Engaging in CPD demonstrates your commitment to keeping your skills current and in line with the highest standard of contemporary practice.


With the rapidly changing landscape of work expectations, APEA strongly supports the requirement of professional engineers to maintain the highest standards of contemporary practice through Continued Professional Development (CPD) 

In order to meet the CPD requirements for assessment for registration in Queensland:

  • If you worked full-time as a registered practising professional engineer – 50 hours of structured CPD is required over the last 12 months irrespective of the area/s in which you are registered.
  • Your 50 CPD hours are expected to have been undertaken across a breadth of continuing professional development (CPD) activities.


    • CPD Categories and limits


    Limits apply for a three-year period in some categories. Limits are the maximum contribution of that category to your overall requirement to undertake 50 hours over the 12 months immediately prior to lodgment of your application. Additional hours may be supplied, however only the limits will contribute to your eligibility for assessment.

    One of our most popular solutions is our CPD offering. We have an extensive range of CPD available to help both members and non-members meet their renewal requirements for ongoing registration in Victoria. Become a member of APEA to take advantage of the full range.

    Members of APEA can also keep their CPD information all in one place in preparation for their renewals and ongoing registration. Please login to My dashboard to access My CPD log, it is very easy to use and to keep up-to-date.
    Category A - Formal postgraduate education

    (No Limit)

    Formal postgraduate education aligned to your work which can attract an award on completion from a higher education institution. This may include individual units of postgraduate study, which may be on or off campus and can include lectures, tutorials, lab work, research, and must involve some form of assessment.

    You can claim the time that is the definite hours for all lectures, tutorials and laboratory works. If you haven’t completed the whole course at the time of application, you are permitted to include the completed units on the provision that these were taken within the three-year period. Private study, planning and preparation related to the completion of formal postgraduate education can be claimed as CPD.

    There is no limit to the maximum number of hours that you can claim for a three-year period, bearing in mind a spread of activities from other categories is required. The courses and or units must be aligned to your current role and responsibilities, or explicitly related to the discipline in which you seek registration in.
    Category B - External or Employer Provided Training

    (No Limit)

    Education provided by your employer or by a provider that is not a higher education provider but that aligns with your work or profession.

    Formal training programs offered by an employer or by a non-higher education provider or RTO is acceptable as an activity under this category.

    Online courses are acceptable. Private study, planning and preparation related to the completion of formal postgraduate education can be claimed as CPD. There is no limit to the number of hours you can claim for this category.
    Category C - Professional participation

    (No limit, with the exemption of RPEng related services, limited to 50 hours for three-years)

    Attendance at a conference or technical society meeting. Activities associated with the applicant’s contribution to the profession such as acting as a mentor, as an assessor for an engineer registration scheme, serving on aboard or committee related to the profession of engineering can be considered.

    Assessors can also consider participation in activities or groups which demonstrate your commitment to the profession, such as acting as an Assessor for an engineer registration scheme, as well as serving on boards or committees related to the Registered Professional Engineer of Professionals Australia (RPEng) program.

    Only participation in meetings or undertaking responsibilities associated with involvement in the group or activity can be claimed.

    The logbook must only detail the hours the applicant spent in attendance at the event.

    Please note that if you can only claim a maximum of 50 hours in a three-year period for services related to the Registered Professional Engineer of Professionals Australia (RPEng) scheme.
    Category D - Presentations

    (Limited 45 hours for three years)

    Presenting at a conference or meeting outside of normal employment aligned to your work and profession and can include presentation and preparation of material.

    The assessor will exercise judgement as to whether the presentation detailed in the CPD log constitutes inclusion under Category D, or whether it would be more suitable for inclusion under Category C. When reviewing Category D entries, assessors are looking for information regarding the topic of the presentation, the processes of preparing for the presentation, and the audience of the presentation.

    Category E - Workplace Learning/On the Job Training

    (Limited to 75 hours over three-years)

    Workplace learning involving theories, concepts, practices, that extent your knowledge. Normal work activities using current knowledge cannot be claimed.

    Professionals Australia believes that on the job learning plays a vital contribution to the development of professionals and is a category which is often overlooked. The types of activities applicants should consider for this category which enhances their knowledge and understanding of engineering in theories, concepts and practices.

    Some activities might include:
    • Development of safety or training manuals/programs.
    • Learning of new software or programs.
    • Preparation of meeting materials or briefing notes regarding updated workplace theories, concepts and practices.

    Importantly, activities claimed for this category must be for the extension of existing knowledge, or the development of new knowledge and skills. You can claim up to 75 hours over a three- year period.
    Category F - Published works

    (Limited to 150 hours over three-years)

    Producing a published paper for a university, conference, engineering organisation relevant to the profession, can include research and preparation.

    This category refers to any written material published in a technical journal, university publication, in conference papers or any other publication deemed acceptable to the assessor.

    Where the paper was co-authored, the applicant can claim a pro- rata split of the total time.
    Category G - Private study

    (Limited to 75hours over three-years - 57 hours for research and 18 hours for reading)

    Extension of your knowledge of legislation, regulations, codes, standards and specifications through work or private study.

    Specific sources of this knowledge may include technical or industry magazines and journals, as well as research through internet searches and digital information sources, online technical communities and discussion forums.

    You are expected to include sufficient information to identify the source claimed, including where possible, the title of the publication/material, author/source, date-published and link. Applicants are advised to use a conservative estimate when claiming activities in this category, as the assessor may choose to investigate the activity to confirm.
    Category H - Contribution to the Profession

    (Limited to 50 hours)
    Activities associated with the applicant’s contribution to the profession such as acting as a mentor, being an assessor for an engineer registration scheme, serving on a board or committee relating to the profession of engineering can be considered, peer review of technical publications.

    Additional Information


    Ultimately, the assessor has the discretion to determine if the activities provided in an applicant’s CPD log are adequate, and meet the expectations of a Registered Professional Engineer of Professionals Australia (RPEng).

    Applicants are expected to exercise their best judgement and give reasonable consideration regarding which activities they choose to include as CPD, and under which category.

    Importantly, assessors only accept activities undertaken within the three-years immediately prior to submitting an application.

    Assessors may also choose to seek additional information regarding particular activities entered in the CPD log to confirm the applicant’s participation and to ensure that the skills and knowledge detailed in the CPD log were truly developed.


    Preparing your CPD log for your application


    Members, you can keep your CPD information all in one place. Please login to My dashboard to access My CPD log, it is very easy to use and to keep up-to-date.

    When preparing to make your application, be mindful that we require the following information for your CPD log:

    • Institution/employer/provider of each activity
    • Duration of each activity
    • Evidence of completion/participation
    • A contact person to verify completion/participation

    Still have questions?

    Our team can assist on 1300 273 762 or at rpeng@professionalsaustralia.org.au  
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