff members of the Institution. The words knowledge and understanding are
highlighted throughout this document these two words are the key to knowing whether or not to
include information in the application form. The definition of the word career throughout is as stated
within the Oxford English Dictionary as a persons course or progress through life (or a distinct portion
of life) or, alternatively an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with
opportunities for progress. This document should be read in conjunction with the IMechE document
entitled Career Learning Assessment: Guidance notes to accompany the academic assessment: Career
Learning Assessment form IEng and CEng

The aim of this CLA exemplar document for CEng registration is to improve the process of selection of
those suitable for the CLA route to meet the academic requirements for registration. At present fewer
than 50% of CLA applications received by the Institution are acceptable as submitted and this is
creating avoidable additional work for staff and volunteers and frustration for applicants. The key point
to stress, and which will be stressed throughout this document, is that academic requirements and
hence the CLA requirements are purely about the technical knowledge and understanding that the
applicant possesses. Management responsibility, numbers of staff, budget level and company position
are irrelevant. This document specifically addresses the issues for applicants for CEng (in terms of the
academic level to be demonstrated) but similar considerations apply for those seeking Incorporated
Engineer (IEng) registration. The following key points should be considered by applicants when
completing the application form.

The assessment is of academic knowledge and primarily technical knowledge, i.e.

understanding of underlying engineering principles. Competence may be based on learning
what works through trial and error and may or may not require an understanding of the
underlying principles.
The assessors are looking for convincing evidence. Mere assertions or statements without
convincing explanations do not provide evidence. This is best provided by explaining how the
candidate obtained the knowledge to carry out a particular task and/or by examples of where
he/she relied on an understanding of engineering principles to complete a task rather than
following an established procedure or standard.
Professional engineers should be able to communicate information concisely. Lengthy text or lists
that include irrelevant information are unhelpful and are likely to lead to relevant information
being overlooked.
Examples are generally a good source of evidence, but keep them brief to make the point.
Remember that the CLA Assessors do not know you or your work. Dont expect them to read
between the lines as they might if they were a work colleague in the same company.

As a general guide to assessing the academic level of training and work based experience, Bachelors
level (i.e. Incorporated Engineer [IEng]) should provide a good knowledge of current technology and
the underlying engineering principles whilst Masters level (i.e. Chartered Engineer [CEng]) provides a
detailed understanding of underlying principles that would enable technology to be developed further

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or applied in novel ways. For example, a detailed knowledge and application of a pressure vessel code
would represent Bachelors level (IEng) learning. Masters level (CEng) would be a detailed
understanding of the underlying engineering principles behind the code and a demonstrated ability to
design or evaluate features not covered by the code and requiring justification by reference to
underlying engineering theory.

This document is deliberately not specific in terms of category of registration or industry sector. The
examples given at the end of this document [at Annex A] are also deliberately non-sector specific in
order to assist in the appreciation of what is required rather than providing a template to replicate a
candidates own career that may be in the same/similar industry sector.

Q1. In what area(s) of engineering practice would you regard yourself as specialising, and
how have you acquired and maintained the technical knowledge and understanding needed
to be skilled in these areas?

In this section the applicant is being asked to describe those specialist areas of engineering within which
he/she has gained knowledge to Masters level, how he/she has gained this knowledge and how
he/she maintains her/his technical knowledge to remain competent in this area. Good indicators of this
might be:
specialist advice he/she provides for specific purposes
recognition of her/his skills by a third party or others coming to her/him for advice.
the applicant has built up this reputation over a number of years
the applicant is highly regarded within the organization in which he/she works and within the
industry in general.

This section must be written in terms of the knowledge she/he has gained over the years and the deep
understanding she/he has of his/her specialist subject, although it might be based on a chronological
account of the applicants professional, engineering career to date.

