EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST IN PILOT PARTICIPATION

APEGBC is soliciting Expressions of Interest from electrical technologists interested in piloting a Limited Licence in Engineering for electrical technologists providing electrical design services for buildings.   Expressions of Interest will be accepted up to the closing date of October 26, 2007.

Successful applicants will be granted a limited licence to practice professional engineering. 

All  fees related to qualifying for the licence will be  waived for pilot participants. This reflects a saving of approximately $1,500 in application, examination and licence fees.

A maximum of five candidates will be selected from those who send expressions of interest to participate in the pilot.  The pilot will be initiated as soon as the selected applicants are notified. 

Applying for the Pilot

To read more about the licence, please click on Frequently Asked Questions.

To skip Frequently Asked Questions and apply for the pilot directly, please click on Expression of Interest.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Limited Licence?

Why is APEGBC conducting the Pilot?

Who can apply for the Pilot?

How much will it cost?

How long will it take?

If I am accepted into the Pilot, what will happen next?

If I am not accepted into the Pilot, what will happen next?

What is a Limited Licence?

The Limited Licence is a professional licence, allowing an individual to practise engineering or geoscience within a clearly defined scope. It is intended to recognize the fact that certain individuals who would not otherwise be qualified for registration as a Professional Engineer or Professional Geoscientist can be permitted to carry out certain specific functions normally within the definition of Professional Engineering or Professional Geoscience.

The current pilot will evaluate the requirements and process for a special, standard scope Limited Licence, in professional engineering, for Electrical Technologists providing Electrical Design Services for Buildings.  

The scope of the licence is:

Electrical design services for buildings for (area(s) of practice*), limited to the application of prescriptive codes and standards where the detailed engineering has been carried out and a professional engineer has certified that the codes and standards used are prescriptive.

*Typical Areas of Practice include: l Fire Protection l Building Management l Communications & Alarms l Emergency Power l Fire Protection l Lighting l Power Distribution l Power Supply l Security Systems.

The scope of the licence is not negotiable, and may not be modified to suit the individual applicant, other than in the space provided for area(s) of practice.

A set of scope limitations have been approved by Council for the pilot project.

Definitions:

• "building" – means the same as defined in the current BC Building Code. 

• “codes or standards” - means published documents from recognized industry groups, standards associations, technical committees, federal agencies or departments, provincial agencies or departments, municipalities (often in the form of design standards referenced in bylaws) and includes documents which are not formally published such as those developed and sealed by a professional engineer for use by the specific corporate entity for which they were developed.  All of the above must be in conformance with generally accepted engineering principles .  All such codes or standards whether formally published or not, or portions of  such codes and standards used by a licensee must be signed and sealed by a professional engineer certifying that the referenced codes and standards comply with the definition of prescriptive herein.
• “prescriptive”- means that the original, detailed engineering has been carried out, the resulting design requirements are presented in the relevant referenced code or standard and the limits to the application of the prescriptive code or standard are identified.

Why is APEGBC conducting the Pilot?

There are several reasons that APEGBC is conducting a Pilot for a Limited Licence for Electrical Technologists providing Electrical Design Services for Buildings:
 

• This is a unique opportunity to recognize the skills and expertise of technologists providing electrical design services on building projects. 

• It can provide another step in the career ladder as the most common recipients of the limited licence designation will be technologists with advanced training and experience.

• The advantage of developing a standard scope of Limited Licence practice is that it applies to a defined scope of engineering practice having a limited level of complexity, with clear requirements and a reasonably-priced, user-friendly evaluation process.

• The pilot responds to one of the primary recommendations of APEGBC’s Limited Licence Task Force, to create standard and model scopes for Limited Licence.  The current evaluation process is lengthy and expensive, and relies each candidate creating a customized scope of practice and justifying it based on his or her specific experience and training.

• Should this initiative prove to be successful and attractive to ASTTBC members and others, APEGBC will then consider the development of additional limited licences using a standard scope of practice for applied science technologists and others whose training and experience falls within APEGBC’s overall scope (eg. mechanical engineering services on building projects and civil engineering services on land development projects).

