How to become a Chartered Member through CIOB's APEL pathway

Former Commercial Director, Gary Cooper, had always wanted to become chartered but never felt that the circumstances were ever quite right whilst balancing 12-hour shifts on-site, travelling for work and raising a family.

When the APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) was introduced as an alternative pathway to becoming a member of CIOB, Gary jumped at the opportunity to begin his journey to chartership. This process started with a discussion about relevant skills and knowledge, continuing with interviews and one-on-one support to determine suitability for the final assessment. 

“After forty years working in the construction industry, I felt I was missing one last thing in my career before retirement – and that was to become chartered. I took the APEL pathway because it allowed me to balance writing my assignment with my work, family and social life without feeling overwhelmed. It’s a rewarding process because you get to justify your work to an experienced professional in your field and get a sense of accomplishment.”

Darren Scadding, Gary’s assessor, added,

“Meeting Gary and assisting him with his application to become MCIOB was greatly satisfying for me as an assessor, he was enthusiastic and listened to our advice and happily applied it to his final assessment. He followed our guidance on using specific, relevant examples to improve his work. We recognise that this is a great career progression for professional construction individuals and our aim here at Scadding Associates Ltd is to provide quality professions for the future.”

On reflection, Gary felt that he could have embarked on this step earlier in his career after experiencing the support provided throughout APEL. This included mentoring from other members who have completed their APEL, tailored support from the course leader and guidance documents.

“My mentor was the best. She was helpful and fed back to me on my work. I took on board everything she said, which helped me through the process. I feel confident now to even go on to become a Fellow with the CIOB.”

Find out more about APEL by speaking to our Customer Services team.