Competency-Based Certification Routes

No Qualification no Problem.... 🤔 How to Register with ECSA Without a Formal Qualification Note. the "Alternative Route" of registration is difficult, very difficult! 😒 Many experienced engineers and technicians have built solid careers — yet never completed a formal qualification. Good news: you can still become professionally registered with ECSA (as Pr Techni or Pr Tech) — but it’s not a shortcut. It’s a structured, evidence-based journey. 🔹 Step 1: Know Your Route – The “Alternative Path” If you don’t hold an ECSA-accredited qualification, you’ll go through the Alternative Assessment Route. This process checks whether your knowledge and experience together match the outcomes of the accredited qualification for your level. 🔹 Step 2: Educational Evaluation Before you even apply for registration, ECSA must first evaluate your education. You’ll need to submit: ❗ A detailed CV of your technical career ❗ Certified copies of certificates or courses completed ❗ A summary comparing your knowledge to NQF Level 6 (Pr Techni) or Level 7 (Pr Tech) ❗ Proof of lifelong learning – CPD, training, or manufacturer courses ECSA uses this to confirm that your learning is equivalent to the required qualification level. Key documents: R-01-P: Registration Policy E-17-P: Educational Evaluation Guideline R-02-TEC / R-02-PT: Competency Standards R-03 Forms: Application Forms 🔹 Step 3: Prove Your Competence Once your educational evaluation is approved, you’ll submit: ✅ Your application form (R-03-TEC or R-03-PT) ✅ Training and Experience Reports (TERs) for each role or project ✅ An Engineering Report demonstrating your professional judgement and responsibility ✅ Referee Reports from registered professionals Your reports must prove you meet ECSA’s 11 Outcomes — from applying engineering theory to managing risk and acting ethically. ⚠️ Why It’s So Challenging ECSA protects the integrity of the profession. Without formal studies, proving equivalent engineering knowledge can be tough. Many candidates struggle to connect their practical experience to underlying theory or structured problem-solving— but that’s exactly what ECSA looks for. ✅ What’s Important Use ECSA’s standards as your checklist. Show independent problem-solving and decision-making at the correct level of responsibility. Choose registered referees who understand your work. Keep your reports concise, technical, and clear. ❌ What Not to Do Don’t apply before your educational evaluation is approved. Don’t rely on years of service — ECSA measures competence, not time. Don’t submit vague, task-based TERs — show engineering thinking. 💡 Final Thought Becoming a registered professional without a formal qualification is possible — but it’s not automatic. It takes structure, reflection, and strong evidence of your competence. If you’ve built your career through experience, this is your chance to formalise your professional status. Not easy but possible.

Many people assume there’s only one route to qualifying as a solicitor in England & Wales. That isn’t the case. One lesser-known pathway is the Equivalent Means (EM) route. This route allows you to qualify as a solicitor without completing a "traditional" training contract, provided you can demonstrate that your work experience is equivalent in substance and standard. This means: - Your experience can be gained across different organisations. - It can include in-house, private practice, or a mix. - The focus is not on where you worked, but on what legal work you actually did. The key requirement is evidence. Applicants must show that their experience meets the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Practice Skills and Standards, such as: - Legal research and drafting. - Client communication and professional conduct. - Dispute resolution, transactional work, and case management. - Ethics, judgement, and responsibility. Crucially, the SRA does not assess volume of years alone — it assesses competence. For many career changers, paralegals, in-house legal professionals, and those with non-linear careers, this route: - Recognises real legal work already done. - Avoids duplicating experience. - Makes qualification more accessible without lowering standards. It is a rigorous process that requires careful mapping, reflection, and confirmation by a supervisor, but it is a legitimate and increasingly relevant pathway. Especially for LPC graduates who are caught in the crossfire of the SQE. I’m currently working through this route and learning a lot about how legal competence is assessed beyond traditional labels. I am finding a creative solution to qualification as an LPC graduate, who has trained in-house for 2 years and was unsuccessful with SQE2. I hope this is where my qualification dreams finally turn into a reality! If you’ve considered EM, qualified via EM, supervised candidates, or want to understand alternative qualification routes, I’d love to connect and exchange insights.

