Work experience
You’ve studied all the texts, completed all the exams, done all the group projects, and now it’s finally time to take the next step and put your knowledge into practice!
At its simplest, the work experience requirement involves finding an engineering job and working directly under a licensed engineer who can sign off on your work hours and achievement of specific competencies.
Competency-based assessment
These competencies represent the required skills that you must demonstrate to become licensed. Most regulators follow a competency-based assessment (CBA) approach. CBA is a process where the applicant provides detailed work experience examples, against specific competence categories. Six regulators use a shared online system that includes a pan-Canadian set of 34 key competencies, non-discipline specific indicators, and specific technical indicators for certain areas of practice. Learn more about these competencies.
Work experience
The skills that you will learn on the job under the mentorship of an experienced engineer will be invaluable, and tracking your progress moves you closer to licensure while keeping you focused and organized as you pursue your engineering and career goals.
The information below is a summary of work requirements and is subject to change. Contact your prospective engineering regulator to confirm requirements and the process that you need to follow.
| Regulator | Pre-licensure program or status | Competency-based assessment | Number of supervised work hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario: PEO | No | Yes | 48 months |
| Quebec: OIQ | Candidate to the Engineering Profession (CEP) | Yes | 24 months |
| Newfoundland and Labradour: PEGNL | Member-in-Training (MIT) | Yes | 48 months |
| New Brunswick: APEGNB | Optional Member-in-Training (MIT) | Yes | 48 months (12 months must be Canadian work experience) |
| Prince Edward Island: Engineers PEI | Engineer-in-Training (EIT) | Yes | 48 months |
| Nova Scotia: Engineers Nova Scotia | Engineer-in-Training (EIT) | No | 48 months (12 months must be Canadian or equivalent work experience) |
| Manitoba: Engineers Manitoba | Engineering Interns | Yes | N/A |
| Saskatchewan: APEGS | Engineer-in-Training (EIT) | Yes |
48 months
|
| Alberta: APEGA | Engineer-in-Training (EIT) | Yes | 48 months |
| British Columbia: Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia | Optional Engineer-in-Training (EIT) | Yes | 48 months |
| Yukon: Engineers Yukon | Optional Engineer-in-Training (EIT) | Yes | 48 months |
| Northwest Territories and Nunavut: NAPEG | Engineer-in-Training (EIT) | Yes | 48 months |
International engineering graduates
For those who have engineering experience outside of Canada, applicants need to satisfy regulator requirements around work experience in Canada or similar countries, demonstrate knowledge and experience of Canadian regulations, codes, standards, quality control, safety awareness, professional accountability and communication. Each regulator has their own process for confirming international work experience. More information for international engineering graduates can be found at engineerhere.ca.