Regulation 1 – CPD Requirements

“In the interest of maintaining high and up-to-date levels of professional knowledge among the Incorporated members of the Institution, the following updated Continuing Professional Development (CPD) regulations will come into force on the 1st of January 2008.

Each Incorporated member is required to achieve a minimum of 5 points per annum. No more than 50% of the CPD requirement can be fulfilled by product training.

Failure to maintain the required level of CPD will invoke reprimand and the initiation of a 1 year cautionary period, starting at the reprimand date. During that year the shortfall must be rectified and the current year’s CPD requirement must also be fulfilled.

Failure by a member to fulfil his/her CPD requirement within the cautionary period will lead to termination of membership in accordance with Article 6.1 of the Institution's Articles of Association. Re-election to membership will be automatic once the deficit has been removed and re-election is requested.

CPD activities include the following:

·               writing of articles and technical papers (for IIS News,  GI-related publications or learned journals)

·               presentation of lectures or seminars in IIS-approved areas of activity

·               providing mentorship or participating in professional interviews for IIS members involved in the process of membership upgrade

·               attendance at full or part-time courses (including instructor-led, correspondence and distance learning) in IIS-approved areas of activity

·               attendance at approved lectures, seminars, or meetings (including IIS annual, extraordinary, commission, working group or council meetings)

·               carrying out relevant expert witness work.

A distinction is made between development/education activities and specific product training (either software or hardware). Product training qualifies for CPD points at a reduced rate to those listed in the following. A sub-group of IIS EduCOM will annually define and publish CPD points (via the IIS newsletter and websites) for a range of training courses and events. Activities and training not included in the approved list will be considered upon application. Applications should ideally be made in advance of undertaking the activity to ensure approval as relevant CPD.

For CPD/Education activities points will be awarded as follows:

·         writing an article or technical paper                                                                     4 points

·         presentation of a lecture or seminar                                                                    3 points

·         participation in IIS working groups, commissions or mentoring programmes       3 points

·         sitting on IIS member upgrade interview board                                                   2 points

·         attendance at a full day course or seminar                                                          2 points

·         attendance at a lecture, meeting or seminar lasting one half-day or less           1 point

·         expert witness work                                                                                             Upon application

·         academic courses with standardised ECTS, Fetac, etc. rank                               Upon application

·         product training                                                                                                    Upon application or from approved list

Members wishing to change membership grade will be required to undertake Continuing Professional Development in accordance with upgrade procedures as defined in Regulation 4 of the Articles of Association.”

Regulation 2 – Professional Interview

GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEWS ON ELECTION

OR TRANSFER TO THE GRADE OF PROFESSIONAL MEMBER

Note: It is assumed that candidates are familiar with the relevant clauses of the Institution's Articles of Association relating to eligibility for applying for election or transfer to the grade of Professional member of the Irish Institution of Surveyors.

1.     The Professional Interview

1.1.     The purpose of the Professional Interview is to assess whether or not the candidate has acquired sufficient competence as a result of education, continuing professional development and experience to enable him/her to function as a professional in the surveying or geographic information industries. Experience is defined as the knowledge, perception, understanding and skill required in undertaking tasks and assignments by following correct procedures over an extended period. The Professional Interview is intended to provide an opportunity for the candidate to satisfy the Council that, in addition to academic qualifications, he/she possesses the necessary professional competence to justify transfer or election to Professional membership of the Irish Institution of Surveyors.

1.2.     Candidates are required to submit four paper copies and a digital copy in .pdf or MS Word format of the Professional Report to the Institution. This is intended to provide the Interview Panel with comprehensive information concerning the candidate’s professional development and experience. The Professional Report should incorporate certification from the candidate's employer(s) as to the required period(s) of professional experience as laid down in clause 2.15 of the Articles of Association.

1.3.     The Council will examine each candidate's Professional Report and determine whether or not the continuing professional development and experience being claimed and presented is of sufficient merit to justify being granted a Professional Interview. The principal criterion of such assessment is to establish that the information provided in the Professional Report is a satisfactory basis upon which the Interview Panel can make a judgement as to the professional competency of the candidate.

