Revised Continuing Professional Development Program

Licensed professionals will no longer be required to submit continuing professional development (CPD) hours and CPD activities into myAPEGA, totalling 240 hours over a three-year period.  

Instead, each year, licensed professionals will be required to complete five core online learning modules and create and follow a Personal Annual Competency Evaluation (PACE) plan. 

The five learning modules focus on core concepts of the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act and common issues identified from APEGA practice reviews. 

Each licensed professional will create their own PACE plan and will continue to take responsibility for maintaining and enhancing their professional competency. Requirements can be found in version 2.0 of the Continuing Professional Development practice standard, and recommended best practices regarding the PACE plan are outlined in version 1.0 of the Personal Annual Competency Evaluation practice guideline. 

These requirements must be completed by each licensed professional’s annual expiry date, which can be found on their registrant card on the dashboard of myAPEGA. 

APEGA’s Continuing Professional Development practice standard is changing based on feedback from licensed professionals and common issues noted during practice reviews. The revised Continuing Professional Development practice standard puts more emphasis on licensed professionals holding themselves accountable for remaining competent, including planning continuing professional development (CPD) activities tailored to their needs and role, and remaining up to date on their legislated obligations and how they consistently meet them. 

Version 2.0 of the Continuing Professional Development practice standard will come into effect on January 1, 2025, and will be enforceable one year later, on January 1, 2026.  

A Personal Annual Competency Evaluation (PACE) plan is a personalized plan each licensed professional creates for themselves to ensure they are completing the continuing professional development (CPD) activities required to remain competent at their practice and fulfil their role and responsibilities in their profession. CPD activities are chosen by the licensed professional, who also tracks their completion and evaluates if they have met the intent of their plan.  

Licensed professionals can review version 2.0 of the Continuing Professional Development practice standard, version 1.0 of the Personal Annual Competency Evaluation practice guideline, and the PACE template for requirements and recommended best practice when writing their PACE plans. Each PACE plan will be unique to the individual—it is each licensed professional’s responsibility to determine what is required for their own competency.  

Licensed professionals must maintain written records of their PACE plan and CPD activities. If a PACE plan and supporting documents for CPD activities are requested by APEGA at any time, the licensed professional must provide them. 

As recommended in version 1.0 of the Personal Annual Competency Evaluation practice guideline, licensed professionals are encouraged to discuss their PACE plans with another licensed professional, such as a Responsible Member, supervisor, peer, or mentor.  

The requirements are detailed in version 2.0 of the Continuing Professional Development practice standard. 

Licensed professionals will continue to record CPD hours in myAPEGA until December 31, 2024. 

Email [email protected] if you have any further questions.

All APEGA licensed professionals must adhere to the requirements set out in version 2.0 of the Continuing Professional Development practice standard, no matter the kind of work their role requires.   

Life members, students, and members-in-training do not have to complete the requirements. 

Licensed professionals will continue to record continuing professional development (CPD) hours in myAPEGA until December 31, 2024. Starting in 2025, when version 2.0 of the Continuing Professional Development practice standard is in effect, submissions of hours for activity-based reporting in myAPEGA will no longer be required. 

The learning modules will be hosted on APEGA’s learning management system, and licensed professionals can access them by logging in to their myAPEGA account and then selecting Learning Modules on the top right-hand side of the dashboard taskbar. Some modules are already available, and all modules will be available in 2025. 

Licensed professionals may be familiar with some modules or may have taken them previously. However, even if a licensed professional has taken one of the modules before, they must complete them again by their expiry date on their registrant card in myAPEGA, once version 2.0 of the Continuing Professional Development practice standard comes into effect in 2025. 

The Personal Annual Competency Evaluation (PACE) plan is similar to continuing professional development (CPD) requirements of Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia. The focus is to switch to specific learning requirements for the licensed professional. The learning modules were added as a requirement due to findings from practice reviews which identified key standards and legislation obligations that were not being consistently applied across the professions. 

As recommended in version 1.0 of the Personal Annual Competency Evaluation practice guideline, licensed professionals are encouraged to discuss their Personal Annual Competency Evaluation (PACE) plans with another licensed professional, such as a Responsible Member, supervisor, peer, or mentor, but doing so is not a requirement.  

Licensed professionals have an obligation through the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act to maintain their competency, and it is their responsibility to create and follow their Personal Annual Competency Evaluation (PACE) plan as part of meeting their legislated obligations. APEGA has provided a PACE plan template for licensed professionals to refer to while developing their own plan. APEGA will not verify PACE plans are adequate because it is up to the licensed professional to determine what is required for them to maintain competency.

Some modules will remain the same, but they will be updated and adjusted as legislation, practice standards, guidelines, or bulletins are revised.  

This change shifts the focus to the quality of continuing professional development (CPD) activities instead of the quantity of CPD hours. It ensures licensed professionals focus on key standards and requirements, and each individual owns the maintenance of their competency and is able to justify it to their peers, if need be, through their Personal Annual Competency Evaluation plan and CPD activity records. 

At any time, the Practice Review Board may request a licensed professional’s Personal Annual Competency Evaluation (PACE) plan. Failure to provide a complete written record of their PACE plan, including supporting documents demonstrating adherence to their PACE plan, will result in cancellation of registration after the expiry of the time frame specified in the notice to comply, in accordance with the General Regulation 19.1 under the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act. 

If the Practice Review Board (PRB) is not satisfied that a licensed professional is complying with the requirements of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program, General Regulation 20(2) authorizes the PRB to conduct a review of the licensed professional’s practice. If non-compliances are identified, the PRB may determine appropriate consequences, which may include referring the matter to the Investigative Committee.