Use this material to examine your own work. Confirm current requirements, forms and dates with ICE before applying.
During IPD you develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and professional attitude needed to practise as an engineer. Formal completion allows you to apply for Professional Review.
Different people assess IPD and Professional Review against the same attributes at different depths. ICE's Training Scheme and Career Appraisal guidance both state that IPD completion does not guarantee success at review. You must still demonstrate full competence at the required level on the day.
Prepare to explain your decisions fluently as well as providing confirmation of completed IPD.
IPD and the Professional Review are not the same test
| Situation | Initial Professional Development | Professional Review |
|---|---|---|
| Assessed by | Your SCE or mentor, then ICE staff: or, for a Career Appraisal, by ICE members and staff from your written submission. | Two independent peer reviewers who do not know you, plus a written Communication Task. |
| Assessed from | Evidence built up over years in IPD Online, or a report and appendices for a Career Appraisal. | A 5,000-word report, a CV, appendices, CPD records, a presentation, an interview and a written task. |
| What it establishes | That you have reached the required level across all the attributes and may apply. | That you can demonstrate and defend that competence to strangers, under questioning. |
| What it does not do | It does not guarantee success at Professional Review. | It does not consider your IPD record: reviewers do not see it. |
Changing employers part-way through
This happens to most engineers at least once, and it is well provided for: as long as you act before you leave.
Ask your SCE to record a partial completion in IPD Online. That preserves what you have achieved and notifies ICE. You can then transfer your Training Agreement to another Approved Employer, move to mentor-supported training, or self-manage the rest and apply for a Career Appraisal when you are ready.
The mistake is leaving quietly. Updating your employer address in MyICE does not transfer a Training Agreement: that requires a separate action by you, with a transfer form or through TAGSO. And a former SCE who has moved on is much harder to get a partial completion out of six months later.
Official sources
Selected publisher pages were rechecked in September 2026. Other source records were last checked in July 2026. Open the latest official document before relying on a requirement.