Remote IRSE Licence Assessment: How It Works and When It Applies

For engineers working towards or renewing an IRSE licence, one question comes up regularly: does the assessment have to take place in person?

The short answer is no, not always. For certain licence categories and assessment types, a remote competence assessment is a legitimate and fully auditable option. This post explains how OSL approaches remote assessment, what the process involves, and when it is and is not appropriate.

Why remote assessment matters

The IRSE Licensing Scheme covers engineers working across the full length and breadth of the UK rail network. Many of those engineers are not based near an assessing agency's offices. Travelling to Crewe or Swindon for a competence assessment interview is straightforward for some candidates and genuinely impractical for others — particularly those working regular shift patterns, living in Scotland, the south-west or East Anglia, or deployed on remote infrastructure projects.

Remote assessment does not mean a lower standard. Done properly, it means a structured, recorded assessment conducted via video call, with the same evidence review, professional discussion and written outcome as an in-person session. The difference is logistical, not substantive.

What remote assessment looks like in practice

OSL conducts remote competence assessments via Microsoft Teams. The session is recorded, and that recording forms part of the auditable assessment record held by OSL in line with our obligations as an approved IRSE Assessing Agency.

Before the session, candidates are expected to have:

• A current, up-to-date IRSE logbook reviewed within the last 12 months

• A completed Competence Assessment Checklist (CAC) with personal reflective statements for each performance criterion

• A clear evidence list documenting the work that supports each statement — this might include design outputs, test records, witness statements or other contemporaneous documentation

The remote session itself follows the same format as an in-person competence assessment. The assessor works through the CAC with the candidate, asks questions to probe the depth and currency of their knowledge and experience, and forms a professional judgement on whether the candidate meets the standard for the licence category being assessed.

The recording is not used as a substitute for proper assessment rigour - it exists to support the audit trail and provide a clear record of what was discussed and assessed.

When remote assessment is appropriate

This is the important distinction, and it is worth being clear about it.

Remote assessment is well suited to competence assessments, the structured interview-based element of the process where the assessor reviews the logbook, evidence portfolio and personal statements, and tests the candidate's knowledge and understanding through professional discussion.

It is not a replacement for workplace assessment in categories that require direct observation of the candidate performing licensable work activities. Where a workplace assessment is required - for installation, testing or certain commissioning categories, for example - that element of the process must take place in the appropriate working environment, with a qualified workplace assessor present. Remote delivery cannot substitute for observed, on-site assessment.

If you are unsure whether your licence category requires a workplace assessment, or whether a remote competence assessment would be appropriate for your circumstances, OSL's licensing team will advise at the outset.

A note on letting licences lapse

One of the most common avoidable problems in IRSE licensing is engineers allowing their licences to run close to — or past — their expiry date because they have not been able to arrange an assessment in time. If a licence lapses fully, the renewal process typically requires both a competence assessment and a workplace assessment, regardless of the category. That is a longer and more involved process than a straightforward renewal at the five-year surveillance point, which for many categories requires only a competence assessment.

The practical message is simple: start early. If travel or scheduling is a concern, remote assessment removes one of the main barriers to getting the process under way. There is no good reason to let a licence expire when the assessment can be conducted from wherever you are.

OSL Global is an approved IRSE Assessing Agency, with accredited assessors covering all major licence categories across signalling and rail systems disciplines. We provide assessment services to individual engineers and organisations across the industry — not only to our own staff.

To discuss your licence requirements or arrange an assessment, contact us at enquiries@oslglobal.com or visit https://www.oslglobal.com/irse-licensing