Coming North: Building a Home and a Career
There was a time when Elsa Hernández Manrique would not have been able to find the city of Lethbridge on a map.
Following in her father’s footsteps
Born and raised in Mexico and the daughter of an engineer, she followed in her dad’s footsteps. She graduated from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico and started her career as an onsite inspector for bridge and highway projects. Later she worked as an international consultant for a company that made steel and aluminum domes, working on projects in Chile and the Philippines. She eventually became a construction site manager in a Mexican gold mine.
A new chapter in Alberta
When her husband accepted a postdoctoral position through the University of Lethbridge and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 2018, the couple left Mexico and settled in Alberta. After receiving her work permit, she still needed to become licensed as a professional engineer by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
“The life of a newcomer is not always easy,” she says. “It requires you to adapt to new environments, new language, new people—you practically start all over. Professionally speaking, in my case, I had to adapt to a different construction business, different standards, and different ways to build. The relationship between clients, contractors, and the government is also different.”
Discovering APEGA
“We don’t have a similar institution like APEGA in Mexico. When I was looking for a job, many employers preferred applicants who were registered with APEGA or eligible to be a member of APEGA,” she says.
She went online, learned more about becoming a registrant, and realized she didn’t meet all the requirements to get licensed. She had work to do, but she wasn’t ready to start down that path just yet.
“The process is not complicated,” she says. “But, for a newcomer, some things take priority over others.”
She postponed the idea of starting the process.
Despite not being licensed, she was still allowed to work in engineering as long as she was under the supervision of a professional engineer, which led to her securing a position with Associated Engineering in 2020. The company aided and supported her in her application process for a professional engineering licence.
Support and growth at Associated Engineering
After submitting her university paperwork, she was required to do the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. With the support of her employer, she studied, passed the test, and became a member-in-training with APEGA.
To obtain her P.Eng. designation, she needed to show that she had the 22 core competencies in engineering and pass the National Professional Practice Exam—an exam all applicants must take, regardless of their country of origin. Hernández Manrique earned her P.Eng. designation in 2024.
Why licensing matters
She believes that APEGA’s certification process ensures that clients and the public know they can have confidence in those with P.Eng. designations. They know these certifications come after a well-defined process is completed, including verification of required education and experience.
“When I arrived in Canada, I didn’t understand the function of APEGA in the engineering practice,” she says. “But, working alongside Canadian professionals in Alberta, it became clear to me why APEGA regulates the engineering profession.”
“Why is it so important? It’s to protect the public. APEGA’s function is to license professionals and check that we meet the professional, ethical, and technical standards. So, that creates trust in the companies and the individuals practising engineering.”
Hernández Manrique says it’s a stark contrast to Mexico. “In Mexico, you get a university degree and start practising right away. In Canada, you need to be licensed to practise,” she says.
Although earning a degree is the first step in an engineer’s career, it’s just the foundation. To protect the public, engineers must also gain practical experience, show competency, and adhere to ethical standards before taking on responsibilities such as authenticating work. APEGA plays a critical role in this process, ensuring accountability and oversight to maintain high standards and protect public safety.
Giving back to the community
In fact, Hernández Manrique is so committed to her professional development and the engineering community that she volunteers for APEGA’s Lethbridge Branch. She also spends time in the community helping newcomers navigate their way through their new Canadian lives. It’s her small way of giving back, embracing her new life, and growing her engineering career.