Q:
Who will be assessing me for CENVP?
A:
A Certification Panel will be assembled to carry out this process.
The panel members will be highly respected environmental professionals
who are well known for their experience competence and ethical
behaviour. In the early application of the process it is anticipated
that most panel members will be EIANZ members who are Fellows
or who have the potential to be nominated as Fellows, but it
certainly does not preclude non-EIANZ persons. Ultimately, once
the process is well-established, the Panels and the Certification
Board will be expected to have the participation of independent,
non-EIANZ persons. Obviously the Panel members will be CENVP
or else be in a position to satisfy the CENVP
criteria, if they have not already sought it.
The
Certification Board will ratify Assessment Panel decisions.
Q:
Do I have to join EIANZ to become a CENVP?
A:
No, it is not necessary to be a member of EIANZ. The scheme
is open to all environmental professionals who can meet the
requisite competency criteria of training, experience, professional
conduct and ethical behaviour.
Q:
Isn’t CENVP just setting up a “Closed
Shop” for EIANZ environmental professionals?
A:
No it is a scheme to recognise a high standard of professional
competence and ethical performance in the environmental field,
so as to improve the overall environment profession. Not having
this qualification will not stop any person from practising
in the environmental field, since it is not the only certification
scheme that an environmental professional may participate in.
You do not have to be an EIANZ member to seek CENVP
registration, and there are no guarantees of preferred employment
as a consequence of being CENVP.
Q:
Do I really need CENVP since I am already
certified/chartered in the environmental field with another
professional standards body?
A:
It depends upon the nature and scope of the work that you undertake.
By already being certified or chartered with another body (which
it is expected will have high ethical and professional standards
requirements to reach this status) you should have little trouble
in achieving CENVP if you apply. For example,
an Environmental Engineer, Chartered under IEAust (Institution
of Engineers Australia) and on the NPER (National Professional
Engineer's Register) may not need CENVP
if the scope and nature of their work is directly related to
environmental engineering. Another example is an environmental
auditor who has been certified by QSA (Quality Society of Australia)
or an international auditor accrediting agency. However, many
environmental professionals do not have access to any other
comparable scheme such as this, and to this end CENVP
can provide for their needs.
Q:
Why is there an application fee and an annual fee?
A:
The process needs to be administered, and this imposes substantial
costs which need to be covered. The application fee goes toward
the processing of the application, and the costs associated
with the work of the Assessment Panel and the Certification
Board. Each renewal must be processed, which attracts an administrative
cost in checking information and maintaining the database, as
well as the costs of conducting periodic audits of a CENVP
professional’s CPD.
Q:
How long will the process take from the time of my initial application?
A:
Applications will be processed in batches. Applications will
be sought at approximately six monthly intervals. Applicants
can expect a period of up to two months before they are notified
of a requirement to attend an interview. Notification of a successful
or otherwise application for certification will in most circumstances
take no longer than three months.
The
timing will also be subject to the possible need for further
information to be requested from an applicant, particularly
if the application is incomplete with respect to required information.
In the unlikely event that there will a longer delay than this,
the Registrar will advise the candidate accordingly.
If
the application is successful applicants will be certified on
receipt of their annual certification fee.
Q:
Will there be a Register kept of CENVP
awardees that is available for general public access?
A:
Yes, a register
is available on the CENVP website which
reflects the currency and scope of the CENVP
professional’s registration. By being in the public domain
it should provide additional assurance that anyone who states
that they are a CENVP professional really
is one.
Q:
Is my application fee refundable if I am not granted CENVP?
A:
No, unless an error is discovered prior to the documents being
forwarded to a Certification Assessment Panel. (If it is obvious
to the Registrar that the applicant cannot meet certain criteria,
then the application will be returned to the applicant together
with 50% of the application fee). The fee is required to assist
with covering the costs of processing the application.
Q:
What assurance do I have that the process is fair and just?
A:
A set of guidelines and criteria have been set for the process
and the members of the Certification Panels are chosen for their
ability to apply the process in a consistent fair and just manner.
If there are problems with this, the Certification Board may
be contacted to advise them of this situation. In addition,
random audits of the process will be carried out both by the
Board and by independent persons to ensure that it is being
applied consistently and even-handedly across all jurisdictions.
Q:
Do I have a right of appeal if I have been rejected for CENVP?
A:
Yes, you do have that right under the complaints and disputes
handling process. However there is no guarantee that your appeal
will be successful. You have the right to know the actual grounds
for the rejection and this information will be forthcoming with
the notification for a rejection. However, you should be aware
that if you have supplied false or misleading information, your
appeal is unlikely to succeed since you have warranted that
the information you supply in your application is true and correct.
The practitioner must lodge an appeal within 28 days of notification.
An Appeal Committee will be convened and will report its decision
to the Certification Board. An A$75 administration fee and written grounds for appeal need to be received by the Registrar with the
submission of an appeal at least 2 days before the hearing will take place.
Q:
What can a client or person who has engaged a CENVP
professional do if they are unhappy with the work conducted?
(i.e. alleged malpractice or professional misconduct)
A:
The scheme will include a mechanism for third party complaint
against a CENVP, and this will be treated
in strict confidence. The Certification Board will determine
the matter and if it is established that the complaint is justified
and is not frivolous, malicious or mischievous then the CENVP
person may be struck off the Register. In that event, the practitioner
may exercise a right of appeal to an Appeal Committee.
Q:
Will certification help with my Professional Indemnity Insurance?
