FAQ

Benefits

What is the benefit of being a Registered Professional Engineer (RPE)?


Being a RPE will position you to become an internationally recognized engineer. It paves the career path for IT professionals from local to international.

HKCS has already had joint recognition with British Computer Society and Australian Computer Society, which are recognized by the UK and Australia legal system respectively. What is the difference of being a HKCS member and RPE in an international context?


HKCS serves as a platform for professional development, such as networking, knowledge exchange and professional training with the stakeholders of different regions while RPE is a worldwide recognized status for an individual to one’s career pursue.

Qualifications

Who are eligible for applying for the mutual recognition of qualification with HKIE?


An applicant for the reciprocal recognition of qualification with HKIE should meet all following requirements:
1.1. The applicant is already a Full Member/Fellow/Distinguished Fellow of the HKCS.

1.2. An engineering/computing degree in a relevant subject accredited/ recognized by the HKIE and the HKCS.

As a reference, the academic requirement for Member in the Information Discipline of the HKIE is:

(a) a first degree (Honours) accredited by the HKIE; or

(b) an accredited first degree as listed in the Washington Accord and maintained by the HKIE, or

(c) other acceptable qualifications, such as passes in the Engineering Council (UK) Part II Examination. i.e. Part II (A), (B) and (C).

Other Honours degree level qualifications in engineering or technology or combinations of academic qualifications may be considered for the class of Member of the HKIE based on an individual assessment.

1.3. One of the following experience formation in Information and Communication Technologies/Information System (ICT/IS) work:

(a) A minimum of 8 years post graduation experience for applicants who had been full member of the HKCS for less than 2 years, or

(b) A minimum of 6 years post graduation experience for applicants who had been full Members of the HKCS for not less than 2 years, or

(c) A minimum of 4 years post graduation experience for applicants who had been full Members of the HKCS for not less than 4 years.

1.4. 1 year of HKCS Full membership or above at minimum.

1.5. A period of responsible experience in ICT/IS work for not less than 2 years. This period of experience can be achieved through the period of post graduation experience required in clause 1.3.

Am I still eligible if I have not engaged in the work of ICT industry for some years?


Basically, an eligible applicant is those who has been working actively in the ICT industry. However, as long as an applicant has sufficient and relevant experience to satisfy the requirements, s/he is qualified for consideration.

What is the “responsible experience” mentioned in the “requirements of application” refers?


Responsible experience means the members’ supervisory/management experience, e.g. leading a team working on a significant project, occupied a senior technical position or a management position in respective working place.

Is teaching experience considered as responsible experience?


It is based on the work nature. If the applicant can provide evidences showing professional knowledge and development such as participating in research, it will be considered as a qualified experience.

Referees

Should HKCS applicants seek TWO members of HKIE for the application process?


The reciprocal membership recognition is handled by the respective institutions. There is no compulsory requirement for two HKIE members to support the applications.

What can I do if I cannot find referees to support my application?


You could contact the two proposers supporting you to join HKCS to be your referees.

Do referees need to sign on copies or just on the application form?


Referees should sign on both the supporting document (e.g. qualification certificates) and application form. As the assessment is mainly based on the referee endorsement, we would highly appreciate if you could have one of the referees to endorse each copy of documents.

Further Application

Can I apply for the RPE (Registered Professional Engineer) after attaining the reciprocal recognition of qualification?


HKCS member who are granted reciprocal membership recognition will be eligible for the application of RPE. A separate application would have to be made to HKIE in this regard. This process will be essential the same as that of an HKIE member applying for RPE. Details of it are available from HKIE.

Do I need to apply for membership in HKIE on my own after gaining the reciprocal recognition of qualifications? What are the details?

If you wish to become a member of HKIE, you will still have to apply for HKIE membership yourself. The two organizations encourage joint membership under the scheme and the application process will be much simpler.

Application Form
To apply the MHKIE in the Information Discipline under the Reciprocal Recognition status, applicants should summit a duly completed M1 application form to the HKIE. The form is available at the HKIE Website at http://www.hkie.org.hk/docs/downloads/membership/forms/M1.doc.

Supporters for MHKIE Application
Applicants with the RRPQ status are required to have TWO MHKIE of the Information Discipline (instead of four for application through the general route) as their supporters for the application. One of the supporters should also certify the applicant’s relevant credentials and supporting documents

Authorised signature of HKCS
To apply for the MHKIE under the RRPQ status, endorsement of the authorised signature of HKCS is required. Please send a request for the endorsement together with:
1. A printed copy of your MHKIE application form to the HKCS Office at 5/F, 78 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong in person or by post, OR
2. A soft copy of your MHKIE application form to [email protected].

The endorsement process will take about 2 to 3 weeks, given that all required documents are submitted.

After qualified with the Reciprocal Recognition of Professional Qualification, how much is the fee of applying for the RPE membership?


The application fee for RPE is $1000 and the annual fee is $500.

After getting the cross Qualification Recognition Certificate, do we need to go through the MHKIE Professional Assessment when applying for the HKIE membership?


No. Reciprocal Recognition of Professional Recognition is implemented to provide members with a simplified way to join the HKIE. The HKIE may convene interviews with candidates applying the MHKIE under the Reciprocal Recognition Status as necessary.

Will I still possess the qualification to maintain the RPE status if I lose my membership of HKCS?


No. you need to maintain your HKCS membership in order to keep your RPE status.

As a HKIE member, do I need to join in their IT Division before applying for the HKCS membership?


As a HKIE member, if you wish to become a member of HKCS, joining the IT Division of HKIE is not a pre-requisite.