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Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) Engineering Experience Assessment

A PEO’s Engineering Experience Record (WER) is an account with details of an individual’s work history. It includes information about the individual’s job duties, abilities and skills. The WER can be used to evaluate an individual’s qualifications for a new job or to assess their performance in their current position. We at www.globalimmigrationhelp.com offer unparalleled and top-notch expertise help in completing the Experience Record adhering to the latest PEO guidelines and updates.

PEO’s Work Experience Record is an online system allowing users to record and track their work experience. This system can help users to keep track of their work history, skills and attainments. PEO’s Work Experience Record is a useful tool for a job seeker and employer.

The Experience Record is an official employment record that is maintained by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). The Work Experience Record is created and supported by a PEO (Practice Experience Office), and it is used for the verification of employment history and professional development.

PEO evaluates each applicant’s engineering experience on the basis of five standards of excellence that are below:

  • Application of Theory
  • Management of Engineering
  • Practical Experience
  • Social Implications of Engineering
  • Communication Skills

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO)

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO, known until 1993 as the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, APEO) is the self-regulatory body governing Ontario’s 85,000 professional engineers and sets standards and regulates engineering practice in this Canadian province. It is the regulating and licensing body for professional engineering in Ontario.

PEO regulates the practice of professional engineering and governs its members to serve and protect the public interest by making sure that all professional engineers fulfill rigorous qualifications for licensing and that only a properly qualified individual can work as an engineering professional.

Attaining a Licence in Ontario

To take up the responsibility for professional engineering work in Ontario, you must be licensed by PEO Canada.

Companies or people may only provide engineering services to the public on the condition that they hold a Certificate of Authorization from PEO.

A limited licence is provided to those who, as a result of at least eight years of expert experience, have developed competence in a certain area of professional engineering.

A temporary licence is provided on a project and discipline basis for a maximum of 12 months from approval. However, only one Certificate of Authorization is necessary.

A provisional licence may be provided to a P.Eng. licence applicant who has fulfilled all of PEO’s licensing requirements except for a minimum of 12 months of acceptable and verifiable engineering experience in Canada, under the supervision of a professional engineer who has been licensed in the territory/province in which the work was performed.

Path to Licensure

Over 200 engineering programs offered at 35 Canadian universities, almost half of which are in Ontario, have fulfilled the demanding standards that are set by profession and have been accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Graduation from one of these nationally accredited programs means you have attained the academic qualifications necessary to apply for licence as a P.Eng. with any of the 12 provincial and territorial engineering licensing bodies.

Graduation from a Canadian engineering program brings with it a unique and memorable event: the Iron Ring ceremony. A tradition since 1925, the ring is worn on the little finger of the working hand to symbolize the pride engineering professionals have in their profession and to remind them of their duty to live by a high standard of professional conduct.

Although the iron ring represents a huge attainment, it doesn’t make the wearer an engineer. Graduation is only the first step to attaining a licence and becoming a professional engineer.

Those who had their education outside of Canada need to contact PEO directly at newcomers@peo.on.ca for information about programs and resources available to assist them in becoming licensed in Ontario.

LICENSING GUIDELINES FOR INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING GRADUATES IN ONTARIO

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) under the Professional Engineers Act is appointed to set the criterions for admission and to standardize the practice of engineering in the province. This authorized body ensures all aspects related to public safety and welfare concerning engineering is being followed. Besides, PEO provides leadership to the engineering profession in the country. It encourages the contribution of professional engineers and their services in the application of science and technology to benefit humankind.

In addition, maintaining similar standards to enter into the profession in all jurisdictions of the country helps Ontario Professional Engineers to relocate from one province (or territory) to the other with ease and convenience. Ontario professional engineers have benefitted immensely and gained great recognition within a world of technology through instant communications.

Under the Professional Engineers Act, the expression “practice of professional engineering” means “any act of planning, designing, composing, evaluating, advising, reporting, directing or supervising that requires the application of engineering principles and concerns the safeguarding of life, health, property, economic interests, the public welfare or the environment, or the managing of any such act”.

