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Students and Graduates


Studying and graduating with an engineering degree is the first step toward being recognised as a qualified and competent professional engineer.

Engineers carry out highly complex work, so it is important that only qualified, competent and experienced professionals design, build, maintain and develop the products, infrastructure and services we use every day. It is also important for young engineers to get the right guidance and direction from experienced mentors. The RPEQ system ensures that they do.

To be eligible to become a RPEQ you must first graduate with a four-year degree in engineering from a recognised tertiary institute that meets the standards of the Washington Accord. The Washington Accord is an International Agreement between bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programs.

The next step in the RPEQ process is developing competency in engineering – four to five years post-graduation is the requirement.

All students and graduates must work under direct supervision of a RPEQ if carrying out professional engineering services in or for Queensland until they have met the qualification and competency requirements and been assessed. The only other exception is if they are carrying out an engineering service in accordance with a prescriptive standard.

Our Vision

Globally leading levels of professionalism for engineers in a dynamic environment.

Our Purpose

To protect the public and maintain confidence in the profession by upholding the highest standard of engineering

Our Values

Honesty and integrity
Professional and ethical
Accountable
Fair and consistent

DIRECT SUPERVISION

Student engineers performing professional engineering services in Queensland or for Queensland as part of an internship or work experience must be directly supervised by a RPEQ who takes full professional responsibility for the services. A recent graduate must also be directly supervised by a RPEQ who takes full professional responsibility for the services until they have developed working competency to become registered themselves. Direct supervision must occur throughout the lifecycle of a project or service, not just as an end of project/service certification.

The supervising RPEQ must:

Oversee and Evaluate

Oversee and Evaluate the carrying out of the service by the person.

Knowledge

Have sufficient knowledge of professional engineering services being carried out.

Control

Have sufficient control over outputs of professional engineering services being carried out.

Responsibility

Take full responsibility for professional engineering services being provided.

For direct supervision to occur the following elements must be present:

Direct Contact

(between RPEQ and student/graduate engineer) and actual knowledge (of the project or service)

Direction

(by RPEQ)

Oversight

(by RPEQ)

Evaluation

(by RPEQ)

Full Professional Responsibility

(by RPEQ)

1 Qualification

Graduating from a recognised tertiary institute with a four-year undergraduate degree in engineering (or equivalent).

2 Competency

Gained through experience working as an engineer and carrying out professional engineering services (between 3-5 years).

3 Assessment

Through an approved assessment scheme – different assessment schemes operate for different areas of engineering

4 Application

Application for registration submitted to BPEQ, alone with a letter of assessment from the assessor and a fitness to practise declaration.

Examples of appropriate and inappropriate supervision

 

200406 Examples of Supervision

PRESCRIPTIVE STANDARDS

An engineering service carried out only in accordance with a prescriptive standard is not considered to be a professional engineering service. Therefore a student or graduate engineer is legally able to carry out engineering services that are prescriptive. A prescriptive standard is defined in the PE Act as follows:

a prescriptive standard means a document that states procedures or criteria:

    • for carrying out a design, or a construction, production, operation or maintenance activity, relating to engineering; and
    • the application of which, to the carrying out of the design, or the construction, production, operation or maintenance activity, does not require advanced scientifically based calculations.

There are five elements to engineering services carried out only in accordance with a prescriptive standard:

  1. the standard is a document;
  2. the document states procedures or criteriafor the carrying out of the design, or construction, production, operation or maintenance activity, to which the document relates;
  3. the application of the procedures or criteria must require little to no choice or judgement;
  4. the application of the procedures or criteria must not require advanced scientifically based calculations;
  5. the services must be carried out onlyin accordance with a prescriptive standard.

Learn how to become a RPEQ