Geoscientist Online

Over 40 attended a Scrutineers’ Information, Consultation & Training Day at Burlington House, writes Bill Gaskarth.

Attendees heard Mike De Freitas speak on Duty of Care and the Code of Conduct, David Norbury on what is expected of Candidates for CPD records, Supporting Documents, and the types of material that may be used as such.

The Chartership Officer offered an outline of what scrutineers are sent, and what is expected of them before interview. We held breakout-group discussions on what information should be provided on a scrutineers’ Page on the Website, the design and use of the Post-Interview Report form, and common reasons for deferring recommendations.

Discussion led to agreement on a number of issues.

• Scrutineers will be asked to return the Pre-interview form within a short period to provide an agreement that it is complete and that the documentation has been properly presented. Here also they may ask for further information from the Candidate and if necessary for material to be brought to the interview.
• The Scrutineers’ Page will contain all the general instructions to Scrutineers along with access to the Society’s regulations, Guidances for Candidates and Sponsors and the Post-interview Report forms in Word Format. This page also will be used to add information produced by Scrutineers on their experiences in interviews along with a discussion/request facility.
• The Post-Interview form needs some clarifications but it is essential for Scrutineers to give as much advice as possible, particularly for Candidates who have been recommended for deferral or who have just made it.
• Clarification on what constitutes CPD appears to be important as a number of candidates still do not fully understand this and also do not use the Plan-Act-Reflect cycle. A narrative section on aims, actions and achievements should be provided by each applicant.
• There is still a problem with lack of selectivity of Supporting Documents by many Candidates. Submission of information which is either too large or unfocused makes it difficult for Scrutineers to determine what was done by the candidate and just how this shows a particular competency. To this end a Guidance document will be produced instructing Candidates to provide an attachment on each document explaining their role with it and how it addresses particular Chartership criteria.
• The main reasons for deferrals appear to be through lack of focus on the required competencies, poor selection of Supporting Documents and applications made when the Candidate just achieves eligibility to apply and not when they are ‘ready’ for Chartership. The role of Sponsors and Mentors is very important here and Candidates need to ensure that they fully discuss their application with them to maximise their chances of success.

The Society has 366 scrutineers on its list, and of these some 242 are aged between 40 and 60. Eighty-nine scrutineers are now in their 60s. The low number of scrutineers under 40 is to be expected, but CGeols aged 35-40 are particularly encouraged to apply, so that we can replace scrutineers who retire and no longer retain their Chartership.