INNOVATION January-February 2015

profes s iona l deve lopmen t

Bylaw Amendment Consultation Underway Members Respond on Professional Development Bylaw

This fall, BC engineers and geoscientists will be asked to vote on a bylaw for continuing professional development. If passed, the bylaw will commit all practicing members and licensees to undertake a minimum amount of professional de- velopment each year and to report annually that this require- ment has been met. The primary duty of a self-regulating body is to ensure that the public interest is protected, and clients, employers and the public expect professional engineers and geoscientists to be up to date on the knowledge required to practice competently within their areas of expertise. Mandatory programs are now standard for regulated professions, including BC architects, doctors, lawyers and accountants, as well as most engineering and geoscience regulators across the country. The Proposed Bylaw Given the diverse nature of both engineering and geoscience practice, Council recognized that the requirements for CPD compliance had to respect the many ways in which engineers and geoscientists keep up to date in their areas of expertise. The proposed bylaw therefore allows members the flexibility to

determine how and when they participate in CPD, and what ac- tivities they undertake. As professionals, it is up to each mem- ber to determine what professional development is relevant to their professional practice. Consultation Results and Ongoing Opportunities Consultation has been underway since late 2014 with members and internal stakeholder groups, including branch and division representatives, various committees, and past presidents. Members have demonstrated great interest in this topic and the breadth and depth of feedback provided to date has been significant. A member survey was conducted between December 12 and January 16. The response was very strong, with just over 5,000 members participating in the survey. There are still many opportunities for you to provide your feedback to Council on this issue. Consultation visits are being scheduled throughout the province and a webcast will be held on March 11. You can also submit your comments by email at any time to cpd@apeg.bc.ca. For the most up-to-date informa- tion, please visit apeg.bc.ca/mcpd.

Your Questions About the Bylaw I’m retired, but I want to keep my P.Eng./P.Geo. What are my options?

Members who do not actively practice engineering or geoscience have the option of Non-Practising Status. Members in this category will be exempt from the requirements of the bylaw. You will retain your designation as a registered professional, but must refrain from practice. A common misconception is that you must list “non-practising” after your designation, but this is not required. I spend a lot of time on remote sites and can’t access courses specific to my expertise. How can I comply with the bylaw? CPD is not just about attending seminars. Your professional practice can account for up to 50 out of 80 of your CPD hours each year. Your remaining 30 hours could be spent on activities outside a formal course environment that contribute to your professional knowledge—such as mentoring, reading technical journals, writing papers, and attending online courses. And, the program is based on a rolling total. So, if you have 110 CPD hours one year, 50 the next year, and 80 in your third year, you are in compliance. What can I count as CPD? Does ______ count? There is no “one size fits all” answer to this very common question. The key is that the activity must be relevant to your professional practice, and fall into one of six categories. Beyond that, there is a great deal of flexibility to recognize the many ways that members stay up to date. I’m a member of APEGA too. Can I count my Alberta CPD towards APEGBC requirements? Yes. As other provincial regulators may have differing CPD requirements, please be sure you confirm requirements for each jurisdic- tion in which you are registered. I’m on parental leave. Do I still need to comply with the bylaw? Members on parental leave, as well as members who are unemployed, not working due to health reasons, or who may be in other circumstances that prevent them from complying with the bylaw may apply for full or partial exemption from the requirements. What happens when someone doesn’t meet the CPD requirements? If this bylaw is ratified, compliance will be a requirement for maintaining your APEGBC membership. Members who do not comply may be referred by the Investigation Committee to the Discipline Committee for an inquiry. APEGBC is seeking an amendment to the Act to enable a more efficient process to handle issues of non-compliance, such as fines and reminder notices, followed by even- tual cancellation for non-compliance. You can learn more on page 14.

13

J AN UA R Y/ F E B R UA R Y 2 015

i n n o v a t i o n