Guidance on Development Action Plan for IEng Application

HI,

My advice is keep it simple. The types of activities should relate to the IEng competences, but of course that covers a wide range - so it could be technical, managerial, understanding your industry better, developing personal soft skills etc etc. 

Do you have an annual appraisal system in your work where you agree development targets with your manager? If you do then you probably already have your development plan there!

Keep it focussed on targets for the next year, or two years at most. State what you aim to achieve, and how you aim to achieve it, and by when.

Keep it to around 3-4 items at most. any more than that isn't going to be realistic (or else means you are going into too fine a detail).

And yes, as  PRA I always advise applicants to complete one even though it is optional, it shows you have a plan for CPD and it shows you are aware of areas which you could improve by development.

Good luck,

Andy

HI,

My advice is keep it simple. The types of activities should relate to the IEng competences, but of course that covers a wide range - so it could be technical, managerial, understanding your industry better, developing personal soft skills etc etc. 

Do you have an annual appraisal system in your work where you agree development targets with your manager? If you do then you probably already have your development plan there!

Keep it focussed on targets for the next year, or two years at most. State what you aim to achieve, and how you aim to achieve it, and by when.

Keep it to around 3-4 items at most. any more than that isn't going to be realistic (or else means you are going into too fine a detail).

And yes, as  PRA I always advise applicants to complete one even though it is optional, it shows you have a plan for CPD and it shows you are aware of areas which you could improve by development.

Good luck,

Andy

A DAP is no longer required to accompany an application for registration. 

Thank you for your guidance regarding the Development Action Plan (DAP). I intend to structure my DAP into three stages: short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals.

• Short-term (target: IEng – December 2025): My focus is to strengthen my communication skills through [e.g., training, presentations, mentoring], with the aim of achieving my IEng application successfully.

• Medium-term (target: CEng – 2028): Upon achieving IEng, I plan to work towards CEng by seeking a mentor, gaining additional experience, and being exposed to more complex projects.

• Long-term (target: Principal Technical Officer – 2030): My ultimate goal is to progress to the position of Principal Technical Officer.

Do you think this is a good way to present the information in the DAP, or would you suggest a different approach?

I understand that a Development Action Plan (DAP) is no longer required to accompany an IEng application. I would like to clarify whether choosing not to submit a DAP could potentially disadvantage a candidate compared to someone who provides one.

no effect. it's simply no longer required.same with the accountability diagram. 

You are right Gerard, the accountability diagram has been removed from the application. However, I noticed that the DAP is still available as an optional element. Do you have any idea why the IET has kept it as optional if it does not really add value to the assessment process?

Hi,

I've asked the question internally as clearly Gerard and I have a different understanding of this, I thought they were still being looked at. But Gerard knows his stuff so is very likely to be correct.

Accountability diagrams have definitely been removed thank goodness, they really weren't adding any value.

Thanks,

Andy

Thank you very much for clarifying this point. If the DAP is no longer regarded as an important part of the application, I will not include it in my application. I’m truly grateful to you and Gerard for your guidance, this really helps me move forward with more confidence.