BEM CPD Requirements for PE, PEPC and IOW

01Why CPD is mandatory

The circular is issued under sections 13(2) and 13(3) of the Registration of Engineers Act 1967 (Revised 2015) and Regulation 20(1)(b) of the Registration of Engineers Regulations 1990. In short, BEM may set conditions that must be met before it issues your Certificate of Registration, and CPD is one of them. The CPD Programme applies to three groups:

• Professional Engineers with Practising Certificate (PEPC) – renewed annually
• Professional Engineers (PE) – renewed annually
• Inspectors of Works (IOW) – renewed triennially (every three years)

Graduate Engineers are not listed in the circular.

The circular states the purpose plainly. CPD should help you:

• maintain the knowledge and skills to do your job competently
• keep up with developments in your field and in general engineering
• stay current with changes in codes, regulations and guidelines

02How many hours do you need?

What “rolling three-year average” means in practice

For a PE, an annual average of 25 hours over three rolling years means 75 hours across any three consecutive years that BEM looks at. A light year can be balanced by a heavier one. However, the window moves forward every year, so a shortfall does not disappear: it carries into the next two assessments.

Example (PE):

The 2027 shortfall happens because the strong 2024 year drops out of the three-year count.

Engineers aged 65 and above

If you have reached 65 in the current year, the circular says you only need half the requirement for the following year’s renewal:

• PEPC: an annual average of 25 hours, with a minimum total of 75 hours over three rolling years
• PE: an annual average of 13 hours, with a minimum total of 39 hours over three rolling years
• IOW: 15 hours per triennial period

03The five categories, weightings and caps

The circular recognises five categories of CPD activity. Each has a time-weighted factor, and most have an annual maximum that you can claim. For an IOW the maximum applies per triennial period.

What each category covers (summarised from the circular’s definitions)

• Formal Education – engineering or related studies leading to a certificate, diploma or degree, with a formal assessment and recognition by BEM or the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
• On Job Learning – understudying a subject-matter expert so that you can perform new engineering tasks.
• Private Study – self-study of engineering or related reading material. This is weighted at 0.5, so two hours of reading count as one CPD hour.
• Conference and Technical Training – attending conferences, seminars, workshops, forums and similar technical gatherings and training.
• Presentation or Publication of Papers – presenting research or case-study papers at a conference or seminar, or publishing them in a refereed journal.
• Engineering Service Activities – activities that contribute to and promote the profession. Examples are giving talks, serving on committees, taking part in programme accreditation, mentoring graduate engineers or intern IOWs, and acting as an industry adviser to an institution of learning.

Reading the Category 4 factor

The table pairs a factor of 10 with a note that “1 paper/presentation = 1 hour”. Read together, one paper or presentation counts as one hour multiplied by the factor of 10, which gives 10 CPD hours, up to the annual cap. MyBEM applies the final calculation when you submit.

The rule people miss: CPD is not your day job

The circular defines CPD Activities as engineering or related activities not within your job scope while employed or professionally engaged, which directly contribute to your competence. Routine design, site inspections or supervision that you are paid to do are not CPD in themselves. Learning a new task from an expert (On Job Learning) is CPD, within its cap.

04What counts, and what does not

Rev 3 sets out clearly which activities can be submitted.

1. Pre-approved CPD activities

Formal pre-approval can be obtained through three channels:

• BEM itself – but BEM now processes pre-approval applications only from government agencies (other than ATPs) and public institutions of higher learning, including their joint-venture programmes and subsidiaries.
• BEM-appointed bodies – organisations appointed by BEM to run its pre-approved CPD policy. The circular calls these “CB”.
• Approved Training Providers (ATP) – government agencies appointed by BEM to approve in-house training they organise, alone or with others.

Pre-approved activities may include workshops, seminars, courses, conferences, talks and training, whether physical or online. They may also include site, study or technical visits and annual general meetings.

2. Self-declared CPD activities: only two kinds

You may self-declare only:

• Overseas activities, meaning programmes, events or conferences organised and held overseas
• In-house programmes that are not for commercial purposes and are for internal participants only

3. Everything else

The circular states that other activities not covered by these items cannot be submitted as CPD. In practice, a local commercial seminar that has not been pre-approved through one of the three channels should not be counted. Check the activity’s pre-approval status before you register for it, not after.

05Submitting, renewing and what happens if you fall short

Submitting your record

PEPCs and PEs submit their CPD Programme for the immediately preceding year through MyBEM (engineer.org.my) when they renew their annual registration. IOWs submit for the preceding three years at their triennial renewal.

BEM’s registration information states that PE and PEPC registrations expire on 31 December, and that a person who fails to renew within one month of expiry is removed from the register. Plan your CPD so it is complete before the renewal season, not during it.

If you have not met the hours

• PEPC or PE: the circular says renewal is at the sole discretion of BEM if you have not met the required hours over the three rolling years.
• IOW: BEM may, at its discretion, allow continued registration under strict remedial conditions. You must:
• already have at least 15 hours when you apply
• obtain at least 15 hours in the first year of continued registration
• reach a minimum of 45 hours, including those 15, by the next renewal application

If you fail these conditions, BEM may refuse the renewal.

Exemptions

PEPCs, PEs and IOWs may each apply for exemption on a case-by-case basis, provided BEM’s criteria are met. Approval is at BEM’s discretion, and BEM publishes an exemption application form on its website.

Reinstatement, reversion and suspension

• Reinstatement: once a reinstatement application is approved, CPD requirements start anew.
• Reversion: a PEPC who reverts to PE follows the PE requirement.
• Suspension: a person suspended under section 15(1A) of the Act does not need to meet CPD requirements during the suspension. CPD starts anew when the suspension is lifted.

06Planning a compliant year: two worked examples

These are illustrations of how the weightings and caps combine. They are not BEM templates.

Example 1: a PE needing 25 hours

Example 2: a PEPC needing 50 hours

Our practical habits

• Log as you go. Keep attendance letters, programme sheets and pre-approval references in one folder per year.
• Front-load. Aim to complete most hours by the third quarter, leaving the last quarter as a buffer.
• Balance the categories. Do not rely on capped categories alone. Category 3 and Category 1 have no cap and are easier to evidence.
• Assume you will be audited. Up to 10% of PEs and PEPCs are randomly audited each year. If you cannot produce the evidence, the hours are at risk.
• Keep current with codes. One of the circular’s stated objectives is keeping up with changes in codes, regulations and guidelines. Choose activities that actually change how you work.

Frequently asked questions