Most engineers end up specialising in a particular aspect of their discipline through the nature of the
work that they do and this section asks the applicant to explain how his/her career has developed over
the years in particular areas of mechanical engineering. Simply having worked in a field for x years does
not provide much evidence. Applications need to indicate how technical knowledge has been
developed. How this can be explained will depend on individual circumstances, but will probably include
progression in the technical complexity of the work undertaken among other factors. However, a simple
statement that work became more complex provides no evidence the application needs to explain in
what way it became more complex, with reference to the knowledge that was gained and applied.

An applicant might, therefore, provide appropriate evidence of the following:

a sound process of research, based on collecting data, analysing it, modelling solutions, and
gaining feedback from site
use of formal and informal reporting media
the introduction of new equipment/systems/processes to provide a function now deemed
necessary within an engineering process.
technical papers he/she has written
presentations given at technical symposia and/or conferences
involvement in academic and/or industrial research
examples of when his/her specialist knowledge has been sought/used by others to solve in-
depth engineering problems
examples of how technical concepts have evolved and offer a critique on current thinking in
her/his specialist area of engineering.
involvement in any technical research, either in company or in collaboration with a university

The description of the knowledge and understanding gained from such endeavours should give a
clear indication of the equivalent academic level to which the applicant has aspired, i.e. to Masters level.
An example of a piping engineer applicant would demonstrate a thorough understanding of piping
systems gained from a knowledge of a range of standards, experience of designing systems for a
range of applications, including special circumstances outside of previous experience where the
applicant used his/her understanding to develop a solution (giving brief details). The applicant may
now supervise and train others in this technical area or be someone to whom others turn for advice.
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The candidate may choose to include formal training (see Question 5), personal research in relation to
tasks, or more generally, and/or advice from colleagues and others with appropriate knowledge. It will
be easier to assess the information where examples are provided. These should illustrate the acquisition
or application of knowledge and not just the task carried out.

Q2. Explain the technical decisions/judgements that you are required to make in your
current post and the underlying knowledge and understanding required to do this effectively.
(If previous posts provide a better example of this, please add information on this).

This section asks the candidate to explain the level of responsibility he/she currently holds in terms of
knowledge and understanding of technical matters. The purpose of which is to establish whether
she/he is working at the level commensurate with that of a CEng and just lacks the academic
qualifications. This section relates to the use of the applicants underpinning knowledge to resolve
complex engineering problems, both systematically and creatively, to demonstrate how she/he identifies
and agrees appropriate research methodologies, and how she/he assembles the necessary resources. If
the previous section reads as a narrative of ones professional, engineering career to date, this section is
very much a description of the typical engineering problems that the applicant encounters in her/his
present position or last technical position. It is seeking information about how he/she uses the
knowledge and understanding of a specialist, engineering subject, built up over the years, to solve
todays engineering problems.

The applicant should refer to how he/she collects, analyses and evaluates the relevant/available data,
and how she/he then drafts, presents and agrees the findings. The intent is to discern the technical
knowledge needed to make these decisions and applicants should explain not just the types of
decisions but also the technical knowledge that is utilised in terms of the underlying theory or
engineering principles i.e. not just based on what is normal practice based on experience.

Clearly the CLA Assessors are looking for decisions and judgements that require technical knowledge
at the appropriate professional level. There seems to be a trend, however, to describe decisions made
as a technician because these are more obviously technical; this is unhelpful. Decisions made at a more
senior level often involve a mix of technical and economic or commercial factors but it should be
possible to explain the technical factors that influence the decision. It may be necessary to mention the
commercial and economic factors to set the technical factors in context but they should not be the
primary focus. How much money was saved or the project size, for instance, may be important from a
job perspective but is only a subsidiary factor in a CLA application.

The CLA Assessors will be looking for examples of:

technical originality in solving engineering problems to reach innovative solutions
how the applicant uses and develops research: both original research and/or empirical data
analysis.
how the applicant reviews the potential for enhancing engineering products, processes, systems
and services
how he/she explores the potential, within her/his own responsibilities, for new opportunities.

In this section it is vital that the applicant clearly demonstrates their personal responsibility. The
applicant may be a team leader, but this section requires them to explain their individual achievements,
rather than those of the team. Candidates need to be able to demonstrate self-direction and originality
in tackling and solving problems and the ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks
at a professional or equivalent level.

