HKIE Professional Assessment - Electrical Discipline key terms

The HKIE's structured on-the-job training programme for engineering graduates, requiring approved supervision, planned experience across defined training objectives, and periodic progress reporting before the candidate may attempt the professional assessment.

A running record kept by the trainee of duties, projects, and experience gained, cross-referenced to training objectives and countersigned by the supervisor; it evidences that the required breadth and depth of experience was actually obtained.

A defined competence statement in the training scheme that the trainee must demonstrate through recorded work experience; objectives cover technical, managerial, communication, and professional-conduct development rather than time served alone.

The countersignature and written comment of an approved supervisor confirming that recorded experience is accurate and that the trainee performed at the claimed level; unsupported entries carry little weight at assessment.

A chartered or otherwise recognised engineer accepted by the Institution to guide a trainee, review progress, and attest to competence; the supervisor's own standing and availability are conditions of scheme registration.

The Institution's final competence examination for candidates who have completed training, typically combining a written paper, a training report, and an interview covering technical judgement, professional practice, and conduct.

A candidate-authored document submitted before assessment that describes training experience, significant engineering work, and personal development, demonstrating technical depth and the ability to communicate it clearly.

The oral stage of assessment in which assessors question the candidate on the training report, engineering fundamentals, and professional conduct, testing whether the candidate can defend decisions under scrutiny.

The systematic, recorded maintenance and extension of technical and non-technical competence after qualification, expected of all members and evidenced by a log of activities with reflection on what was learned.

A contemporaneous log of development activities, hours, and learning outcomes, retained for audit; it should distinguish formal learning from informal learning and show relevance to the member's current and future practice.

The time-based measure of development activity, such as hours spent in courses, seminars, or structured self-study, used to demonstrate that a minimum level of engagement has been sustained over the recording period.

The outcome-based measure of development, judged by demonstrable benefit such as new competence applied at work, a qualification gained, or a paper published, complementing hours counted as input.

A short written account explaining what was learned from an activity and how it changes practice; reflection distinguishes genuine development from mere attendance at events.

A sampling check by the Institution requiring a member to produce records and evidence supporting a CPD declaration; failure to substantiate can lead to disciplinary or registration consequences.

The periodic statement, usually made with membership renewal, that the member has undertaken the required development and kept supporting records; it is a personal professional attestation, not an administrative formality.

The Institution's binding standards governing members' integrity, competence, and behaviour toward the public, employers, clients, and fellow members; breach may lead to investigation and sanction.

Conduct falling short of the standard expected of a professional, including dishonesty, serious negligence, misrepresentation of competence, or breach of confidentiality, whether or not it causes actual harm.

The Institution's formal process for investigating complaints, hearing evidence, and imposing sanctions ranging from caution to expulsion, conducted with due process and rights of representation and appeal.

A situation where personal, financial, or other interests could improperly influence professional judgement; it must be disclosed promptly and managed, or the affected work declined.

The duty not to disclose client or employer information obtained through professional work except with authority, where required by law, or where the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs the duty.

The principle that a member's paramount obligation is to public safety, health, and welfare, which can override loyalty to an employer or client when the two conflict.

Reporting a genuine concern about danger, illegality, or serious malpractice to an appropriate authority, internally where possible and externally where necessary, protected when done responsibly and in the public interest.

The act of certifying that design, installation, or testing complies with specified requirements; it may only be done by someone with the competence and authority to verify the work personally.

The combination of knowledge, skill, experience, and judgement needed to perform a task safely and to the required standard; claiming competence beyond one's actual ability is itself misconduct.

A documented set of recommended good-practice procedures for a defined activity; compliance is generally expected evidence of reasonable care, though it does not replace engineering judgement.

A published technical specification, such as an IEC or national standard, defining requirements for equipment, design, or testing; the edition and applicability must be verified for each project.

A test on a representative sample of equipment to prove a design meets a standard; results may be accepted for other units of the same design, unlike routine tests performed on every unit.

A test carried out on each individual item of equipment during manufacture to verify workmanship and that it performs as designed, distinct from type testing of the design itself.

A contractual test witnessed at the manufacturer's works before delivery, checking specified performance and configuration; passing it does not remove the need for site commissioning tests.

Testing after installation and connection on site to confirm the equipment operates correctly within the actual system, including interfaces, protection settings, and interlocking.

The staged process of verifying, energising, and proving an installed electrical system, from pre-commissioning checks through functional tests to handover documentation and records.

The record set delivered at project completion, typically including as-built drawings, test certificates, protection settings, operating manuals, and maintenance schedules needed for safe future operation.

A drawing updated to reflect the installation as actually constructed, including site variations; it is the reference for maintenance, modification, and safety isolation after handover.

A schematic showing the electrical network's sources, switchgear, transformers, and feeders in simplified form, used for system analysis, protection coordination, and safe isolation planning.

The selection and setting of protective devices so that a fault is cleared by the device nearest to it, minimising outage extent while maintaining discrimination and adequate fault clearance time.

The property by which the protective device closest to a fault operates while upstream devices remain closed, achieved through time, current, or logic-based grading between devices.

The total impedance of the path taken by earth fault current, from source through the fault and back; it determines whether protective devices will disconnect within the required time.

A protective device that trips when the vector sum of currents in monitored conductors is non-zero, detecting earth leakage; it does not by itself protect against overload or short circuit.