Build Your Career Here Helping engineers and geoscientists get licensed in Alberta
The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists has regulated the practices of engineering and geoscience in Alberta for more than a century.
We welcome internationally trained engineers and geoscientists, recognizing the value of their global expertise. With resources, guidance, and support, we help them take the next step—earning their licence to practise and drive Alberta’s economy forward.
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
applications were received by APEGA in 2024 6,901
of applicants in 2024 were internationally trained 50%
APEGA professionals have come from more than 115 countries in the last five years
APEGA partners with newcomer agencies, community organizations, technical societies, corporations, and post-secondary institutions to assist potential international applicants with information about the application process. In 2024, over 50 seminars were hosted to assist more than 1,200 attendees to become informed about how regulated professions are structured in Canada. APEGA provides guidance and answers questions, reducing the likelihood of incomplete applications to facilitate processing times.
As someone who’s worked around the world and seen the process—or the lack of process in some places—APEGA and Alberta lead the way.
Anil Gupta, professional engineer
Uncover his story
Accreditation in Alberta A Clear Path for Internationally Trained Professionals
ANIL GUPTA HAS worked around the globe thanks to his engineering career—first in his home country of India, then in Kuwait. After a two-year stint in Japan, he flew to Fort McMurray, breaking ground on Suncor’s Project Millennium as his first job on Canadian soil. Gupta has stayed in Alberta ever since, earning his Professional Engineer designation, and in 2006, he joined APEGA’s Board of Examiners. He now serves as vice-chair of the Experience Committee, a part of the board that reviews applicants’ work experience. Over the past five years, Anil Gupta, P.Eng. says the board has shifted from an “objective to a quantitative model” by using a competency-based assessment of 22 required competencies that cover on-the-job experience, codes and standards, ethics, interpersonal conflict resolution, and more. “Each competency is one page,” Gupta explains. “The applicant fills about half of the page explaining how they have demonstrated the competency, then their validator confirms whether they have done that work and if there were any deficiencies. Experience examiners then assess the submissions and make recommendations for a decision.”
APEGA’s independent examiners verify an applicant’s academics and their validator-approved experience, review any competency-based assessment feedback, and issue written recommendations. The result is a fair and trusted process that protects the public from unskilled practice and supports qualified professionals. According to Gupta, “the designation of P.Eng. or P.Geo. commands respect. Companies know this person is competent, qualified, and bound to a code of ethics, whether that company is in or out of Alberta. As someone who’s worked around the world and seen the process—or the lack of process in some places—APEGA and Alberta lead the way.”
Skilled talent is necessary for Alberta to meet the demands of the future.
I mentor young technical
professionals who are just getting into the industry.
Eghon Odigie, professional engineer
Learn about his journey
Engineering Opportunity International credentialling helps newcomer engineers get to work
AS A CHILD OF health-care professionals in Nigeria, Eghon Odigie, P.Eng., was already following his family’s path in medicine by the time he was in high school. “The general push—or should I say the general encouragement—was in the medical line,” he smiles. But an influential high school teacher (and his fear of blood) turned him in a new direction. Odigie studied petroleum engineering and started working for Shell as a wells engineer. His early career took him to the Netherlands and to Houston, Texas, where he fell in love with the cowboy way of life. “I just felt this sense of freedom, this sense that I can achieve anything I want to achieve. “We didn’t move for economic reasons—my wife and I were doing extremely well, but like most people, we emigrated because of our kids. Not everyone has the opportunities that I had, but Canada gives everyone that opportunity, and this is something I wanted for my kids.” After arriving in Alberta, Odigie applied for his professional engineer designation and received a decision within four months. His next step was to take exams for APEGA membership.
Then, he was introduced to Directions for Immigrants, which held an event for internationally trained engineers and geoscientists. Odigie attended the event and was inspired by what he heard. “What piqued my interest was one of the speakers, Enayat Aminzadah, APEGA’s international qualifications officer, who spoke about the registration and licensure process. And I liked the fact that he injected real-life experiences and helped me understand that every application is evaluated on its individual merits and that the registration and licensure process is fair for internationally educated engineers and geoscientists.” Today, Odigie is among the many Albertans who have brought their valuable experience and skills to our province, contributing significantly to our thriving culture and economic growth. He dedicates his spare time to volunteering in his community and place of worship, and mentoring the next generation of professionals. “I didn’t know I had a knack for it. But I just walk up to someone who’s fresh out of university and coach them because I had lots of that while I was going through my career as well.”
Working alongside Canadian
professionals in Alberta, it became clear to me why APEGA regulates the engineering profession.