Where the applicant is now in a management role with a broad range of responsibilities it may be
appropriate to provide information on their original area of specialism as well as explaining how she/he
developed the technical knowledge required for their current role, e.g. how do they have the
knowledge to evaluate technical proposals put forward by staff.

Examples of technical judgements or decisions taken during the course of ones work could be:
the identification of key plant to be audited and accredited
an investigation into new processes or techniques
taking a leading technical role in the introduction of new equipment or systems.
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Of particular importance are examples of the judgements/decisions made in non-routine situations

where the decision has to be based on a broader or deeper understanding of the relevant technical
field than decisions driven by procedures. Any examples should explain the level of knowledge needed
to reach a decision and any research carried out to aid the decision.

As in the previous section, the description of the knowledge and understanding should give a clear
indication of the equivalent academic level to which the applicant has aspired. i.e. for a CEng applicant
this would be to Masters level.

Q3. Give an example (or examples) where you have used your underlying technical
knowledge and understanding to develop a solution to a novel, unusual or complex
situation.

This is a key section and some thought should be given to the most appropriate example(s) used. Whilst
the other sections in this form cause the applicant to take a holistic view of their career and describe
their decision making accordingly, this section demands that the applicant clearly demonstrates
technical originality in [personally] solving a specific, engineering problem. The applicant should explain
the obstacles faced and how they were overcome and will also need to be able to justify why their
proposal was original and how the solution was truly innovative. The example(s) must bring out the
applicants understanding of underlying engineering principles.

There is a tendency for applicants to quote projects or tasks that have been important from a career
point of view rather than those which provide the best evidence of technical knowledge. Applicants
should choose examples that bring out their technical knowledge and ensure that the relevant
understanding of technical matters is explained in the example. It is very important to explain what
was learned. Simply saying a textbook was consulted or the issue discussed with a subject expert,
provides little evidence unless the insight or understanding gained is explained, i.e. what did the
applicant know or was able to do after the research that they did not know or were unable to do before.

Generally two, or at the most three, examples should be able to provide the necessary evidence. Such
work could have:
developed earlier, formal academic research work
instigated empirical data analysis to Masters level within an industrial environment to solve a
complex, technical problem.
drawn out different areas or aspects of technical knowledge and its application in a novel,
unusual or complex situation.
increased the applicants technical knowledge significantly in specific fields of
engineering/scientific research

The candidate will almost certainly have researched new or unusual aspects and acquired additional
knowledge. The example(s) should explain how this was done as well as the application of knowledge
to solving the problem at hand.

It should be possible to communicate the key evidence on an individual example in around half a page.
An applicant who is now in a management position is likely to have to refer back to an example when
they were in a technical role a few years back and this is understood. Otherwise it is better to select
fairly recent examples if possible. Referring to examples from shortly after completing an apprenticeship
or prior to a significant piece of formal learning is likely to raise doubts in the minds of the CLA
assessors as to whether it really provides evidence of the required level of understanding.

A typical example might read:

An alternative XXXXX technology study involved research and assessment of available and developing
XXXXXX units. The subject warranted extensive study into safety, performance and installation
considerations. This necessitated both technical and cost modelling work to produce a balanced
comparison to support a concept decision paper.

A shortlist of new and existing technology candidates was established that met initial gate review
criteria. However, one of the most promising options from a XXXXXXXX standpoint had to be excluded
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due to an inability to meet the required XXXXXX prevention.
In order to move the subject forward I undertook a secondary study to investigate XXXXXX within the
new technology option, using the following steps

Q4. In what non-technical areas have you acquired an enhanced level of knowledge and
understanding (eg. finance, project management, commercial)? Please provide example(s)
of responsibilities which require you to have this level of knowledge and understanding to
perform effectively.

