Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP) is a term that originated within the UK nuclear industry and is also used within the defence industry but similar requirements arise in other industry sectors and other countries. Typically, to be regarded as a SQEP, one requires a professional qualification and several years of experience, with recognition that one’s skills and understanding can be relied upon to resolve a technical problem to the required standards.
Levels of SQEP
It is not reasonable to expect businesses to employ experts to conduct all levels of a job.
Generally, the expertise and skill levels are matched with the requirements of the job. For this
purpose, five levels of SQEP are recommended, as follows:-
Level 1 – Supervised
Can use the skill under supervision but not yet ready to take on general tasks without
supervision or has worked in this area in the past, but is no longer familiar.
Level 2 – Unsupervised
A person who can apply the defined skill in an unsupervised role, but is aware of one’s own
limitations when faced with a new or novel problem, when guidance would be obtained from
a Level 3 or above.
Level 3 – Advising and guiding others
Can take on a range of complex novel tasks without supervision and can provide advice and
guidance to others in the relevant disciplines.
Level 4 – As a company “Expert”
Has expert knowledge and ability and is recognised internally as an expert in the field. Can
provide independent advice to difficult and technically challenging tasks and technical
leadership to the relevant skill area.
Level 5 – As an externally recognised “Expert”
As per company expert, but is in addition recognised externally, by clients, peers in their
profession, agencies and professional bodies and may sit on nationally or internationally
recognised bodies or committees.
Typically for an engineering consultancy the largest demand is for SQEP levels 2 and 4.
Advantages of a SQEP process
- Helps to develop technical capability and meet the growing need for engineers who are SQEP.
- A well-managed SQEP process can bring consistency in demonstrating suitability and assuring technical quality.
- Managing SQEP is good for business as well as safe