Toolkit and reference
The ICE Training Scheme
The whole scheme in one place: the roles, the systems, the appeal routes and the definitions.
Who this is for:Employers and training administrators ·Supervising Civil Engineers and Delegated Engineers ·Candidates at any stage
The Training Scheme is the structure ICE provides for employers to support staff through IPD. This page is the map of who does what.
What the scheme is for
Institution of Civil Engineers
- It helps trainees get engineering knowledge, experience and competence by providing opportunities to find and implement solutions to engineering problems.
- It helps them achieve the ICE Member attributes and complete the IPD stage required for professional qualification.
- It helps them record how they gained relevant knowledge, to support their Professional Review or End Point Assessment application.
- It gives them structured guidance and supervision from an SCE and the ICE Membership Recruitment Team.
- ICE recommends using a Training Agreement as usually the quickest way to achieve the attributes.
- Completing IPD does not guarantee success at Professional Review or End Point Assessment.
From ICE Training Scheme & Guidance, Institution of Civil Engineers.
Who is who
- Trainee
- An individual developing and training under an ICE Training Agreement with an Approved Employer, in accordance with the scheme.
- Supervising Civil Engineer (SCE)
- Approved by ICE and provided by an Approved Employer to mentor trainees. Preferably a professionally qualified ICE member, though not mandatory. Personally and professionally accountable to ICE, and primarily responsible to the profession.
- Delegated Engineer (DE)
- Normally a professionally qualified ICE member given responsibility by an SCE to mentor trainees day to day. May not be the trainee's line manager. For a trainee seconded elsewhere, someone with at least as much responsibility as their line manager.
- ICE Approved Employer
- An organisation approved by ICE to operate the Training Scheme, providing trainees with the opportunity and support to gain the knowledge and experience to complete their IPD.
- ICE Training Scheme Administrator (TSA)
- Runs day-to-day administration and keeps the trainee list current. Could be an SCE, an HR manager or a learning and development manager. Can view records but cannot edit or sign off.
- Training Provider Administrator (TPA)
- A nominated person from an apprenticeship training provider who can see high-level attribute progress for apprentices on their courses — but not the underlying evidence.
- Membership Recruitment Team (MRT)
- ICE staff who give guidance on becoming professionally qualified, set up and monitor Approved Employers, recommend SCEs for approval, and verify and register the completion of Training Agreements. They should meet SCEs, DEs and trainees every one to two years.
- Initial Professional Development Panel
- The ICE panel to which the MRT recommends Approved Employers and SCEs for approval, and which decides on removal from the Approved Employers list.
- IPD Online
- Where a trainee's progress is recorded and assessed. Accessed through MyICE.
- TAGSO — Training Agreements Online
- The paperless system Approved Employers use to administer Training Agreements, with automated payment. Not linked to IPD Online.
Attribute levels within the scheme
The scheme records progress at levels rather than as a simple achieved or not:
- Knowledge — a basic understanding and knowledge of the area of competence.
- Experience — achieved the attribute in different situations, working under supervision.
- Ability at IEng — achieved it in different situations, assisting others and working without supervision.
- Ability at CEng — as above, plus the additional areas of experience within the attributes that apply only to those aiming for CEng.
To complete IPD, a trainee must reach the ability level in all aspects of the attributes for their target grade.
Progressing within the scheme
A trainee who has completed at IEng level, or at EngTech level, can continue their IPD at the next level: the Training Agreement is extended or reactivated using the transfer form, and only the attribute levels between the previous completion and the new IPD level need to be documented and achieved. ICE states that no additional fee is payable when an agreement is transferred or reactivated for CPRP or CIPRP.
Who does what, at a glance
| Role | Reviews progress | Signs off attributes | Approved by ICE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trainee | Records the evidence | No | Membership required throughout |
| Delegated Engineer | Quarterly, day to day | Assesses in IPD Online | Appointed by the SCE |
| Supervising Civil Engineer | At least annually, formally | Yes, and completes the Training Review | Yes, via the IPD Panel |
| Training Scheme Administrator | Can view records | No | Added by another TSA |
| Training Provider Administrator | High-level progress only | No | Requested through ICE |
| Membership Recruitment Team | Meets everyone every one to two years | Registers the completion | ICE staff |
Questions to ask yourself
Which of these roles applies to me, and have I read what it requires?
The responsibilities are specific, and several of them — validating CPD by benefit rather than attendance, for instance — are commonly misunderstood.
Is our record of who holds each role actually current?
SCEs are removed from an employer's list six months after leaving, and IPD Online access goes with them.
Related pages and tools
- Training AgreementHow a Training Agreement works from registration to completion: responsibilities, reviews, appraisals and the Training Review.
- 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.
- IPD OnlineThe two ICE systems behind the Training Scheme, who can see what in each, and how to use them without creating work later.
- IPDWhat IPD is, the three ways of completing it, and why completing it is not the same as being ready for review.