Why Competency-Based Training & Assessment (CBMT / CBT) for Plumbing.? Learners advance ONLY when they demonstrate real skills: installing pipes, reading blueprints, fixing leaks, adhering to codes, safety protocols in simulated and workplace scenarios. No more paper tigers. Faster to competence Modular: Master one skill ,get signed off, move on. No waiting for the whole class or year-end exams. Many reach artisan level quicker with focused practice. Industry-aligned from day 1 Assessments designed with cooperation between colleges and industry . Real tools, real faults, real pressure. Graduates hit the ground running. Reduces unemployment gaps ICBMT bridges TVET to trade tests and Red Seal certification. Employers get ready-to-work plumbers, not just theory experts. Safer jobs, happier clients , Emphasis on practical safety, problem-solving, and code compliance means fewer accidents, better installs, and trust in the trade. The hard truth: Traditional time-based training produces certificates. Competency-based training produces confident, job-ready plumbers . #Plumbing #CompetencyBasedTraining #CBMT #TVET #ArtisanDevelopment #SkillsSouthAfrica #TradeSkills #WorkReadiness #RedSeal #GogroConsultants

The Ultimate OT Cybersecurity Certification Path for 2026 Where do you go next? 1. Are you just getting started? New to IT cybersecurity and networking? You'll want to build those skills and knowledge sets first. -> CompTIA's Network+ - Ports and protocols - Switching and routing - Network segmentation - IP addressing and subnetting - Firewalls and intrusion detection -> CompTIA's Security+ - Cryptography - Confidentiality - Defense in Depth - Physical security controls - Vulnerability management - Incident response and forensics - Identity and Access Management (IAM) Learn the basics and fundamentals of how it all comes together. And then you can build from there off of a strong foundation! If you're an IT cybersecurity pro and know all of these... Then you can go straight to your first OT/ICS cybersecurity cert. And CompTIA's SecOT+ is the perfect place to start! (Though it doesn't start in beta until early summer 2026) 2. Learning OT/ICS cybersecurity fundamentals IT and OT cybersecurity have more in common than most people think. Though they can also be very different at the same time. And it's critical to know those differences to keep everyone safe. And help keep the plant up and running! - Securing legacy systems - OT vulnerability management - Asset management and visibility - Cyber-physical incident response - Secure OT architecture and design - OT-specific monitoring and alerting - OT risk and compliance frameworks - OT threat intelligence and history of attacks 3. Building more relevant OT/ICS cybersecurity knowledge After mastering the fundamentals, you can look at the two main paths that remain. Most often, your budget will dictate which path you take. If you don't have a budget, you're at a good stopping point for now. If you have significant resources available, the SANS ICS path can be extremely rewarding in helping you defend OT/ICS. If you have somewhat limited resources, than the ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Expert path can be the next part of your path. No matter which certification path you take, just remember... Certifications do not replace hands-on experience. But they do help you get the knowledge to protect OT/ICS cybersecurity. They help you demonstrate that knowledge and your passion for the mission. And those certs can help you prove to a hiring manager you're the right person for the job. Or to prove to a client that you're the right person to help them in their next engagement. So consider certifications to help you get started. Or to continue to build your career if you're already in OT/ICS cyber. Don't be afraid to take that next step! P.S. Where are you on your OT/ICS cyber certification path? P.P.S. What would you change? 🔔 Follow Mike Holcomb for more OT/ICS cybersecurity ♻️ Useful? Share to help others! 📩 Join 7,400+ others on my newsletter - https://lnkd.in/ePTx-Rfw 📽️ FREE videos for learning OT/ICS cyber - https://lnkd.in/eif9fkVg

CPA Candidates - I bring good news.. You might be able to get your CPA with just a Bachelor's degree A new pathway to licensing is being considered by the AICPA Under the new Competency-Based Experience Pathway, you'll need the following: 1. 120 of credit hours (bachelor's degree) 2. One year of work experience 3. Demonstrating competency in the below, which is achieved via sign-off by a CPA The proposed professional competencies are (need ALL 7): Ethical behavior;  Critical thinking and professional skepticism;  Communication;  Collaboration, teamwork, and leadership;  Self-management and continuous learning;  Business acumen; and  Technology mindset. The proposed technical competencies are (need JUST 1):  Audit and assurance;  Tax; and  Business and financial reporting. The new ruling is not final yet, and is open to public comment until Dec 6th, 2024 This is GREAT news considering the talent gap. Get this: 75% of the AICPA members are of retirement age!

On September 12, the AICPA & NASBA issued an exposure draft on the CPA Competency-Based Experience Pathway, offering an additional pathway for CPA candidates to meet initial licensure requirements in response to pipeline issues instead of earning a master's degree or a bachelor's degree and up to 30 additional credit hours at an institute of higher learning. Under this alternative pathway, CPA candidates would need a bachelor's degree, complete one year of professional general experience, pass the CPA Exam, and exhibit competency in specific professional & technical areas. In addition, on September 30, the AICPA & NASBA issued an exposure draft on proposed Uniform Accountancy Act changes. The proposed changes to the UAA would facilitate the adoption of the Competency-Based Experienced Pathway. Comments are due on the CPA Competency-Based Experience Pathway by December 6, and comments on the UAA are due by December 30. #CPA #CPALicense #NASBA #AICPA #CompetencyBasedExperiencePathway