Membership Requirements

Portfolio Guidelines

1 The purpose of these guidelines is to establish a framework for the portfolio route to full membership that will ensure a national standard and consistency of application in Canada
2 A candidate may complete either the written examination or submit a portfolio as part of fulfilling the requirements for full membership. The requirements for education and experience would still be applicable. Both routes, the written examination and the portfolio, are equivalent in rigour and the administration of these routes will be such to ensure equivalency. The procedure for administering the portfolio including the setting and collection of a fee shall be carried out by the respective Affiliate;
3 The purpose of the portfolio, comparable to the written examination, is to assess that candidates have the planning knowledge and skills required by the Institute. It provides a base for evaluating knowledge of content (subject matter) and process (application of subject matter) of planning;
4 In order to submit a portfolio, a candidate should have a substantial amount of professional experience in planning to ensure that the candidate has developed a body of work for submission as a portfolio;
5 A portfolio shall consist of personal publications (ie: relevant professional output). Authorship of any publication may be sole or shared. In the case of jointly authored publications, the candidate shall identify in the covering document those portions for which the candidate was solely responsible as well as those portions where responsibility was shared. In the latter case, the candidate shall clearly identify the extent of the candidate’s participation and responsibility relative to the other contributors;
6.1 The candidate shall submit a covering document with the portfolio which shall clearly explain how the candidate considers that the items contained within the portfolio address the three areas covered by the written examination:
i: Awareness and understanding of interrelationships impinging on planning problems;
ii: Formulation of plans and policies;
iii: Implementation of plans and policies.
6.2 The covering document must show both practical and theoretical knowledge, and ability to conceptualize and think critically using the submitted works in the portfolio to demonstrate this. The covering document must also provide some evaluation from the candidates perspective of the work experience contained in the portfolio submission;
6.3 If a candidate’s work experience does not provide the candidate with an adequate portfolio of work to address the areas noted in 6.1, then the candidate should sit the written exam;
7.1 The portfolio shall be read by a minimum of two examiners of the Institute. Two examiners must record a 'pass' in order for a candidate to have successfully completed this requirement for membership. For an examiner to award the outcome of 'pass' the candidate's covering document and portfolio must satisfy the three areas covered by the written examination (6.1). If the portfolio is judged to be a ‘fail’ the candidate shall be given reasons and guidance for subsequent resubmission
7.2 In cases where material from acknowledged sources is presented as being the candidate’s own material the entire portfolio shall be disqualified;
8 If the examiners determine that one of the areas covered by the examination questions is not adequately fulfilled through the portfolio, the provisional member may write the relevant question of the written examination;
9 A candidate may resubmit a portfolio at any time;
10 An affiliate may determine that a candidates portfolio may be supplemented by an oral interview. Because the portfolio is equivalent to the written examination, this interview is not a substitute for a well-prepared portfolio with a cogent, well-structured covering document. In addition, this interview is not a substitute for the oral interview testing ethics and professionalism required under Section 4.1 of Schedule A, By-law No. 1, as amended.
11 The appeal provisions contained in section 6, Schedule A, By-law No. 1, as amended, are applicable to the portfolio.