In this guide
Use this material to examine your own work. Confirm current requirements, forms and dates with ICE before applying.
If your employer does not operate the ICE Training Scheme, you can register mentor-supported training through IPD Online with an ICE mentor. It provides structured IPD and leads to completion in the same way as a Training Agreement.
What it asks of you
More than a Training Agreement does, in one specific respect: nobody is arranging your experience for you. Under a Training Agreement the employer has formally committed to providing opportunities to meet the attributes, including by secondment. Under mentor-supported training that commitment does not exist, so identifying the gaps and going after the experience is entirely yours to do.
The discipline is otherwise the same. Record evidence against the attributes in IPD Online as work happens. Meet your mentor regularly. Keep a development action plan and a personal development record. Expect to reach the ability level across every attribute for your grade.
Because the structure around you is lighter, the gap analysis matters more here than on any other route. A trainee with an SCE gets told what is missing. On this route you have to notice.
Making the route work
How it differs from a Training Agreement
| Situation | ICE Training Agreement | Mentor-supported training |
|---|---|---|
| Employer | Must be an ICE Approved Employer, and formally commits to providing the opportunities. | No employer commitment. Your employer may not be involved at all. |
| Who arranges your experience | The SCE, who is expected to manage conflicts between the employer's needs and yours. | You. Nobody else is accountable for whether you reach the attributes. |
| Support | An SCE, possibly a DE, and your Membership Recruitment Team. | An ICE mentor, and your Membership Recruitment Team. |
| Recording | IPD Online. | IPD Online. |
| Completion evidence | Training Agreement completion form, registered by ICE. | Mentor-supported training completion form, downloaded from IPD Online. |
| The attributes | Identical. | Identical. |
The standard does not change with the route. What changes is who is responsible for making sure you meet it.
Questions to ask yourself
- Who is going to tell me what I am missing?
On a Training Agreement, the annual appraisal does it. Here, nobody will unless you ask, which is why the gap analysis matters more on this route.
- Does my mentor know the current standard?
They need to understand the attributes at the grade you are aiming for, and the current Professional Review requirements.
- Have I asked my employer for specific experience, by name?
Your employer has made no commitment to your development. A specific, named request is far more likely to be met than a general one.
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.