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APEGGA On ICE
Top, members of
Edmonton’s Indo-Canadian community
take in a presentation at the D.A. Lindberg Conference
Centre at APEGGA’s office; left, the executive
of Indo-Canadian Engineers Association of Edmonton, known
by the acronym ICE, pose with APEGGA managers: (from
left) Len Shrimpton, P.Eng., Director of Internal Affairs;
Nancy Toth, MA, Manager of Professional Development;
and Mark Tokarik, P.Eng., Director of Registration.
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Through a new organization, Edmonton Indo-Canadians are
helping fellow professionals from their homeland make the
sometimes difficult transition into a new culture. In July
APEGGA added its support to the Indo-Canadian Engineers Association
of Edmonton by hosting an information session, in response
to a request from the association’s president, Dinesh
Gupta, P.Eng.
Mr. Gupta says: “ICE was formed a couple of months
ago with the purpose of having Indo-Canadian professional
members assist well-educated professionals from their homeland
in merging successfully in their new environment.” A
good fit, then, was the July 20 pizza-and-pop session on
APEGGA’s registration system and new mentoring program.
Initially, ICE’s executive met with three APEGGA managers – Len
Shrimpton, P.Eng., Director of Internal Affairs; Mark Tokarik,
P.Eng., Director of Registration; and Nancy Toth, MA, Manager
of Professional Development. A new APEGGA mentoring pool,
which will focus on employment- and career-related skills
and career advice, was discussed.
Brochures were distributed to the more than 70 members who
attended the seminar. Mr. Tokarik presented on licensure
requirements, with extra focus on the particular challenges
faced by internationally educated grads. The information
generated plenty of interest and questions continued past
the formal ending of the seminar.
The evening concluded with Dr. Chinnia Subramanian, P.Eng.,
secretary of ICE, thanking Mr. Tokarik and other APEGGA staff.
The member number issued to applicants at the time they
apply for registration makes them eligible for the mentoring
program right away, before the registration process is complete.
Some internationally educated grads were ineligible for APEGGA’s
first mentoring pool, with its focus on work-related soft
skills, because they were not in the workplace.
The new program, however, will assist locally educated grads
and those educated abroad in finding employment in their
fields. APEGGA is further supporting the program by including
a presentation on networking in its member-in-training seminars
in October and by offering seminars on interviewing skills
in November. Check the website for further details.
Mr. Gupta hopes that APEGGA’s new mentoring program,
launched Aug. 31, will facilitate ICE members in their coaching
of fellow Indo-Canadian professionals. The ICE president
said he also wants APEGGA to continue exploring ways to make
the evaluation of academic qualifications as expedient as
possible.
Many ICE members are already experienced professional members
and very active within the profession. Several, in fact,
volunteered to mentor other ICE members. A third of the association
membership have applied for registration and another third
are still seeking information.
The Professional Development Department will be contacting
other associations formed to assist aspiring professionals.
This is in keeping with the Canadian Council of Professional
Engineers’ recent study and report from, Consideration
to Integration, and with APEGGA’s commitment to assisting
internationally educated grads in becoming licensed.
Visit www.apegga.org/members/prof_development.html
Phone Nancy Toth, MA
1-800-661-7020
E-mail ntoth@apegga.org
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