Chartered Engineers need to be well-rounded individuals who, with a breadth of knowledge, are able to
adapt to various situations. Thus, this section requires the applicant to provide evidence of how he/she
can identify the required cost, quality, safety, reliability, appearance, fitness for purpose and
environmental impact of a solution to an engineering problem. The CLA Assessors will be looking for
evidence of knowledge and understanding of such matters as:
finance/accounting principles
project management techniques
national and international legislation covering areas such as IP, environmental, safety etc. which
are particularly pertinent to ones industry
commercial matters including marketing principles, sales techniques, customer focus etc.
risk assessments
health and safety
environmental responsibilities
quality assurance principles

In this section it is the scale of the responsibility which will give a good indication of the category of
registration, for example, project managing the introduction of engineering equipment significant to the
continuing prosperity of the company would typically be a CEng role whilst managing the replacement of
a piece of outdated, ancillary equipment with a modern alternative could be considered to be a typical
IEng role. Significant depth of understanding of these areas is not needed (unless it is a requirement
for a specific job.) It is sufficient knowledge to be able to interact competently with others and
appreciate the importance of factors which may impact on the candidates role that is required. Those in
a specialised technical role may need to give more thought to how they provide this evidence than those
in a project management role.

Candidates will also need to be able to demonstrate evidence of the transferable skills necessary for
employment such as:
the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility
decision making in complex and unpredictable situations
the independent learning ability required for Continuing Professional Development
calculating the commercial value of work
responsibility for self and team during work in active plants

Applicants by definition will have a significant level of experience and are often in a position of
responsibility so that providing sufficient evidence of appropriate non-technical knowledge should not
be difficult. Examples where this has been an issue have tended to be cases where experience is below
the guidelines and the applicant has not been able to demonstrate the necessary technical knowledge
either. However, it is still necessary to provide suitable evidence of knowledge, rather than simple
assertions of competence, in this section.

Q5. What training courses have you undertaken that you would consider as providing
knowledge and understanding at a level at or above a Bachelors degree?
(This might include University MSc modules or short courses and specialist courses organised
by your company or third parties. If none, please indicate not applicable.)

This section is seeking information about courses attended by the applicant that may have provided
knowledge that is at or close to Masters level, and is primarily seeking information on technical
courses that have invariably provided the necessary theoretical understanding which underpinned the
fundamental aspects of the subsequent training. Other courses that have built knowledge in the area
in which the engineer practices, even if not clearly at Masters level are next in importance. Please note
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that it is not a requirement to complete this section nor is it a request to list all courses attended. The
most relevant courses to include in this section are those which have been formally assessed, such as
MSc modules.

The applicant should provide brief details such as:

university/provider delivering the course
date(s) when the course was taken
module/course title
academic level (if known)
a brief outline of the content and learning outcomes
details & qualifications of course tutor
a brief description of the knowledge gained
details of any formal assessment

Other technical courses may just be listed but they should have some relevance to building technical
knowledge, e.g. a one week course on advanced Finite Element Analysis (FEA) organised by an in-
house training provider which was then used to carry out detailed analysis of a component which
resulted in an improvement to the design and/or saving in material/manufacturing costs. The link
between the knowledge gained and its application is, thus, made clear. Applicants should be selective
if there are a number of potential examples. The CLA Assessors will not spend a lot of time trying to
work out what might be relevant from a long list.

Non-technical courses are only likely to be relevant if they are clearly at a high academic level i.e.
Bachelors and above. Typical non-technical courses that could be included are:
a formal business management qualification/course
a significant project management qualification/course
a NEBOSH qualification in safety or similar.

A NEBOSH certificate, for example, could be relevant to an engineer working in industry if they can give
examples of where they had used it to assist in a design, construction or maintenance application, but if
they are unable to apply the knowledge they have gained, then it is less relevant.

As with technical courses the CLA Assessors will not be interested in courses of a relatively low academic
level. Thus, typical non-technical courses that should not be included are:
Health and Safety training
induction training
equality & diversity awareness
first aid courses

Therefore, if including courses in this section it is important to mention any assessment within the
course, who delivered the course and how you have applied the knowledge gained from the course in
the workplace. It is not mandatory to include any training in this section and you should not include any
courses that were not at the appropriate academic level. If you are not including any courses in this
section, state within this box that the question is not applicable.

