Collecting evidence of your competence

The type of evidence provided for the workplace assessor to assess depends considerably on the nature of your work. Observation is the preferred method but examination of products (the end result of your work) or a personal report on how you meet the competence requirements supported by documentary evidence may also be acceptable. The use of witness testimony by others, the use of tests and questioning also provide supporting evidence

In practice, what this usually means is that either you will be observed by your assessor performing work tasks, or you will need to prepare a portfolio of documentary evidence, but for some licences it my be a combination of the two

In addition, whichever type of evidence you offer, your workplace assessor (and the competence assessor) will wish to interview you, to check out aspects of your work experience, activities and knowledge that cannot be completely ascertain by observing you or reading a portfolio of evidence.

Don’t forget that the assessor will also want to see your up-to-date logbook as part of the workplace assessment.

Workplace observation evidence

For people whose work mainly involves performing practical tasks, such as installers, maintainers and testers, your workplace assessor will assess you primarily on the basis of observing you performing those tasks, together with questions/interview. If your work involves producing documents, such as test records, the assessor may wish to see some examples that you have produced.

It is your responsibility, together with your manager/supervisor and workplace assessor, to agree what work observations are required for the assessment, and when and where these will be done.

All the usual safety precautions and arrangements must be applied when the work is being performed.

Your workplace assessor will record the findings of the observations of your work on the Record of Assessment from for the licence category for which you are applying.

Preparing a portfolio of evidence

Some people can be assessed by observing them at work – installers, maintainers and testers generally can be assessed in this way, for instance. However some personal statement indicating how the performance requirements have been met (together with some supporting documentation) may be useful evidence particularly at the surveillance point (5 years) or renewal (10 years) If your competence cannot be assessed sufficiently by simply observing you performing work and by questioning you, then you are required to produce a portfolio containing documentary evidence to demonstrate that your competence in respect of each of the performance requirements is satisfactory. This applies to most people who have managerial or office-based jobs, such as licences for

· Senior Engineering Manager

· Lead Engineering Manager

· Engineering Manager

· Project Engineer

· Design Engineer

· Maintenance Manager

· Installation Manager

Typically, the portfolio will include summary statements for each of the performance requirements in the licence category for which the assessment is being performed. Each summary statement should briefly describe two or three activities to demonstrate that the requirements are met. Each statement should, wherever possible, also reference reports, discussion papers, analytical material, meeting minutes, letters etc, that you have produced during the course of your employment, to support the statement.

Electronic Competence Assessment and Recording System

You are encouraged to use the ECARS system to demonstrate your competence as it allows the embedding of electronic files (word reports, spread sheet, email, pictures etc) into the programme and avoids the creation of paper based portfolios. Click here for more details.

Paper-based portfolio of evidence

For applicants who do not have access to a computer on which to assemble a database portfolio, or who for other reasons prefer to prepare a paper-based portfolio, this is a perfectly acceptable alternative.