• The Limited Licence also addresses the current shortage of design professionals in British Columbia, particularly those who can practise independently and to the full extent of their training. 

• The professional accountability afforded under the Engineers & Geoscientist Act by this limited licence is required by the BC Building Code under the Letters of Assurance related to the issuance of building and occupancy permits.

• APEGBC’s Pilot will test the proposed Standard Scope Limited Licence and process to ensure that it effectively addresses the principles and issues covered in the bulleted points above.

Who can apply for the Pilot?

Electrical Technologists who are working in the proposed scope of the licence are invited to apply to participate in the pilot.  Pilot applicants must have as a minimum:

• The equivalent of a two-year Diploma in Electrical Technology

• At least six years of related experience after graduation (eight years total education and experience), the last two years to be in the scope of the licence

• Demonstration of specific competencies relating to the applicant’s particular field of practice in electrical design services on building projects (including but not limited to control systems, emergency power systems, lighting systems, communication systems, building management systems, security systems). 

• The ability to provide references from a minimum of four professional engineers with first-hand (supervisory or in a review capacity) knowledge of the applicant’s work.  At least one referee should be from each of the applicant’s employers that are represented in the qualifying experience.
  

How much will it cost?

The Application Fee, Professional Practice Examination Fee, Professional Practice Examination Study Kit fee, Law & Ethics Seminar fee or CD Rom Set fee, and the one-time Licensing Fee will be waived for Pilot participants.  In total, this amounts to approximately $1,500.  Successful pilot participants will be required to pay the prorated annual fee for the year in which they are licensed, plus the Secondary Liability Insurance Fee.   Please see the FEE SCHEDULE for the most current fees.

How long will it take?

Those selected to participate in the pilot will be advised by November 9, 2007.  They will then be requested to apply for the Limited Licence, submitting the required documentation and arranging for transcripts and references to be sent directly to APEGBC. 

Due to the timing of the Professional Practice Examination and Registration Committee meetings, no licences may be issued before March 4, 2008

If I am accepted into the Pilot, what will happen next?

• You will be contacted by e-mail to advise you that you have been selected for participation in the pilot. 

• You will apply for the Limited Licence, by November 26, 2007, submitting the required documentation and arranging for transcripts and references to be sent directly to APEGBC. 

• When the documentation is complete, your application and qualifications will be assessed.  This may include an interview at APEGBC’s offices.  For applicants from outside the Lower Mainland, reasonable travel expenses related to attending the interview will be reimbursed.  Candidates will be advised of the results of the assessment within four to six weeks from the completion of their documentation and interview, if required. 

• You will also apply to write the Professional Practice Examination and to attend the Law and Ethics Seminar, or to receive and view the CD Rom version of the seminar, at  your convenience. 

Due to the timing of the Professional Practice Examination and Registration Committee meetings, no licences may be issued before March 4, 2008.

If I am not accepted into the Pilot, what will happen next?

You will be contacted by e-mail to advise you that you have not been selected for participation in the pilot. APEGBC in attempting to get an appropriately broad representation of individuals carrying out this work will be selecting pilot participants primarily on a first-come, first-served basis, but also to provide sufficient coverage of range of employers and services to fully evaluate the process and requirements. Due to the above and confidential nature of applications received, those responding will not be informed as to the basis of their not being included in the piloting of this program. Non-inclusion in the pilot program in no way reflects on the suitability of the applicant once the program moves beyond the pilot stage. All applicants who are not accepted for the pilot program and who are interested in obtaining a limited licence will have the opportunity to apply at a later date. 

Expression of Interest

To submit your Expression of Interest, please complete the Expression of Interest Form and fax it to APEGBC at (604) 430-8085 or e-mail it to llpilot@apeg.bc.ca.  If you have questions not addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions above, please address your inquiries to llpilot@apeg.bc.ca.

Official marks of APEGBC

*APEGBC has adopted and uses Engineering Licensee, Eng.L., Geoscience Licensee and Geo.L. as official marks in conjunction with governing the practice of engineering and geoscience in British Columbia, all in accordance with its mandate to protect public health, safety and welfare.

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