1.4.     Initially the candidate will be asked to speak about his/her career for approximately fifteen minutes. Subsequently, via a question and answer session, the Interview Panel will set out to establish additional details of the candidate’s practical experience and the degree of responsibility given to the candidate in their career to date. Candidates should assume that the members of the Interview Panel have read and are familiar with the content of their Professional Report. Candidates will be expected to be familiar with the Institution's Code of Professional Conduct. The Interview will extend over a period of not more than one hour.

1.5.     The Interview Panel normally consists of three senior members of the Profession, selected by the Council of the Institution, who act on behalf of the Council and are, as far as possible, from the same broad area of expertise as the candidate. All members of the Interview Panel will be Professional Members or Fellows of the Irish Institution of Surveyors.

1.6.     Candidates will be given reasonable notice of the arrangements for the Professional Interview, which will normally be held three times per year in various locations throughout the country. Candidates will be notified of the outcome of the Interview as soon as possible, normally within four weeks.

2.     The Professional Report

2.1.     The Professional Report consists of (a) a Summary of Career Details, (b) a Report on Continuing Professional Development and Experience.

2.2.     The Summary of Career Details should set out in chronological order, and in tabular form, details of the candidate’s surveying or geographic information education, continuing professional development and experience. The summary should commence at the date on which the candidate completed secondary education and give details of third level education together with the inclusive dates of each period of continuing professional development and experience. It should include any period(s) devoted to surveying or GI-related work, to holiday or practical employment involving surveying or GI-related work and to any post-graduate study or research.

2.3.     The Professional Report on Continuing Professional Development and Experience should be between 1000 and 1500 words in length. It should be in chronological sequence from time of graduation, should be written in the first person singular, and should fully detail the surveying and/or GI tasks undertaken by the candidate during his/her career to date. It should explain clearly the precise job function(s) with level or grade which the candidate has held in each post and the degree of personal responsibility assigned to him/her. Individual reference should be made in the Report to the candidate's employers or immediate supervisors who have been responsible for supervising or monitoring his/her practical training, giving their names, positions held and their grade of membership, if any, in the Irish Institution of Surveyors (or in a related professional body or institution).”

Regulation 3 – Procedure for Election to Fellow

1        Qualification Requirements

The candidate must:

1.1     Hold a Master of Science degree in one of the listed disciplines and be at least 30 years of age

or

1.2     Have supplied outstanding service to the Institution or to the surveying profession in Ireland

2          Nomination Procedure

2.1     The candidate must be nominated by two existing fellows of the Institution.

3          Acceptance Procedure

3.1     Council to ratify the nomination at a council meeting with reference to fulfilling the qualification requirements and with regards to supplying outstanding service to the Institution or to the surveying profession in Ireland.

3.2     Annual General Meeting to approve each nomination individually by a show of hands.”

 Regulation 4 – Progression between Membership Classes

“The number of years of GI/survey related experience may be reduced on a case-by-case basis depending on the number of CPD points gained, particularly from academic courses with ECTS, Fetac or equivalent accreditation.

Trainee -> Technical                            2 years GI/survey experience        

Double CPD point collection for 1 year of approved upgrade courses

Mentoring by Professional Member or Fellow for 1 year

Student -> Probationer                       Graduation from an honours degree course in Geomatics or GI-related discipline

(measurement science, land management, spatial data management or geographic information management)

Associate -> Professional                  3 years GI/survey experience

Double CPD point collection for 1 year of approved upgrade courses

Professional interview after 1 year

Probationer -> Professional               2 years GI/survey experience

Standard CPD point collection of approved upgrade courses during probation period

Mentoring by Professional Member or Fellow for 2 years

Professional interview after 2 years

Technical -> Professional                   4 years GI/survey experience

Double CPD point collection for 2 years of approved upgrade courses

Mentoring by Professional Member for 2 years

Professional -> Fellow                         As defined by Regulation 3 of the Articles of Association.”