APEGA Registrar and CEO Appointed to Foreign Credential Advisory Committee
On July 4, 2024, the Government of Alberta appointed 13 members to the newly established Foreign Credential Advisory Committee, including APEGA’s Registrar and CEO Jay Nagendran, P.Eng., FCAE, ICD.D, FEC, FGC (Hon.).
The Foreign Credential Advisory Committee will provide recommendations to the Government of Alberta on how to improve and streamline foreign credential assessment and recognition for all regulated professions, including engineering and geoscience. These recommendations will be summarized in a report to the Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism by June 28, 2025.
Contributing to Alberta’s prosperity
Nagendran is keen to learn from others on the committee and is excited to share how APEGA has improved the credentialling process for internationally trained applicants, a group that made up around 45 per cent of APEGA’s total applicants in 2023.
APEGA has made improvements to the licensure experience for international applicants. On May 24, 2024, in Calgary, APEGA gathered Council, statutory board members, and staff with representatives from the Government of Alberta, immigration agencies, and internationally trained professional to share these changes and discuss further streamlining opportunities.
Nagendran is excited to continue this work as a member of the Foreign Credential Advisory committee. “I am looking forward to the recommendations this committee will make to create positive change for Albertans and for our economy. As the largest regulator of regulated professionals, we want to better support internationally trained professionals and enable them to play a role in the province’s prosperity, as professional geoscientists and professional engineers have done for more than a century.”
Protecting public interest while improving the process
APEGA initiatives to improve the experience for internationally trained applicants include having a full-time international qualifications officer to help applicants with the application process and to educate newcomers on what to expect when applying for licensure by partnering with immigration agencies. Those who have trained internationally can also work under the supervision of a professional geoscientist or professional engineer at an APEGA permit holder prior to obtaining licensure.
The Foreign Credential Advisory committee was created by private member’s Bill 203 – Foreign Credentials Advisory Committee Act, that came into force on June 28. The committee includes representatives from industry, regulatory bodies, and educational institutions, as well as those who have experience with foreign qualification recognition systems.
Read the Government of Alberta’s news release on the Foreign Credential Advisory Committee.