INNOVATION November-December 2015

Looking-to-Exempt Threshold Adjusted APEGBC recently adjusted its policy for exempting internationally trained engineering applicants from taking some or all of the association’s qualifying or confirmatory examinations. The Looking-to-Exempt policy now requires internationally trained applicants to demonstrate a minimum of five years of overall, relevant experience. Previously, such applicants needed a

Engineering Admissions Mark Rigolo, P.Eng., “so adopting this policy would bring APEGBC into alignment with some of the best practices in Canada.” With the new experience threshold in place, internationally trained applicants with at least five years of engineering experience in Canada or the U.S. who meet the other requirements may be brought before the registration committee for exemption from examinations. Applicants with at least five years of experience, but fewer than five years of experience in Canada or the U.S., may be eligible for a Looking-to-Exempt interview if all their references are positive, and include at least two in-discipline professional engineering references and at least one professional engineering reference from a supervisor. Internationally trained applicants who receive two or more negative

references are required to take the examinations assigned by the registration committee to demonstrate or confirm their qualifications. Applicants who qualify for Looking- to-Exempt consideration as a result of the change in the years-of-experience threshold and who have failed an association examination remain ineligible for the “looking to exempt” review until he or she successfully completes the failed examination. Applicants who have been assigned examinations and have not yet completed them may be eligible for consideration under the Looking-to-Exempt policy if the candidate has not failed an examination, formally withdraws his or her original application within 12 months of the examination assignment letter, and pays an application fee—equal to the current full application fee—for the new assessment. v

minimum of seven years of experience to be considered eligible for a Looking-to- Exempt interview. These applicants’ qualifications may be assessed through interviews by APEGBC experience reviewers in order to determine whether technical examinations are necessary. Other requirements for internationally trained applicants remain the same. They must have graduated from a degree- granting engineering or applied science program deemed by Engineers Canada to be equivalent to BC engineering or applied science university programs. They must provide both documentation of their work experience and appropriate references. They also must have direct experience that has been reviewed and approved by APEGBC’s Director of Registration or at least one member of the appropriate APEGBC experience-review panel. This is the second time APEGBC has adjusted the policy’s experience-threshold requirements. Previously, the association required internationally trained applicants to have 10 years of relevant North American engineering experience. When that threshold was lowered to seven years in 2010, provision was made for the policy change and its results to be monitored and revisited. “Other Associations across Canada (APEGNB, PEO and APEGS) already have a five-year threshold for Looking- to-Exempt,” says Associate Director of

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