Elsa Hernández Manrique, professional engineer
Discover her career path
Coming North Building a home and a career
different ways to build. The relationship between clients, contractors, and the government is also different.” She secured a position with Associated Engineering in 2020, working under the supervision of a professional engineer. The company aided her in getting her P.Eng. and supported her application process. “The process is not complicated,” she says. “But, for a newcomer, some things take priority over others.” She postponed the idea of starting the process. After submitting her paperwork, she completed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. With the support of her employer, she studied, passed the test, and became a member-in-training with APEGA. To obtain her P.Eng. designation, she needed to pass the National Professional Practice Exam—an exam all applicants must take, regardless of their country of origin. She earned her P.Eng. designation in 2024. “Why is (APEGA) so important? It’s to protect the public. APEGA’s function is to license professionals and check that we meet the professional, ethical, and technical standards. So, that creates trust—in the companies and the individuals who practise engineering.”
THERE WAS A TIME when Elsa Hernández Manrique would not have been able to find the city of Lethbridge on a map. Born and raised in Mexico and the daughter of an engineer, she followed in her dad’s footsteps. She graduated from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico and started her career as an onsite inspector for bridge and highway projects. Later she worked as an international consultant for a company that made steel and aluminum domes. She eventually became a construction site manager in a Mexican gold mine. When her husband accepted a post-doctoral position in 2018 through the University of Lethbridge and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the couple left Mexico and settled in Alberta. After receiving her work permit, the next step was to become licensed as a professional engineer. “The life of a newcomer is not always easy,” she says. “It requires you to adapt to new environments, new language, new people—you practically start all over. Professionally speaking, in my case, I had to adapt to a different construction business, different standards,
Applicants required a lot of guidance and information, so APEGA needed someone passionate about helping them go through the licensure system.
Enayat Aminzadah, APEGA international qualifications officer
Get to know his story
Pathway to Success Helping newcomers continue their careers
WHEN HE WAS 17 years old, Enayat Aminzadah and his family came to Canada from war-torn Afghanistan. “My uncle was a doctor, and he wasn’t able to practise when we arrived. He had a hard time finding support so his credentials could be recognized. That part really hit home for me.” After studying at the University of Toronto, Aminzadah started working as an immigration officer, processing permanent residency applications. He says it was a humbling experience because “it’s a system where you don’t speak to anyone—you file an application, and you hope someone will pick it up and actually understand that person’s story. It’s very systematic, and it depends on the point system. However, it was satisfying to approve an application or recommend an applicant to become a permanent resident in Canada.” Now in his role as the international qualifications
officer with APEGA, he helps newcomers apply for accreditation in engineering and geoscience. Aminzadah puts a human face to APEGA’s regulatory role that goes beyond checking certifications. “Applicants required a lot of guidance and information, so APEGA needed someone passionate about helping them go through the licensure system and with the skills and experience to advise them on the correct pathway to success.” Aminzadah puts them at ease by listening first, then helps them start the process and prepare for the accreditation exam. “I feel a lot of satisfaction when someone I helped through the application process reaches out—whether through text, email, a quick phone call, or in person—to let me know they’re now registered. It becomes a source of motivation for me and makes this a very satisfying role.”
Pyramid Mountain, Jasper National Park
Making it Easy for Engineers and Geoscientists to Work Across Canada
Building bridges between provinces and territories
IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC climate, Canadians and their governments are rightly focused on removing barriers across the country—especially for trade and labour mobility. Alberta is well positioned to tackle these issues, having the fewest exemptions to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement alongside effective regulations through the provincial Labour Mobility Act. For professional engineers and geoscientists coming to Alberta from provinces and territories within Canada, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) stands out as a model of success. In 2024, APEGA approved interprovincial applications in fewer than four days, on average, for professionals already registered and in good standing with another Canadian regulator.
APEGA’s proactive efforts in streamlining processes over the past few years has resulted in the timely approval of interprovincial applications, without compromising the safety or best interests of the public. Workforce mobility is increasingly critical to Canada’s economic resilience. Alberta continually needs professional engineers and geoscientists who can contribute to major infrastructure projects, energy innovation, technological advancements, and environmental stewardship— regardless of where they come from. That’s why, years ago, APEGA took steps to remove barriers by accelerating application review times. In Alberta, interprovincial mobility for engineers and geoscientists isn’t a barrier—it’s a bridge that’s well built, well maintained, and open for travel.
APEGA supports engineers and geoscientists from all over the world
newcomers@apega.ca 1-800-661-7020
apega.ca/newcomers
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