Registrar & CEO's Message
APEGA
Where We Are, What We’ve Been, What We Will Be BY JAY NAGENDRAN, P.ENG., QEP, BCEE Registrar & Chief Executive Officer
My first five months as APEGA’s Registrar & CEO represent a tiny piece of APEGA’s 97 years. A much bigger piece of the timeline coincides with my APEGA membership; I have spent my entire professional career as a Professional Engineer in Alberta. Other regulatory and governmental positions take up much of my CV, and I’ve also served as a volunteer on the Practice Review Board. All of this means that I arrived on the APEGA staff scene with more than a passing awareness of the organization that gives full meaning to my designation. Nothing, however, completely prepares you for a position like this one. Being your Registrar & CEO requires that I develop a thorough and nuanced understanding of APEGA, its people, its relationships, and its rich history. I’m not all the way there yet, but I’m making great progress! During my crash course on APEGA, I have learned much about the excellent standing that the organization has earned over these many years of self-regulatory leadership. Self-regulation began for us because engineering in the early 1900s was not adequately serving the public interest. Engineers themselves recognized the problem and devised a solution, which they proposed to the provincial government. The government liked the plan, and the rest is history — your history, my history, APEGA’s history. Much of the context for my position, however, lies in accomplishments that are more recent. A MOBILE PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE An important file over the last two decades has been professional mobility — the movement of Professional Engineers and Professional Geoscientists between jurisdictions, especially within North America. Improved mobility serves our Members and Permit
Holders because it speeds up licensure. It serves the public interest by keeping the professional workforce fluid and responsive to economic change, and by dissuading engineers and geoscientists from practising without licences. You probably haven’t heard or read a lot about mobility recently. One reason is that the organization has had more pressing priorities, which this column and The PEG will continue to highlight in editions to come. The other reason is that our past emphasis on mobility has borne fruit. Important processes, relationships, and agreements are ingrained in the way we do business. Several U.S. exams can now be written in Canada, improving the mobility of our Professional Engineers and Professional Geoscientists on American soil. Many U.S. state licensing boards have relaxed their licensing requirements for APEGA and other Canadian Professional Engineers, recognizing that our licensure systems may differ, but their outcomes are similar. At home, movement of Professional Engineers and Professional Geoscientists between Canadian jurisdictions is fast, simple, and almost seamless. It is no exaggeration to say that improved mobility within and beyond Canada is largely the result of work done by one of my predecessors, Neil Windsor, P.Eng., FCAE, FEC, FGC (Hon.), P.E.(Hon.). The CEO from 1996 to 2012, Mr. Windsor left his mark on APEGA in many ways, and one of his legacies is most certainly improved mobility. This is a good place to mention APEGA’s leadership in analyzing and creating exams, especially the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE). To become a Professional Engineer or Professional Geoscientist in Canada, you must demonstrate that you understand the laws, professionalism, and ethics that will guide you in your practice. For 11 engineering and geoscience
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