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.
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