Q6. Please provide details of any other evidence that you feel is relevant but has not been
covered in your previous answers.

This final section is the applicants opportunity to mention any other relevant technical knowledge or
understanding to Masters level gained during throughout his/her career, not mentioned in any of the
previous sections and that does not fit naturally within the scope of the other questions. Rather like the
previous section, it is not a requirement to complete this section, if there is nothing else to say and, as
before, is very much a scene setter to assist the CLA Assessors get a feel for how the candidates
career has progressed more generally. The most relevant information will relate to evidence of technical
knowledge at the relevant level, and so, examples might include:
the applicant has lectured as an industrialist on a university course
the applicant has written/spoken to technical papers at a conference
the applicant offers/applies technical expertise outside the work environment
the applicant has given a presentation to students or at an IMechE event
the applicant has contributed to standards or best practice within the workplace
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Other advice for applicants

Avoid submitting pages of calculations in support of an application. In rare cases there may
be some value in a calculation in support of an example but its relevance should be explained
and it should be distinctive.
Similarly avoid enclosing engineering drawings or illustrations unless they are really essential
to a thorough appreciation of the technical knowledge being evidenced and the point of them is
explained.
While the aim is to assess applications on the basis of the submission it is likely that a
significant number of applicants will be called for interview, particularly where their highest
formal qualification is below an HNC. Providing a focused application that addresses the key
questions will minimise the number of applicants requiring interview and simplify the interview
process when it is required.
Working alongside Chartered Engineers may provide an indication of the level of technical
knowledge but is not evidence of it. The work being carried out may not actually be at
Chartered level or only partially so and/or the individual may not be involved to the same extent
in the Chartered level work. The applicant needs to provide direct evidence of their personal
knowledge.
The following may be helpful in identifying the type of example that would provide the
required evidence.

For the a project I researched the available literature and identified b and c as the relevant
and critical engineering principles for the task. I also consulted d an expert in this field and
gained e as a further understanding of the issues and the factors to be considered. I used this
information (specify) to develop a proposal (describing how the information was used.) I
checked/confirmed that the proposal would meet the objectives by designing and carrying out
tests/ trials of the critical features (or by modelling in some way.) The proposal was adopted
and successfully completed. I learnt f and g as a result of undertaking this task which
have/will be of value (explain how) on subsequent/future projects.

The most common criticisms made by the CLA Assessors of applications they review are:
Candidates not demonstrating the depth of academic knowledge
Candidates giving more general information, perhaps on positions held, level of
responsibility, financial control etc
It was not clear that the CLA was their opportunity to demonstrate that through their
working career they have in the past , or are currently, working to Masters level.
The candidate struggled to demonstrate his technical level at interview

Annex A

Guidance for Specific Roles

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The following notes are intended to provide guidance to those mechanical engineers in typical
mechanical engineering roles. This guidance is based on the recurring problems raised by CLA
applications from those in these types of roles as well as the better examples that have provided clear
evidence. The four specific mechanical engineering roles given in this Annex are that of:
A. Design Engineer
B. Project Engineer/Project Manager
C. Manufacturing Engineer/Production Engineer
D. Maintenance Engineer

A. Design Engineer
This job title, or variations on it, can cover a wide range of roles requiring a varying amount of technical
knowledge, from fairly limited in the case of a draughtsman or CAD operator detailing components to
very significant for an engineer who is effectively working at the leading edge of technology. The role
needs to be explained and detail given of the knowledge needed and deployed. The applicant needs
to explain where their work is non-routine and requires them to draw on underlying engineering
knowledge and understanding, rather than following established codes or practice.

Most design engineers are likely to need to research information and, thus, will increase their technical
knowledge in the course of their work. This should provide good evidence of the depth of knowledge
that they have acquired. However, it is important to recognise that the increased knowledge should
be an understanding of engineering principles; rather than just better knowledge of standards or
established design approaches. The following may allow the required evidence to be offered.

