APEGA and the Fair Registration Practices Act
On June 19, 2019, the Government of Alberta (GoA) introduced Bill 11, the Fair Registration Practices Act. This bill aims to increase the speed at which internationally trained applicants’ credentials are recognized for self-regulated professions.
“As the regulator for engineering and geoscience in Alberta, APEGA looks forward to working with the Government of Alberta to achieve the goals of this act,” said Jay Nagendran, P.Eng., APEGA registrar and chief executive officer. “We fully support the government’s commitment to registration practices that are transparent, objective, impartial and fair.”
APEGA’s existing registration practices already meet industry best practices, including being aligned with the GoA’s foreign-qualification recognition framework. All APEGA applicants are treated in an equal, balanced and fair manner, based on their qualifications, not their country of origin. In addition, APEGA continuously strives to enhance and expedite its application process without compromising public safety.
During the review process, applicants can check the status of their application online and can contact their dedicated applications administrator if they have questions.
Fair Registration Practices Act Facts
One of APEGA’s primary regulatory functions is licensing individuals who want to practise engineering or geoscience in Alberta. Applicants and companies that meet APEGA’s standards for ethical, professional and technical competency earn the right to practise and use reserved titles and designations. We are committed to ensuring our application process is transparent, objective, impartial and fair, just as we are dedicated to ensuring the safety of all Albertans.
We have an international qualifications unit. This unit evaluates foreign credentials and is overseen by an experienced, international qualifications officer (IQO). The IQO provides guidance on the application process and licensure requirements and collaborates with all immigrant-serving agencies across the province to assist newcomers to Alberta.
We evaluate work experience using a competency-based assessment (CBA) method. CBA is used to evaluate work experience against the required Canadian standard and is considered a best practice by the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications and by Alberta’s Foreign Qualification Recognition Plan. The CBA method includes 22 key competencies. You can learn more on our website.
We partner with World Education Services (WES) to conduct assessments. WES is a subject matter expert in authenticating foreign credentials and comparing them to Canadian education systems. Together, we also create pathways to professional registration for refugees who are not able to provide standard documentation due to conflicts in their countries. You can read more about our academic documentation requirements on our website.
We have submitted recommendations to modernize the Engineering and Geoscience
Professions Act (EGP Act). There have been no significant updates to the EGP Act for 40 years. After a thorough review and consultation with members, the Government of Alberta and other stakeholders, we submitted more than 160 recommended changes
to the Government of Alberta.