You will need to obtain a professional engineering license (P. Eng.) under the following circumstances:

  • 1st: You are in the process of planning, designing, evaluating, composing, advising, directing, reporting, or supervising, or managing any of these acts.
  • 2nd :The act must be carried out by the engineering principles.
  • 3rd: The act concerns the safeguarding of life, health, property, economic interests, public welfare, or the environment.

2. If you intend on work in any of the categories listed above, you are required to apply for a Professional Engineering License from the regulating body in Ontario. License is granted by the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) to applicants who meet the following criteria:

a) If you are 18 years old or above

b) If you are of good character

3. If, you have acquired an undergraduate engineering degree from a Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB)-accredited program, or any other equivalent qualifications, and, if needed, complete any technical exams.

4. You need to present at least 48 months of acceptable engineering experience which is verifiable, out of which at least 12 months should be from a Canadian jurisdiction and must be covered under licensed professional engineer.

5. After completing PEO’s Professional Practice Examination (PPE).

It is important to know that it is not mandatory for International Engineering Graduates to be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants to apply for their P.Eng. The students from across the world can begin their licensure process even from outside of Canada.

The licensure process contains several steps. An application form that candidates can avail of on PEO’s website must be backed with as many details as possible. You, as an applicant, are also required to obtain an academic assessment, engineering experience record, Professional Practice Examination (PPE), and references.

Application form

You must carefully fill up the application form. Every possible detail about your name, proof of identity, current residential address, academic, and employment background along with any other important area of information must be provided.

Academic Assessment

Complete academic information including a description of all related courses and other abstracts of post-graduate programs undertaken should be provided by you. In case you are a graduate from a Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) program, then you are required to provide the original transcripts that can directly be sent to the academic institution to PEO. But, if you are a Non-CEAB graduate, then, in that case, original transcripts along with proof of diplomas, degrees, and other essential certificates are required.

Also, all the documents are to be translated into English by a certified member of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) or can also be prepared and certified by a professional engineer who is already licensed in Canada. The internal accreditation department of PEO Canada is responsible to assess the applicant’s academic details. It determines Canadian equivalency on every case based on the assessments. Based on this, the PEO can sign applicants to go through an examination process to make sure all the educational requirements are fulfilled. This is a technical exam that you can apply to even outside of Canada. It is conducted twice a year.

Professional Practice Exam

The Professional Practice Exam is a 3-hour duration exam and consists of 2 parts: law and ethics. It is a closed book essay format examination that is offered thrice a year in April, August and December. Those appearing in the exam can do so from across and outside of Canada. You can even request an examination date apart from the one already determined in case you cannot appear for the exam on the general examination date if permitted. The minimum passing marks for all applicants of the PPE is set at 50%. If you fail to obtain the minimum passing marks, you have to re-write and appear only for the failed portions of the exam both in law and or ethics. You can get more information about where to look for study materials from PEO.

Engineering experience

This step follows after your exams are successfully completed. You, as a potential applicant, are required to provide adequate information related to engineering experience. You have to provide details on how you possess 48 months of verifiable that can be accepted as valid engineering experience. You need to provide details of at least 12 months of engineering experience acceptable in a Canadian jurisdiction that you have acquired under a licensed professional engineer. This engineering experience details must be written in detail in the Experience Record Form that you can find online on the PEO website. PEO provides valuable suggestions on how you can focus on describing your eligibility as per specific criteria given below, by providing summarised information of successful completion of 3 to 5 engineering projects that you can take credit for. The first two criteria call for string observation and must reflect over a substantial portion of the overall experience with supplemental experience or exposure in the rest of the category.

  • Application of theory
  • Practical experience
  • Management of engineering
  • Communication skills
  • Social implications of engineering

References

You need to provide a minimum of three references, with one about P.Eng that will provide details of the person who has supervised you for 12 months in a Canadian jurisdiction. Your references should be reflective of the work that you completed and ideally should include licensed professional engineers who have acted as your direct supervisors. One reference should be about a powerful person from previous employment or client firm details of which you have provided. Your references should be such that along with attesting your technical abilities and abiding by the 5 abovementioned criteria, they should also act as verification of your good character.

A provisional license is offered by PEO to those who are about to obtain their P.Eng, those who only have to fulfill their 12 months of Canadian experience. This provisional license needs to be renewed every year to make sure that your PEO case file remains active. Only after completion of all the requirements for application, you will receive your full Ontario P.Eng license and will be in a position to work as a professional engineer.

