ABOUT APEGGA AND ITS MEMBERS
ABOUT APEGGA AND ITS MEMBERS
Who are APEGGA Members?
They are sometimes called the hidden professions because unlike your doctor, dentist, veterinarian, lawyer or accountant, you may never directly require the services of a professional engineer, geologist or geophysicist. But every time you flick on a light switch, turn on a tap, ride in an elevator, use a telephone, turn the key in the ignition, drive on a road, fuel your vehicle or heat your home, you can do so in large part because of the research and applied science knowledge of engineers, geologists and geophysicists.
APEGGA members are your next door neighbour, your child’s soccer coach, the person in the seat next to you at the arena or at church. They are well-educated, engaged and involved in the community and in their profession. APEGGA has over 600 volunteers who annually serve on Council, committees, boards and who go out into classrooms, libraries, museums and shopping malls to deliver curriculum-related science demonstrations, career and science fairs, and science olympics programs around the province.
Many are also business people who pay taxes and support their local communities professionally and personally. They also work in all levels of government and post-secondary institutes as well as in business and industry. In fact, engineers and geoscientists impact many aspects of public welfare including: physical, health, financial, environmental and socio-economic. They contribute substantially to the Alberta Advantage by annually generating $9 billion in revenues and creating thousands of jobs and are recognized around the world as experts and wealth builders.
What are APEGGA Members Doing
to Sustain the Alberta Advantage?
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APEGGA’s members support the Alberta Government’s investment, together with industry, in post-secondary education to increase our own home grown talent pool
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fully 20 per cent of APEGGA members are internationally-educated graduates. Canada’s future growth will continue to be fueled by a large stream of internationally-educated graduates. APEGGA has already approved a provisional licence (still before the legislature) for internationally-educated graduates who meet all the requirements for full licensure except for the one year of Canadian experience. This licence will send a message to potential employers that these applicants have been thoroughly evaluated and should be employed
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Alberta’s universities are unable to meet the demand. For each application received from an Alberta graduate in 2004, two come from outside the province. APEGGA continues to play a significant role, through our outreach program, in encouraging more young Albertans to consider a career in the engineering and geoscience professions
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Aboriginals are largely absent from the professions with an estimated 10 or 12 graduating from Alberta universities each year. APEGGA is evaluating the role it can play in encouraging more Aboriginals to enter the professions
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technologists continue to seek recognition for the practice of engineering and geoscience they are competent to perform. That is why APEGGA created a category of membership that awards qualified technologists the freedom to practice independently within a defined scope of practice. To date, about 140 Registered Professional Technologist (RPT) designations have been conferred
APEGGA’s Four Principles
The
vibrant Alberta economy, with record amounts of capital expenditure, is creating
very high demands for professional services. Built on the following four principles,
APEGGA is working on many fronts to ensure the expertise is available to sustain
our development.
1. protection of the public interest is paramount
2. the regulation of our professions is best done under one provincial statute
3. anyone practicing our professions who is qualified to be licenced should be licenced and those who are not qualified must practice under the supervision of someone who is licenced
4. there will be no unfair or unreasonable barriers to practitioners reaching their maximum potential
Proud Past: ConFIdent Future
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the practice of engineering, geology and geophysics in Alberta is governed by The Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act.
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APEGGA is mandated to administer the Act as a self-governing body on behalf of the Alberta Government all in the interest of public safety and well-being
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since 1920 membership has grown to over 43,000
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over 3,500 applications were received in 2004
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total number of applications in 2005 expected to exceed 4,500
Committed to Public Safety and Well-Being
APEGGA’s ongoing commitment to protecting the public interest through
regulating the practice of the professions is evident in its regulatory activities
which include:
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registering/licensing qualified members
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establishing practice standards
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administering a complaint and discipline process
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encouraging professional development
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reviewing member and corporate practice
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stopping those not qualified from practicing and using the title