Developing a design where the requirements fall outside an established code or routine
exception to the code any example should explain what the issue was and what specific
knowledge was used to develop the solution and the solution itself
Designing products or equipment at the forefront of technology again it is important to
explain the particular issues and what knowledge has been gained as well as the applicants
personal involvement in the design development.
Tasks requiring a highly analytical approach to researching existing technology or
understanding an issue. Details are needed and these should make clear the technical aspects
being examined or involved in the analysis.
Developing and using computer programmes that build on an understanding of underlying
engineering principles. Any example must make clear the knowledge required and the scope of
the work that was undertaken. Simply using a programme where data is entered and an answer
produced is not sufficient. E.g. statements such as I carried out an FEA to establish that stress
levels were acceptable gives no indication of the level of knowledge actually needed.

The following are examples from applications where problems often occur because the information
provided is inadequate.

Use of CAD is not really evidence at either IEng or CEng level, whether it is 2D or 3D. It is
just a tool and it is the design that is being produced and the technical knowledge that is
needed to do this that is the critical aspect.
Most designers work as part of a team and it is important for applicants to make clear their
personal contribution to a particular task in terms of the technical knowledge and input. It is
rare that one person will provide all of the input but the knowledge of the whole team will be
increased as a result of the team effort. Applications should make clear what the applicant
contributed and what they learnt in a technical sense.

B. Project Engineer/Project Manager

Because the CLA is looking for depth of technical knowledge, this is a difficult group and applicants in
this type of role need to think carefully about the experience that they have that is relevant. The value
of projects, the number of staff or their location is not relevant to the assessment. Those Project
Engineers who are intimately involved in the technical issues and their solution will find it easier to

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explain the technical knowledge and activities in their application. For such Project Engineers the
guidance intended for Design Engineers [above] is likely to illustrate the type of information required.

Some Project Engineers, however, are dealing mainly with management and commercial aspects of
managing a project rather than the technical issues, this may be because the technical issues are
limited (e.g. purchase and installation of a piece of equipment designed by others) or because the
organisation has specialist functional engineers to whom any technical issues are referred. While such
engineers may develop their technical knowledge through this role it requires a pro-active approach
and will not be assumed to have occurred by assessors. It is, therefore, important that applicants with
this type of background explain carefully how they have acquired their technical knowledge and will
need to consider carefully the evidence which will demonstrate this explaining their personal
involvement in developing solutions to technical problems or in reaching decisions on technical issues.

The following may allow the required evidence to be offered:

Writing specifications simply writing specifications would not provide the required evidence
unless there was some specific technical knowledge needed or a choice to be made between
technologies or a need to consider the broader implications of the adoption of a specific
technology that required an understanding of the relevant technologies in some depth.
Specific examples would be needed that made clear the technical knowledge researched or
used.
Evaluating tenders and proposals similar considerations as specifications apply to this
activity. Specific examples of where technical knowledge has allowed a proposal to be
challenged might provide suitable evidence.
Dealing with queries and technical concessions these may be relevant if they required
research into technical issues or pre-existing knowledge to resolve. Where such issues are
referred to technical experts the Project Engineer may still gain knowledge through discussion
around the issue. Has this knowledge then been of use subsequently or are there other ways
in which this enhanced knowledge can be evidenced?
Commissioning again it is technical issues that were encountered and resolved that are
most likely to provide suitable evidence.

A failing for many applications from Project Engineers in this type of role is that a project may involve a
particular technology but their personal knowledge and contribution in the technology is far from clear.
Applicants should consider very carefully how they can explain the technical knowledge that they have
acquired or used.

C. Manufacturing Engineer/Production Engineer

Once again the issue is how to bring out technical knowledge from a role which is likely to have a mix
of technical and management responsibilities. The work of Manufacturing/Production Engineers may
range from supervising production operatives to development of, or improvements to, complex and
technically challenging equipment. The management and supervision aspects of their role are not
especially relevant to the CLA. It is the technical aspects that are important and the technical aspects
which require an in-depth knowledge of the underlying technology and engineering principles and it is
the knowledge gained through this element of their experience that they should focus on in their
application.

