Canadian engineering profession moving forward

with foreign credential recognition initiative

Saeed Ziaee, P.Eng., founder and product development manager at Intelligent Engineering Solutions in Toronto,  knows about the barriers to employment that international engineering graduates (IEGs) can face when they immigrate to Canada. Although highly respected as a mechanical engineer in Iran, Saeed was unprepared for the cultural and linguistic barriers as well as the difficulties in gaining recognition for his credentials when he arrived here in 1991. 

 Saeed now shares his perspective with colleagues on the Steering Committee that guides From Consideration to Integration (FC2I), a project of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) and its members.  Designed to help clarify the licensing process and integrate IEGs into engineering employment, FC2I is benefiting from the advice offered by Saeed, other IEGs, academics, employers and professional engineers who’ve been involved in the initiative.  The result is a series of recommendations intended to improve the entire experience of an IEG – from the moment they consider immigrating to Canada, until they are integrated into this country.  

Of the thousands of immigrants arriving in Canada annually, many identify themselves as engineers.  In 2001, of the 44 per cent of skilled workers who identified an intention to work in a regulated occupation at the time of immigration, 63 per cent indicated engineering. These IEGs may be seasoned engineering professionals, recent engineering graduates or working in jobs that would be technologist, technician, architecture or scientist positions in Canada. Regardless of which group they fall into, some arrive in Canada expecting to begin work as engineers right away but are unable to find jobs suited to their skills.

In Canada, engineering is a self-regulated profession; standards are set and licences are issued by the 12 provincial and territorial licensing bodies.  This placed the responsibility for finding solutions to the issues being faced by IEGs with the national federation of those licensing bodies – the CCPE.  When the CCPE, its members, and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) met in the fall of 2002 to first discuss the problem, it was against a backdrop of unflattering media reports about IEGs working in Canada as cab drivers or delivery people or fast food attendants, and a growing awareness on the part of the profession that this was a situation that needed to be addressed. Together, they embarked on FC2I, a three-phase project.

In Phase I, work focused on understanding the IEG experience, examining provincial and territorial engineering licensing procedures, and learning from those who work with and employ IEGs. In Phase II, the Steering Committee analyzed the information, determined where the process of integration needs improvement and began to build consensus around possible solutions. In Phase III, the CCPE plans to work with partners to implement the recommendations.

The 17 recommendations were announced in May 2004, and cover everything from licensing to employment. Over the summer and early fall, regulatory bodies and immigrant serving agencies from across the country have been discussing the roles they could play in implementing the recommendations.  Recommendations discussed during the roundtable sessions include:

·   Providing accurate and consistent information about the engineering profession licensing process, employment situation and IEG support agencies, prior to and after arrival in Canada.

·   Determining and implementing effective relationships between immigrant serving agencies and regulatory bodies to enhance communication and information exchange.

·   Providing a single source of engineering information on the Internet for IEGs; do this through the Going to Canada portal which would link to constituent members’ sites..

The discussions have identified the challenges facing the implementation of some of the recommendations, and offered possible solutions. The results will be compiled as an implementation plan and should be ready in November. 

In the meantime, Saeed offers this advice for newly-arrived IEGs.

“Don’t get discouraged – be creative about the type of engineering work you’re prepared to do even if it doesn’t seem to reflect exactly your experience in your home country.” 

CCPE welcomes input from IEGs.  This can be done by sending an email to the contact information noted on the project’s website:  www.ccpe.ca/fc2i.

The Canadian Council of Professional Engineers is the national organization of the 12 provincial and territorial associations/ordre that regulate the practice of engineering in Canada and license the country's more than 160,000 professional engineers.