REGISTRATION RENEWAL
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS These new evaluation processes are not only fairer and faster. They’re also more sustain- able than the processes they replace. They will ease the considerable workload of the volunteers who serve on the BOE. The BOE has grown to about 75 volunteers in recent years, to meet the demand of application growth. These volunteers come from industry and academia. Last year, they contributed 22,000 volunteer hours to APEGA. Some reviewers are processing around 600 files a year, which is not sustainable. Rather than adding more volunteers to the board, APEGA is introducing CBA and AAM to simplify and streamline our processes so we’re less dependent on volunteer time. Staff will be able to have a larger role earlier in the application process, which will also help speed up processing. Our goal is that by late 2018 we’ll have reduced the average processing time for international applications from 346 to 180 days. For Canadian grads, our goal is to reduce the average processing time from 220 days to 90. This will help us meet targets for foreign qualification recognition set this fall by the federal Forum of Labour Market Ministers. In October, federal, provincial, and territorial ministers announced that they will be asking regulators like APEGA to work towards completing initial foreign qualifications decisions within six months. We were well within the previous one- year target — but we want to do better.
the transcripts of international applicants to determine how their degree compares to a Canadian degree. When the WES evaluation is complete, APEGA’s BOE will assess the courses inter- national applicants have completed to ensure a minimum number of accreditation units have been achieved in four subject areas: mathematics, natural sciences, engineering sciences, and engineering design. Although we’re still ironing out final details, there will likely be three different levels of assessment based on the core subjects completed by Canadian or international applicants. • Applicants who surpass the minimum accreditation units will be approved for the academic portion of the licensing process. • Applicants who are close to meeting the standard will be required to confirm the quality of their degree by taking a confirmatory exam. • Applicants who are below the standard will either be refused licensure or assigned technical exams. Because all Professional Engineer and Licensee applicants will meet a single standard, the academic assessment process will be more objective, more repeatable, and fairer, while reducing the time it takes APEGA to conduct assessments. AAM will also identify early that an applicant will be unlikely to achieve licensure. This benefits applicants and staff, because it reduces the time spent on additional reconsideration of applications that are unlikely to succeed. The accepted best practice is that applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements should be informed as early in the process as possible.
applicants complete the full assessment, their competencies must be independently verified by someone familiar with their work, preferably a direct technical supervisor. After that, the assessment is reviewed by APEGA staff, and if complete, it’s forwarded to the BOE for final evaluation. Applicants will be scored on a scale of 0 to 5 per competency, with a minimum expected competency of 2 or 3. What will this mean for Professional Engineer and Licensee applicants? CBA will replace the WER when the new system comes online in February. Until the CBA launch, these applicants can continue to apply to APEGA using the WER. Note: All other engineering applicants and all geo- science applicants will continue using the WER. ALSO COMING SOON — A NEW METHOD OF ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT Another major change in the works is called the Academic Assessment Method (AAM), which will soon be used for evaluating educational credentials. There are currently two different standards to assess an applicant’s academic qualifications for licensure — one for Canadian applicants, one for international applicants. AAM will mean Canadian and interna- tional applicants will be assessed using a single academic standard. It’s the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board standard used to accredit Canadian engineering schools. However, international applicants will still be required to obtain an academic credential evaluation report from World Education Services (WES) prior to apply- ing to APEGA. We introduced the WES process about a year ago. WES evaluates
Questions? registration@apega.ca
COMPETENCY SELF-ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET: A NEW TOOL TO ASSESS YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE A new Competency Self-Assessment Worksheet (CSAW) launched by APEGA in November is the first competency self-assessment tool to be used by an engineering association in Canada. The worksheet, available in APEGA’s Member Self-Service Centre, allows Professional Engineering and Licensee applicants to evaluate their work experience skills in 22 specific competencies. Prior to applying for an engineering licence with APEGA, they can compare their scores to APEGA’s licensing requirements.
This will help them determine whether they need to improve their skills before submitting their application. CSAW is an optional self-assessment and doesn’t affect membership applications. It’s not an official document — it won’t even be reviewed by staff or the Board of Examiners. To complete the self-assessment, you must have already started the application process and received an APEGA ID number. You will see the CSAW option in your Member Self- Service Centre account.
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