What are my Academic Documentation Requirements in Applying for APEGA?

What are my Academic Documentation Requirements in Applying for APEGA?

In the past articles I wrote in the Alberta Filipino Journal, I discussed the experience requirements you need to comply with for you to apply as a Professional Engineer in Alberta through the APEGA. The accuracy of writing about your professional experience and its content will matter in gaining your License.

The experience requirement is only a piece of the entire process that you need in order to comply. The more difficult compliance in the entire process is the Education Requirements. Most Filipino immigrants in Canada graduated from different colleges and universities in the Philippines where their credentials were evaluated by third party organizations that make recommendations to APEGA on what their education is equivalent to in the Canadian education system.

The APEGA outlined a process on how to submit your academic documentation requirements to the World Education Services (WES).

All applicants will be evaluated against the APEGA syllabus in engineering and geoscience. Applicants who do not meet academic requirements could be refused, prescribed examinations to make up for perceived deficiencies or be asked to write confirmatory examinations to confirm the quality, depth and breadth of their education.

Basic guidelines were published in the APEGA website in which the courses taken in the Philippines are compared to the acceptable course equivalent and syllabi. The course lists are available at the APEGA website and is available at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary that match APEGA’s course equivalents. The syllabi and exams explain what the course and technical exams will cover. Engineering applicants must complete the requirements listed under Preliminary and Basic Studies and Complementary Studies, as well as the requirements specified for their specific discipline.

The final review of academic documents is done by APEGA’s Board of Examiners (BOE), and it is the BOE that ultimately determines their depth, breadth, and acceptability.

World Education Services (WES) is an academic-assessment agency designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to provide educational credential assessments for degrees earned outside of Canada. WES is the only academic-assessment agency recognized by APEGA, and only International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) reports are accepted.

A WES assessment that states you have a “4-year undergraduate degree” is only the first step in the academic assessment process. APEGA’s Board of Examiners must also conduct a full review of your academic credentials.

WES ICAP Report:
• Verifies the authenticity of your academic documents.
• Establishes the equivalent level of your academic credentials compared with the Canadian university system.

APEGA’s Board of Examiners:
• Reviews your degree to ensure it is a degree in engineering or geoscience.
• Confirms the acceptability of the course content and performance of your degree.
• Ensures that your degree meets the legal requirements for licensure.

How to Obtain a World Education Services ICAP Report
1. Register for APEGA’s Member Self-Service Centre, and receive your ID number. This ID number will be required to order your WES Report.
2. Follow the instructions to continue to the WES website for the next step of the application process.
3. Follow the instructions provided by WES. If you already have an evaluation report from WES, you may need to upgrade that report to an International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP).
4. WES will send the completed evaluation report to APEGA digitally. Physical copies will not be accepted.

What you need to do:
You must have an APEGA ID number before you begin a WES application.

Follow the steps below to complete your WES application:
1. Select Canada for your evaluation.
2. Select WES Standard Application.
3. Add Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) as a recipient.
4. Select WES ICAP Course-by-Course as the evaluation type (required by APEGA).

If you already have a WES application, it must be upgraded to a WES ICAP Course-by-Course evaluation.
Follow the country-specific document requirements and arrange for your documents to be delivered to WES.
The roadblock for most Filipino Engineers in continuing this application process is when they get a credential evaluation that states “3-year diploma” wherein the only option left is to take the Technical Exams which entails a lot of preparation and cost. And at the end of the day, it is still your decision whether you are going to pursue your professional status as an Engineer or re-direct your path to become a Technologist. Pursuing your path to becoming a Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) is governed by The Association of Science & Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET). The process and the requirements differ as well. In the next issue of the AFJ, I will cover the requirements for ASET.

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