About experience required for licensing as a Professional Engineer in Ontario

All applicants for a professional engineer license in Canadian Jurisdiction:-

  • Are required to show strong proof of 48 months of verifiable acceptable engineering experience that they have gathered after graduation;
  • Are eligible to receive up to 12 months credit of pre-graduation experience toward fulfilling the requirement of 48 months of required verifiable experience;
  • Can, for the successful completion of postgraduate engineering degree(s) from a PEO recognized university, normally receive a credit;
  • Must acquire a minimum of 12 months of engineering experience under a licensed professional engineer, which is acceptable in a Canadian jurisdiction. This experience should be obtained in addition to the experience obtained in the pre-graduation stage and/or toward a postgraduate degree.

This Experience Requirements Guide is extremely helpful for the sponsors of license applicants and their employers along with the applicants themselves. A candidate’s suitability in terms of experience for licensure is judged based on five quality-based experience criteria. This criterion defines the applicant’s experience against acceptable engineering experience. These 5 criteria that are described in Section 2.2 of this Experience Requirements Guide are:

  • Application of Theory
  • Practical Experience
  • Management of Engineering
  • Communication Skills
  • Social Implications of Engineering

It is the utmost responsibility of you as an applicant to prove that you have followed the engineering experience requirements to the satisfaction of the association.

In the experience requirement guide, you will find details about engineering experience requirements for achieving a professional engineer license. For information on other requirements, such as details on Certificate of Authorization for those offering engineering services to the public, please contact PEO.

Criteria for Acceptable Engineering Experience

Experience is a major component that can help an engineering graduate to achieve licensing as a professional engineer. Here, a crucial role is played by the firm providing the employment that will be counted as an acceptable experience and also the person entrusted with supervision during the internship period. From providing the appropriate environment and opportunity to enlarging the range and progression of activities of the intern that will help him meet the experience criteria rest on both the firm and the supervisor.

Application of theory and practical experience are the two mandatory components as prescribed for acceptable engineering experience that should be given substantial importance in most cases during the internship period. This can be attained by exposing them to opportunities where they can handle broader areas of management of engineering, communication skills, and the social implications of engineering. It will be difficult for applicants to be eligible for licensing without at least some proper exposure to each of these crucial components.

Length of Experience

As an applicant for licensure, it is required to demonstrate at least four years of verifiable acceptable engineering experience to obtain the license. Also, all applicants must acquire at least one year of experience in a Canadian jurisdiction, under the direction of a professional engineer, who is licensed in Canada.

Engineering Experience Record

In the final section of this experience requirement guide, the details regarding the format of the experience record are provided that should be followed when submitting the same for PEO’s evaluation. An applicant must pay utmost attention while preparing this section and should be also very familiar with the Experience Requirements Guide before finishing the same. PEO will then offer valuable feedback on areas that needs improvement to make the record meet the necessary criteria. Applicants must follow the guidelines very carefully while given a chance to attend an Experience Requirements Committee interview. You must present your engineering experience in a nice summarised manner in a reverse chronological format by month and year. You must include details of all employers and also provide a clear technical outline of the nature of the duties and responsibilities that you were entrusted with within each position. You should also mention periods of absence with specific dates from employment due to unemployment or traveling. A sound engineering experience should be based on your academic engineering training. Activities mean tasks related to engineering, design, analysis, and synthesis, and should lead to the overall development of a sense of judgment, responsibility, communication skills, and self-confidence.

To make most of PEO’s review and assure you that your Experience Record is at par with the instructions and consists of all important information, it is suggested that you organize the Record in the following manner:

  • For every single position that you are reporting about, make sure to give the dates, position title, company name, along with a paragraph describing your job responsibilities with the ultimate focus on the engineering duties handled. Indicate the job responsibilities, why you did it and how you did it.
  • Describe, emphasizing how the work experience gained in the said position meets each of the five criteria with special emphasis on the first criteria i.e. application of theory.

Guide to the Required Experience for Licensing as a Professional Engineer in Ontario

Engineering Experience Record Partial Sample

Experience Summary Page

Experienc Record Guide & Form 2023

Experience Referee List

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