ESP-AP Retention
Engineering Surveying Professional – Australasia Pacific (ESP-AP) Certification is valid until the end of the first full financial year following inital achievement. If certificants are looking to retain their certification following this period, they must have undertaken, and continue to undertake, appropriate Continuing Professional Development.
The process and costs however are slightly different for those who are members of SSSI vs non-members.
MEMBERS
ESP-AP holders who are members of SSSI must undertake 15 CPD points each financial year ending 30 June to allow the certification to remain current into the next financial year. There is no limit to this, i.e. as long as certificants maintain their SSSI membership and complete the 15 CPD points per year, the ESP-AP Certification remains valid.
Methods of Accrual
The CPD points can be obtained through any of the methods outlined in Section 4 of the SSSI CPD Policy, however for ESP-AP holders, five (5) of the 15 CPD points must be related to engineering surveying specifically.
CPD Period
The CPD year is the Australian financial year, that is 1 July – 30 June. You can only include activities undertaken in that period (i.e. if a webinar is held live on 15 June 2023 but you don’t watch the recording until 3 July 2023, that counts in 2023-24 CPD period).
Recording CPD
SSSI members should record all CPD undertaken via their profile in the online membership portal (click "Member Login" on the top right of this page).
Note, CPD points do not need to be undertaken or recorded in the financial year certification is achieved but must begin in the financial year immediately after. An example is below, with certification being granted in February 22, CPD requirement beginning June 2022.
Cost
There is no cost to retain ESP-AP Certification for current, financial SSSI Members.
Should an ESP-AP holder choose not to renew their SSSI membership, they must pay the Retention Fee listed in the non-member section below.
Audit
The SSSI Certification Coordinator, in conjuction with the Engineering & Mining Surveying Commission Committee, will undertake a randomly chosen spot check audit of 10% of all member ESP-AP holders at the end of July each year, to ensure they have met the required 15 CPD points.
This gives certificants four weeks following the end of the financial year to ensure their records are in order.
Should an ESP-AP holder believe they will not be able to obtain the required annual CPD points by 30 June, they should email the SSSI Certification Coordinator requesting an extension in order to comply. The extension will not normally be greater than three (3) months. The request must be received by 30 June to be considered - and request does not guarantee acceptance.
Non-Compliance
Should it be found via audit that an ESP-AP holder has not met the requirements, the SSSI Certification Coordinator will contact the certificant to advise and provide them a four week grace period to obtain the required points.
If this is not completed in line with CPD Policy and to the satisfaction of the SSSI Certification Coordinator, the ESP-AP holder will be removed from the ESP-AP Register.
Should the professional wish to hold ESP-AP Certification again within the next four years, they can undertake the process of renewal of certification. If applying more than four years after lapse, a full new certification process will need to be completed.
NON-MEMBERS
ESP-AP holders who are not members of SSSI must undertake 15 CPD points each financial year ending 30 June to allow the certification to remain current into the next financial year. There is no limit to this, i.e. as long as certificants complete the 15 CPD points per year and pay the required annual fee, the ESP-AP Certification remains valid.
Methods of Accrual
The CPD points can be obtained through any of the methods outlined in Section 4 of the SSSI CPD Policy, however for ESP-AP holders, five (5) of the 15 CPD points must be related to engineering surveying specifically.
CPD Period
The CPD year is the Australian financial year, that is 1 July – 30 June. You can only include activities undertaken in that period (i.e. if a webinar is held live on 15 June 2023 but you don’t watch the recording until 3 July 2023, that counts in 2023-24 CPD period).
Recording CPD
Non-member ESP-AP holders must record all CPD undertaken in the financial year via this form. The form is to be emailed to certification@sssi.org.au by no later than 31 July each year.
Note, CPD points do not need to be undertaken or recorded in the financial year certification is achieved but must begin in the financial year immediately after. An example is below, with certification being granted in February 22, CPD requirement beginning June 2022.
Cost
There is a Retention Fee of $385 (inc GST) per year to retain ESP-AP Certification for non SSSI members. This fee will be reduced to $215 if 6 or more CPD points are achieved via official SSSI programs and events.
An invoice for the Retention Fee will be issued on approval of appropriate CPD being undertaken each year. Payment must be made within 14 days or the ESP-AP holder will be removed from the ESP-AP Register.
Once removed from the register, should the professional wish to hold ESP-AP Certification again within the next four years, they can undertake the process of renewal of certification. If applying more than four years after lapse, a full new certification application will need to be completed.
Audit
The SSSI Certification Coordinator, in conjuction with the Engineering Surveying Certification Panel (ESCP), will undertake an audit of all non SSSI member ESP-AP holders at the end of July each year, to ensure they have met the required 15 CPD points.
This gives certificants four weeks following the end of the financial year to ensure their records are in order and submitted.
Should an ESP-AP holder believe they will not be able to obtain the required annual CPD points by 30 June, they should email the SSSI Certification Coordinator requesting an extension in order to comply. The extension will not normally be greater than three (3) months. The request must be received by 30 June to be considered - and request does not guarantee acceptance.
Non-Compliance
Should it be found via audit that a non SSSI member ESP-AP holder has not met the CPD point requirements, the SSSI Certification Coordinator will contact the certificant to advise and provide them a four week grace period to obtain the required points.
If this is not completed in line with CPD Policy and to the satisfaction of the SSSI Certification Coordinator, the ESP-AP holder will be removed from the ESP-AP Register.
Should the professional wish to hold ESP-AP Certification again within the next four years, they can undertake the process of renewal of certification. If applying more than four years after lapse, a full new certification process will need to be completed.
TIPS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE CPD
- Give a presentation. There is usually a call for abstracts for most of SSSI's regional conferences, for Locate and for many other industry events. Want to do a webinar or organise a face to face seminar in your local area? Reach out to SSSI's Event Manager who will work with the Engineering Surveying Commission Committee to organise! Please be advised that at least six (6) weeks notice is required to organise and promote events.
- Join a committee and contribute your ideas, help connect members, organise events and shape the future of the industry - or your workplace.
- Attend an event. SSSI hosts a number of live events each year and there are heaps from other associations, suppliers and government too!
- Watch the recording of a webinar via the SSSI eCPD page.
- Mentor someone just joining the industry and share your knowledge with the next generation. SSSI has a formal mentoring program open to members and non-members or you can establish your own relationship, as long as you keep appropriate records.
Just remember that some CPD activities have limits on the amount of points you can claim in a year, so please always refer to the current SSSI CPD policy.
QUERIES
Any enquiries regarding ESP-AP Certification can be addressed to the SSSI Certification Coordinator on certification@sssi.org.au or phone 02 6282 2282.