Return to Practice Policy Comes Into Effect January 1, 2009
An amended Non-Practising bylaw and a related Return to Practice policy will come into effect on January 1, 2009. These changes give consideration to current competency of members returning to practice, bringing the engineering and geoscience professions in BC into line with other professions in BC and elsewhere regarding return to practice.
The Non-practising Member bylaw clearly sets out the basic requirement that members wishing to resume practice need to be able to meet the current requirements for registration. It states:
(1) is out of the workforce with no income from employment or self-employment; and
(2) commits in writing not to engage in the practice of professional engineering or professional geoscience until released from the commitment.
Members granted non-practising status shall retain voting privileges. They may also use the title P.Eng. (Non Practising) or P.Geo. (Non Practising). Non-practising members who apply for practice status shall be required to pay the applicable fees set by Council and to demonstrate compliance with the current requirements in the Act and bylaws for registration as a member.
The accompanying new Return to Practice policy provides guidance on the particular requirements for establishing competency, based on the length of time that the member was not practising. Different criteria apply depending on the length of time the person was not practising (less than one year; more than one year but less than three years; and more than three years). The criteria in the Return to Practice policy will be applied both to members holding non-practising status, and former members who do not currently have practice rights with a Canadian jurisdiction, and who wish to reinstate their membership with APEGBC. The policy can be found at www.apeg.bc.ca/reg/docs/Return_to_Practice_Policy.pdf.
Members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the requirements for Return to Practice so that they can make an informed decision in the event that they need to reacquire practice rights after January 1, 2009. Members who wish to change their status to “practising” before January 1, 2009, need only state their preference on the fee renewal notice and pay the full practicing fee of $303.45.
Further details on the amended bylaw and new policy are available on the APEGBC website at www.apeg.bc.ca/reg/reducedtofull.html or by contacting Gillian Pichler, P.Eng., Director, Registration or Geoff Thiele LLB, Director, Investigation and Discipline.