An in-depth understanding of relevant production processes is important and involvement in their

development and/or improvement would be very relevant. However, it is important to explain how
knowledge of underlying principles has been used in this. Simply quoting approaches such as Lean,
Just in Time, 6 Sigma and similar is not sufficient. The relevance to the applicants technical
knowledge and input needs to be explained.

The following may allow the required evidence to be offered:

Introducing new plant or equipment that is novel or technically complex and ensuring that it
can be operated efficiently and link effectively to other processes.

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Analysing production performance to identify areas that can be improved and implementing
such improvements. This might be a programme of continuous improvement or a single exercise.
The example should make clear the knowledge of the technology that enabled the analysis to
be undertaken and the results interpreted and/or the improvement designed.
Identifying and correcting faults which require a deep understanding of the technology (i.e.
beyond the knowledge that would be expected of a highly competent technician.) Designing an
effective short term repair to maintain production might be relevant if it involved a depth of
technical knowledge to identify or justify.
Analysing a process to identify bottlenecks and how they can be removed or to identify
changes needed to allow an increased level of production.
Working with the design department to identify process changes needed to produce a new
product. Such examples must identify the specific technical input provided (e.g. recommended
changes to the product design that did not compromise performance to simplify manufacturing
process.)

This is a role where management responsibilities may be the most important aspect of the job but they
are very much secondary to what the CLA is looking for. Any application must focus on the technical
aspects of the role and those which demonstrate the depth of knowledge that the engineer has.

The following extract from an actual application demonstrates how a Manufacturing/Production Engineer
was able to demonstrate the necessary depth of knowledge and understanding.
managing and developing the upgrade of Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) Bulk Chemical
distribution system with minimal impact to the manufacturing etching process. This involved managing
and developing the design, procurement of equipment and parts, installation testing and commissioning
of a fast-track build bulk chemical distribution system .

D. Maintenance Engineer
The job role of a Maintenance Engineer may range from supervising tradesmen to investigating
problems or identifying improvements to plant that requires a deep knowledge of the technology
involved and a very analytical approach. It is the latter type of activities that are likely to offer the best
evidence of the required technical understanding. Management responsibilities such as time managing
technicians and resolving issues that do not require Masters level knowledge are unlikely to provide
suitable evidence for an IEng application and certainly not CEng one and are, thus, irrelevant to a CLA
application.

Any application should focus on the deeper technical knowledge that has been acquired and is used in
the course of the job. It is the unusual issue or study that has required deeper technical
understanding that is likely to provide the most relevant evidence. Selecting the right examples to
explain in the CLA is, thus, a key factor and then ensuring that the technical knowledge gained and/or
deployed is clear to the CLA Assessors.

The following may provide suitable examples to illustrate this.

Problems encountered by tradesmen that require a deeper knowledge of the underlying

engineering to identify a solution. Possibly a recurring problem that has been solved by the
applicant adopting a detailed analysis of the relevant technical factors to identify the underlying
cause and develop a permanent solution.
Developing condition monitoring systems and analysing the output to determine when and
what intervention is required.
Developing technical improvements to plant based on a detailed study, e.g. to reduce energy
consumption.
Designing major plant modifications or upgrades. Note that it is the design input and any
technical work that is important rather than the management activity; but designing the way in
which the work is done to minimise disruption to ongoing operations may provide relevant
evidence.

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Developing best practice procedures that are based on a theoretical understanding of the
relevant technologies as well as practical experience.

The main problem with applications from engineers in a maintenance type role is that they tend to have
quite wide management responsibilities and focus on these in the application with rather brief mention
of anything technical at the required depth and then generally failing to explain their personal
knowledge and input. While briefly stating their management responsibilities is helpful, the bulk of the
application should focus on the technical knowledge that they have gained and used at the required
level.

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Improving the world through engineering CEng Exemplar Document Apr 12