How can a CDR Report for Mechanical Engineers get you Australian PR?

Learn about the components and requirements of a CDR for Mechanical Engineers.

To write your CDR, you will have to follow a structure. That structure contains:

• CPD,
• Three Career Episodes, 
• Summary Statements

You will also need a CV to show your education, work experience, and interests. These are all detailed below.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Your CV is a document that summarises your education, work experience, and other qualifications. It is typically one or two pages long and is used to apply for jobs and also to summarise your data in one place for Engineers Australia (EA) to review .

Here are some examples of what you might include in your CV:

• Your name and contact information
• Your education, including the name of your school, the degree you earned, and the dates you attended
• Your work experience, including the name of your employer, your job title, and the dates you worked there
• Your skills, including both hard skills (such as proficiency in CAD, MATLAB or Excel) and soft skills (such as communication and teamwork)
• Any other relevant information, such as awards or publications, or volunteership

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

CPD is a process of lifelong learning that helps you to maintain and improve your skills and knowledge. It can take many forms, such as attending workshops, taking online courses, or reading/analysing professional journals.

Here are some examples of CPD activities:

• Attending a workshop on a new technology
• Taking an online course on engineering ethics
• Reading a professional journal on the latest developments in your field

Three Career Episodes

In your CDR, you will write about three career episodes that demonstrate your skills and experience as a mechanical engineer. Each episode should be about 1,000 words long and should include the following:

• A description of the project or task
• Your role in the project or task
• The challenges you faced and how you overcame them
• Your contributions to the project or task
• The results of the project or task

Summary Statement

In your Summary Statement, you will summarise your skills and experience as a mechanical engineer and how they align with the competency elements from the Engineers Australia (EA) Handbook (They tend to look, “if you are skilled enough to work in Australia”). You should also discuss your future goals and how you plan to continue to develop your skills.

Here are some examples of how you might align your skills and experience with the competency elements from the EA’s Handbook:

• If you have experience in design, you can discuss how your design skills align with the competency element “Design and develop engineering solutions.” 
• If you have experience in manufacturing, you can discuss how your manufacturing skills align with the competency element “Manufacture and assemble engineering products.”
• If you have experience in maintenance, you can discuss how your maintenance skills align with the competency element “Maintain and repair engineering products.”