Phase 3 · Complete your IPD
The ICE Training Agreement
How a Training Agreement works from registration to completion: responsibilities, reviews, appraisals and the Training Review.
Who this is for:Candidates at any stage ·Supervising Civil Engineers and Delegated Engineers ·Employers and training administrators
A Training Agreement is a formal agreement between you and an ICE Approved Employer, setting out what each of you commits to during your IPD. ICE describes it as usually the quickest way to achieve the attributes.
What each party commits to
Institution of Civil Engineers
- The employer, through the SCE, confirms it will provide opportunities to complete the agreement — within the organisation or by secondment — and a training structure to review progress: an initial assessment meeting, regular development reviews, a formal annual review of progress and plans, and confirmation of completion.
- You confirm you will make full use of the opportunities and your SCE's advice, record evidence against the attributes using IPD Online and any supporting documents your SCE or DE requires, and maintain your ICE membership.
- There is no time limit on a Training Agreement, but the employer may terminate it if you are not performing to the required standard.
- You must be an ICE member throughout. If membership is cancelled — for example through non-payment — the agreement is cancelled too, and it is not automatically reinstated when you pay.
- Development reviews during a Training Agreement
- 3months, preferablyCarried out by the SCE or a Delegated Engineer, recorded in IPD Online.
- Formal appraisal by the SCE
- 1per year, at leastThe trainee starts and completes the first part before the SCE gets access.
- Registering Training Agreement completion
- 8weeks, allow up toA Professional Review application is rejected if completion has not been registered with ICE.
- Time limit on a Training Agreement
- noneThe employer may terminate an agreement if the trainee is not performing to the required standard.
From ICE Training Scheme & Guidance, Institution of Civil Engineers.
Setting one up
- 01
Check your employer is approved
Employers operating the ICE Training Scheme appear on ICE's Approved Employers list. Check whether they are also signed up to Training Agreements Online (TAGSO), because that determines how you apply.
- 02
Check your qualifications, and your grade
Before entering an agreement your SCE should confirm you are a Student or Graduate Member of ICE, and that you have — or are working towards — the academic qualifications for the grade you are aiming for.
- 03
Apply and register
One agreement per trainee, registered with ICE, with a one-off non-refundable registration fee. ICE expects the company to pay it or reimburse you. Apply through TAGSO where your employer uses it, otherwise by application form.
- 04
Use your work address
ICE asks that you put your work address and work email on the form, and keep them updated in MyICE. Agreements have gone astray for no better reason than this.
- 05
Get briefed, and agree an outline plan
Your SCE should brief you on the scheme's requirements and any employer-specific requirements, sketch an outline training plan, and explain the importance of CPD plans and records.
- 06
Start recording immediately
Once registered you can record experience in IPD Online — including relevant experience gained before the agreement started.
The rhythm of it
Development reviews happen roughly every three months, carried out by your SCE or your Delegated Engineer, and they look at your IPD Online entries and at your CPD plans and records. A formal appraisal happens at least once a year, carried out by the SCE, and you start it — the first part is yours to complete before your SCE gets access.
ICE is specific about what an annual appraisal should not be. The record "should not simply list activities or include bland statements such as 'a satisfactory year'". It should assess progress against the attributes, assess your CPD for quantity, mix and benefit gained, review your future development needs, assess how well the mentoring around you is working, and plan the next steps. Where there are gaps, the SCE is expected to record them and explain why they happened.
The agreement ends with a Training Review: a review of the whole training period, done by your SCE in IPD Online once all the attributes are signed off. ICE's guidance says it should also be used to plan for the Professional Review — your SCE should advise on your submission, review your documents, and may run a mock interview.
What the Training Review confirms
Institution of Civil Engineers
- That you have achieved the attributes required for the grade you are applying for.
- That you have maintained a development action plan and personal development record for at least the previous three years, with a minimum of 30 hours of effective learning each year, uploaded to the IPD Online Document Library. (For EngTech, at least one year.)
- Your SCE completes the Training Completion form in IPD Online, then you or your SCE notifies your Membership Recruitment Team so they can verify it. They may want to meet you first.
- A Professional Review application will be rejected if the Training Agreement completion has not been registered with ICE. Allow up to eight weeks.
- Registering Training Agreement completion
- 8weeks, allow up toA Professional Review application is rejected if completion has not been registered with ICE.
- CPD expected
- 30hours of effective learning per yearWhere you have less, ICE expects a robust explanation in the submission and expects you to show how competence has been maintained.
- Personal development record — all other applicants
- 3years minimum, back from the application date
From ICE Training Scheme & Guidance, Institution of Civil Engineers.
Trainee checklist
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Mentor and SCE checklist
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Related pages and tools
- IPDWhat IPD is, the three ways of completing it, and why completing it is not the same as being ready for review.
- IPD OnlineThe two ICE systems behind the Training Scheme, who can see what in each, and how to use them without creating work later.
- SCEs and DEsThe two roles in the ICE Training Scheme: what each is accountable for, and how to do them well.
- EmployersWhat operating the ICE Training Scheme commits an organisation to, and what makes it work in practice.
- Training SchemeThe whole scheme in one place: the roles, the systems, the appeal routes and the definitions.
- CPDWhat ICE requires, what counts, and how to keep a record that is useful rather than defensive.