A:
Ultimately this should be the case once the scheme has been
registered under the Professional Standards legislation. EIANZ
is canvassing Insurers with a view to provide reduced premiums
to professionals with CENVP or equivalent
professional status.
Q:
Does a referee have to verify all the facts on my application?
A:
Not necessarily. When you complete the details on your application
form with respect to experience, you will need to have the facts
verified by a person who is in a position to do so. It may be
a current or past employment supervisor or manager, a colleague,
a person from the human resources department or section of the
workplace, or it could be one of your referees. The important
fact is that they can vouch for the accuracy and correctness
of any facts that you rely upon in your claim for certification.
Q:
Who can be a referee for my Certification Application?
A:
The referee must be a person who has known you for at least
two years and who can attest to your experience, professional
competence and ethical behaviour in carrying out you work. They
may be a work supervisor or manager, not necessarily in your
current position, an associate within your profession or a colleague.
Ideally they would be a person of standing within the profession,
but this is not mandatory.
Q:
What happens if I supply incorrect facts in my application?
A:
If you make an honest mistake or error in your application and
put down incorrect facts without intending to do so, then you
can submit further information to amend the application and
correct the error. If the error is identified by the Registrar
or a Panel, you may be given an opportunity to correct or explain
the error during the process. However, any request for further
information will delay the processing of your application and
in effect “the clock will be stopped” at this point,
with respect to the normal processing of the application.
Q:
If an applicant supplies false or misleading information what
will happen?
A:
In this certification process, the onus is always on the candidate
to ensure that the facts supplied in support of an application
are truthful and correct to the best of their knowledge. If
the error is discovered prior to determination of the candidate’s
suitability to become CENVP, then the
application will be put on hold and an explanation sought from
the candidate. If it is discovered that the fact(s) are deliberately
false or misleading, then the candidature will be terminated,
since this is clearly unethical behaviour and therefore the
candidate is not fit to become CENVP.
If
a person has been granted CENVP status,
and it is subsequently discovered that false information was
supplied and thus allowed the application to be deemed successful,
then the person will have the certification suspended pending
an inquiry. The Register of CENVP professionals
will be annotated accordingly that the status is suspended,
and following an inquiry, that person may be struck from the
Register with all privileges previously granted by the registration
being revoked. The same would apply if it was discovered that
a referee had made false statements about the suitability of
a candidate, or that supporting documents were forgeries. The
whole point about a person being certified is that they will
be seen as an ethical, trustworthy, respected and competent
person in the environment profession. There is no room for fraudulent
behaviour.
Q:
If my initial application was rejected, can I re-apply at a
later time?
A:
Provided that the reason for the rejection was not related to
fraudulent or unethical issues in the application, then you
may re-apply. If the rejection was on the grounds of lack of
experience or recognised training, then you would need to ensure
that you have gained adequate experience or training before
re-applying.
Q:
I have had very extensive environmental experience, of more
than 5 years since initial graduation, but I left the workforce
for family reasons more than 5 years ago. Now I am back in the
workforce, but I cannot claim 5 years of continuous full-time
environmental practice experience in the past 10 years. Can
I still achieve CENVP?
A:
This would depend upon the full circumstances and whether the
applicant can show that they have kept abreast of current thinking
within the field. Each application would be considered upon
its merits.
Q:
Can part-time or pro-bono environmental practice work be considered
towards the length of work experience?
A:
Yes it may, provided that in the case of part-time work that
the total period worked is equivalent to the minimum of 5 years
work experience. Again it would depend upon the circumstances
of the case.
Q:
I live and work in an area which is remote from the major urban
areas of Australia. How will I be able to meet the CPD requirements
when I have limited opportunities for attending seminars/conferences,
or I am faced with excessive costs in attending these?
A:
CPD, or Continuing Professional Development , is an essential
element of the scheme and is a key to a professional practitioner
updating and maintaining their skill and knowledge base. A wide
range of acceptable activities, with allocated point scores,
has been devised to assist all CENVP members
to be able to participate in realistic and meaningful CPD. While
the costs associated with some seminars and conferences may
be quite high, it must be pointed out that in most situations
it will qualify as a legitimate tax deduction (as will be the
fees associated with CENVP) and consequently
the cost impact is lessened.
Q:
I am already a Fellow of the EIANZ. Why then do I need to pay
extra to be certified as CENVP? (In other
words, shouldn’t it be automatically granted to Fellows?)
A:
Being a Fellow of EIANZ is a recognition of the valuable contribution
made by an EIANZ Member to the Environmental Profession as a
whole. Certification is an acknowledgement of achievement of
a highly competent professional and ethical standard of work
in the environmental field. It is expected that anyone who has
achieved Fellow status would have little trouble in being able
to be Certified and a heavily discounted fee for application
and renewal will apply. This scheme has been designed to conform
with the international standard ISO/IEC 17024 “Conformity
assessment – General requirements for bodies operating
certification of persons”, and as such, applicants must
be rigorously examined against the selection criteria. Consequently,
granting of CENVP to a person who has
not undergone the process cannot occur. Moreover, the administration
of the scheme attracts substantial costs and consequently there
is a need to pay a fee for Certification above and beyond EIANZ
membership fees. In addition, the scheme is not confined to
EIANZ membership, but is open to anyone who can satisfactorily
meet the scheme criteria.
Q:
How do I get more information about the scheme?
A:
By referring to the CENVP website, www.cenvp.org
or contacting the Certification Board Registrar:
