INITIAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Initial Professional Development is that part of professional development where a member achieves the standard of professional competence relevant to their employment and experience, that will satisfy the Institution's requirements for Corporate membership as a Member (MRINA). Only Corporate members may be considered to be professionally qualified naval architects.

The Institution's requirements are intended to ensure that an Associate Member develops the professional knowledge, understanding and skills needed to provide a sound foundation for a career in naval architecture/marine technology, as well as specific competencies relevant to current employment.

This guidance on Initial Professional Development is addressed primarily to Associate Members. However, the requirements must also be met by anyone applying for direct election as a Corporate Member...

IPD Milestones

The four major milestones to becoming a Corporate member are (1) achieving the required educational base, (2) developing professional competence through training and experience, (3) the application process and (4) the Professional Review.

1. Education

The Institution defines the exemplifying academic qualification required to become a Corporate member Where their course has been accredited or approved by the Institution, no further proof is required, other than they do have this qualification. Where their course is not accredited or approved, the candidate is required to provide evidence that the course is equivalent to the exemplifying academic qualification. The Professional Affairs Department can advise on whether a course is accredited or approved, and if not, what evidence is required.

If a candidate does not have the exemplifying academic qualification , they may demonstrate they have achieved the required level of knowledge and understanding through experience through and extended CV.

Further information is given in the RINA publication Guidance for the Mature Candidate

EC(UK) Registration
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects is a Licensed and Nominated body of the Engineering Council, and Corporate members may be entered on to the appropriate Register - CEng, IEng or EngTech.

If a candidate does not have the exemplifying academic qualification and wishes to be registered with the EC(UK) , they may demonstrate they have achieved the required level of knowledge and understanding through experience by submitting a Technical Report .

Further information is given in the RINA publication Guidance on the Technical Report

2. Developing Professional Competence

Corporate membership is dependent upon the candidate having achieved the required levels of competence across a range of activities relevant to the design, construction and maintenance of marine vessels and structures.

Whilst not being strictly time based, a period of four years of Initial Professional Development is considered to be the minimum a candidate would need in order to adequately achieve these abilities. During the course of this, the candidate would be expected to have held a position of responsibility appropriate to the class of membership they are seeking for a total of at least two years.

The Institution is flexible about how the Associate Member has achieved the professional competence, which can be by experience, on-the-job training, or off-the-job courses. Any relevant previous engineering experience, not necessarily in the marine field, and work experience at an appropriate level gained prior to graduation may also help the member in part to meet the requirements. They should continually assess their current levels of knowledge, understanding and skills, and how these match what the Institution is looking for - this will enable them to identify and plan what additional professional development is needed. The Institution is able to advise a member in this respect.

Professional Development Objectives
The Institution requires that professional competences be achieved across a range of activities relevant to the design, construction and maintenance of marine vessels and structures. These requirements are defined in a number of Professional Development Objectives which the Associate Member is expected to achieve during their Initial Professional Development. These Objectives consist of a number of activities and the minimum levels of ability expected for each of the activities

The Professional Development Objectives are contained in the Institution's Professional Development Manual

Recording IPD activities
Associate Members are required to maintain a record of their IPD activities. It is recommended that the Institution's IPD Logbook be used for this purpose. The IPD Logbook will then form the basis of the Professional Review Report.

Download IPD Logbook (MS Word doc) MRINA (CEng) | MRINA (IEng) | MRINA (EngTech)

3. Application

Having achieved the required levels of competence, an Associate Member may then apply for Corporate membership as a Member. All applications for Corporate membership are considered by the Institution's Membership Committee which meets five times per year. Applications should normally be received at least three weeks before the meeting at which they are considered.

Application Form
The first step is the completion of the application form, providing personal information, details of academic and professional qualifications and a brief record of employment from graduation, giving company, job title and brief description of job.

The application should normally be proposed by two Corporate members who should verify that to their best of their knowledge the information contained in the application is correct. However, if this cannot reasonably be achieved, it is acceptable for the application to be verified by two persons in positions of responsibility. Details of the positions held by such non-member proposers should be supplied with the application.

Unless the Associate Member's academic course has been accredited or approved by the Institution, they may be required to provide documentary evidence of the content of the course to show that it is equivalent to the exemplifying academic standard required for the class of membership. The Institution's Professional Affairs Department can advise on this requirement.

4. Professional Review

Professional Review Report
The application should also include a Professional Review Report, which should demonstrate that the Associatr Member has achieved the level and breadth of professional development required for Corporate membership. Although the route to Corporate membership may be different for every candidate, each is required to achieve one of the standards of professional competence defined by the Professional Development Objectives.

If the Membership Committee is satisfied that the Report has demonstrated that the Associate Member has achieved one of the the required standards professional competence and responsible experience [MRINA (CEng); MRINA (IEng); MRINA (EngTech)] the candidate will be elected as a Corporate member

Further guidance is contained in the RINA publication Guidance on the Professional Review Report

Professional Review Interview
If the Membership Committee considers that the application requires further scrutiny, or if the applicant wishes to be registered with the EC(UK) as CEng or IEng, they will also be required to undertake a Professional Review Interview.

Further informationis contained in the RINA publication Guidance on the Professional Review Interview

Mentoring

During the period of Initial Professional Development (IPD), when Associate Members are seeking to achieve the professional competence required for Corporate membership, they may be guided by a Mentor.

The Mentor will focus on the professional and personal needs of the Associate Member, providing assistance with the self-assessment of strengths, weaknesses and development needs of the individual, immediately with respect to meeting the requirements of Corporate membership, but also with ensuring that the individual achieves the sound foundation for a successful career. The Mentor will provide valuable continuity during this period. ... More about mentoring