B.C. engineers’ response split on mandatory professional development
April 21, 2015
By
CCE
Engineers in British Columbia have responded by an even split for and against a proposal to have mandatory professional development.
The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. (APEGBC) reported in the March/April issue of Innovation magazine (p. 13) that 5,168 members participated in the survey about the proposed bylaw which will be put to a vote in the fall.
Of the respondents to the survey, 28.6% were in favour of a mandatory professional development program, and 28.6% were against. The remaining 42.8% were unsure.
Asked if they intended to vote, the vast majority said, yes: 81%.
If passed, all licensed engineers in the province will have to engage in a minimum amount of training or participation in other activities that count as professional development, and they will have to report those activities annually.
The participants were asked what they would like to see changed about the proposed bylaw. A common response was that there should be exemptions for part-time and semi-retired practitioners and for those in specialized fields. Another popular response was for there to be a reduction in the number of professional development hours required.
To see the report in APEGBC’s Innovation magazine, click here.
Click here (digital, p. 30) or here (text) to see an article “Keeping Up” in the January-February 2015 issue of Canadian Consulting Engineer, in which engineers expressed various views for and against mandatory continuing professional development programs.
