Why should I become a CEnvP?

What are the advantages of CEnvP to the Practitioner?

What are the advantages of CEnvP to the employer?

What are the minimum requirements to become Certified?

How do I apply?

Who will be assessing me for CEnvP?

Do I have to join EIANZ to become a CEnvP?

Can I apply for EIANZ membership at the same time?

I have recently applied for EIANZ membership, can I pay the discounted application fee for CEnvP?

Isn't CEnvP just setting up a Closed Shop for EIANZ environmental professionals?

Do I really need CEnvP since I am already certified/chartered in the environmental field with another standards body?

Why is there an application fee and annual fee?

How long with the process take from the time of my initial application?

Will there be a Register kept of CEnvP awardees that is available for general access?

Is my application fee refundable if I am not granted CEnvP?

What assurance do I have that the process is fair and just?

Do I have a right of appeal if I have been rejected for CEnvP?

What can a client or person who has engaged a CEnvP professional do if they are unhappy with the work conducted?

Will certification help with my Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Does a referee have to verify all the facts on my application?

Who can be a referee for my Certificate Application?

What happens if I supply incorrect facts in my application?

If an applicant supplies false or misleading information what will happen?

If my initial application was rejected, can I re-apply at a later time?

I have had very extensive environmental experience, of more than 5 years since initial graduation, but I left the work force 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 last 10 years. Can I still achieve CEnvP?

Can part time or pro bono environmental practice work be considered towards the length of work experience?

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?

I am already a Fellow of EIANZ. Why then do I need to pay extra to be certified as CEnvP?

Is there a Corporate Membership program available?

After Certification

How do I update my address or contact information?

What happens if I let my CEnvP status expire?

I do not wish to receive any mailed solicitations. Can I set up my membership to exclude me from such lists?

Can I pay my Annual Renewal online, or by BPay?

I am about to go on leave for 12 months. What should I do about my CEnvP status?

How can I amend my area of professional expertise as nominated on my CEnvP web profile?

Applications

A: If you wish to practice as an independent environmental consultant this provides an avenue for you to demonstrate your competency as an environmental professional to employers, clients and professional associates. It is not compulsory that you take this up, particularly if you have access to a similar scheme that is relevant to your work scope, but it does provide definite advantages as explained in the next question.

A: The main advantage is that a person who has achieved this qualification is considered by their peers to be a competent environmental professional practitioner who will apply high professional and ethical standards to their work, and as such should be a preferred choice of employers or clients to carry out environmental work. It should provide a greater assurance to a prospective employer with respect to the competence and performance of an environmental professional practitioner. Additionally, it should make it easier for the CEnvP professional to obtain relevant insurances.

A: For Employers, certification could: Provide an easier means of evaluating the competence of an employee or prospective employee.

• Decrease costs associated with the employee selection process.
• Provide greater assurance that competent employees are hired.
• Demonstrate a commitment to responsible environmental management.
• Improve access to capital and insurance.
• Reduce incidents that result in environmental liability.
• Assist in providing a due diligence defence.

• relevant environment-related degree.
• Five years of full time experience in the functional areas of environmental practice during the last 10 years.
• Statement of ethical conduct
• Nomination by three respected environmental professionals who are willing to act as referees for the candidate.
• Evidence in the form of referee statements (at least two), publications, citations, curriculum vitae, reports etc that the candidate is a respected, competent, ethical and active member of the profession.
• Ongoing commitment to training and professional improvement (in the order of 50 hours of training, professional improvement, service to professional practice over a two year period).
• A signed (and witnessed) statement of claim covering qualifications, experience, ethics, commitment and the accuracy of materials provided to the Certification Board.

Certification will be reviewed on a two yearly basis. At this time the applicant will need to provide evidence of Continued Professional Development and a statement verifying any changed circumstances including employment and ethical conduct.

• The first step is for an applicant to obtain an Application Form and the “Guidance for Applicants” document. These may be downloaded from the CEnvP website, www.cenvp.org/applications.php or through contacting the Certification Registrar.
• You will be required to provide details of your training and education and your career and work experience. Certain details will need to be verified by an independent person, who may or may not be one of your formal referees.
• Referee reports must be obtained and submitted with the application form, particularly for the purpose of demonstrating your ethics and overall competency.
• The returned application form must be accompanied by the non-refundable application fee (a portion of which may be refunded in exceptional circumstances).
• The Certification Board Registrar will record details of the application in a management database and carry out preliminary checks to ensure that the application is ready to be forwarded to an Assessment Panel. An advice of receipt of the application will be sent to the candidate. In the case of an incomplete application, it will be referred back to the candidate for correction.
• An Assessment Panel will convene to consider a number of applications at the one time and provided all relevant information is provided with the application, make arrangements for an interview with the applicant. The applicant will be advised of the time and place for the interview and what additional documentation must be brought to the interview to be verified by the Panel (for example testamurs, certificates etc).
• Following the interview, the Panel will recommend acceptance or rejection of the application to the Certification Board, who will then make the final determination. If successful, a certificate and registration card will be sent to the applicant, and the applicant’s name will be added to the publicly-available register of CEnvP professionals.

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.

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.

A: No. The administration of CEnvP Scheme and the EIANZ are separate. You should contact the Membership Secretary info@eianz.org for the EIANZ application.

A: No. We cannot be sure of the outcome of your EIANZ application until it is ratified by the EIANZ Board. Therefore, you would need to pay the full application fee for CEnvP, or wait until your your membership is official before applying for CEnvP.

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.

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.

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.

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 six 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.

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. Please visit the CEnvP Directory.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A: Being a Fellow of EIANZ is 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.

No. CEnvP applies to the certified individual. It has no corporate or institutional certifications.

To update your contact information, simply notify info@cenvp.org.

Your CEnvP status is activated each calendar year. Your CPD Log is required to be submitted every two years of certification. At the end of each calendar year, you will receive an invoice reminder. At the end of each second year of certification you will be reminded to submit your CPD Log.

CEnvPs who fail to submit their renewal paperwork and/or CPD Log within the time frame presented by the Board will risk being struck of the Registrar. If this happens, you would need to submit a new application form and application fee to reinstate your CEnvP status at a later date.

The CEnvP administration team will try their best to contact you before your status is revoked. It is imperative that you notify info@CEnvP.org if you change your contact details as a precaution.

Yes, you can. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking unsubscribe on the newsletters you receive. We cannot exlude you from emails requesting assistance on Assessment Panel interviews.

No. We do not have facilities in place at this time. We will let you know when this changes.

A: Up to one year’s professional leave may be granted, during which a CEnvP must meet half of the standard continued professional development and membership fee requirements.  

Leave is not a right, application for leave must be in written form, stating the purpose and specific leave dates.

A: Should a CEnvP want to amend his or her area of professional expertise as recognised by the CEnvP Scheme, he or she should submit to the Program Manager formal notice of the renominated area(s) and justification for the change, including an updated CV.

Registrar
Certified Environmental Practitioner Scheme
Suite 16, 79-83 High Street,
Kew, Victoria 3101
Australia

Tel:+ 61 435 760 025
Fax: +61 3 9853 5030

Email : info@cenvp.org

Guidance for the continuing professional development requirement is provided in the Continuing Professional Development Log.