25/9/2017 Career for engineers in Canada - Times of India

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Career for engineers in Canada

Each year, thousands of engineers with international
qualifications immigrate to Canada. Representing around 12 per
cent of licensed engineers in Canada, they work in the fields of
civil, electrical, industrial, manufacturing and mechanical
engineering. A recently released labour market study by
Engineers Canada highlights important trends in the economic
market for engineers in Canada. Titled The Engineering Labour
Market in Canada: Projections to 2020, the report provides an
overview of engineering disciplines and geographical markets,
as well as a forecast of international conditions.

According to Mark Bourgeois, director of communications and

public affairs, with Engineers Canada, the national organization
of the 12 provincial and territorial associations that regulate the
practice of engineering in Canada, "Canada is facing a short
supply of engineers with more than 10 years of specialized
experience."

He refers to the report's predictions that, by 2020, 95,000

professional engineers will retire, creating a skills shortage not
cured by Canadian graduates or experienced internationally
trained graduates.

"Supply and demand imbalances are becoming more serious," he

says. "While engineering labour market conditions vary from
region to region, markets must find ways to strike a balance
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25/9/2017 Career for engineers in Canada - Times of India

between retiring workers and training incoming graduates and

international engineers interested in working in Canada."

"The shortage of highly skilled professionals is undeniably

contributing to the challenges faced by Canada's engineering
industry," says Jan Hein Bax, president of employment agency
Randstad Canada. According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, this
skills shortage has resulted in increased competition in the
global market. This trend is predicted to increase, along with an
increased need for companies recruiting, rewarding and
retaining top talent.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 75,000 engineers are

registered with Professional Engineers of Ontario alone. The
majority work as civil or mechanical engineers, with a large
percentage also in the electrical and computer engineering field.
Overall, the demand for engineers is predicted to increase, with
architectural, engineering and related services the highest in
demand. The most commonly advertised jobs in engineering
include mechanical engineer, electrical engineer and project
engineer.

Barriers for the internationally trained

Licensing is required to work fully as an engineer in Canada, so,

on arrival in Canada, internationally trained engineers are
encouraged to contact the engineering licensing body in the
province or territory they live. The Engineering International-
Education Assessment Program assesses the qualifications of
individuals who have international training, with assessment
times averaging eight weeks. This assessment will determine
what steps an immigrant engineer must take to become

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25/9/2017 Career for engineers in Canada - Times of India

licensed (get their P.Eng. designation), from retraining to work

experience to examinations. Note: you can work in engineering
in Canada before you receive your licence as long as you are
supervised by a professional engineer (P.Eng.).

Bourgeois believes there are no unique barriers faced by

internationally trained engineers in the licensing process itself.
"They must go through the same process as Canadian students,"
he says, "to prove education and have Canadian work
experience."

But for internationally trained engineers with years of

experience abroad, the process to be able to work in Canada
may seem unfair. Even after licensing, they may also find more
challenges in getting hired. Research by Engineers Canada
shows that those educated abroad were slightly less likely to be
permanently employed than native-born Canadian engineers, but
more likely to be self-employed or on contract. They are also
more likely to have managerial or supervisory experience.

"In terms of immigration, experienced and specialized engineers

will have better job prospects in Canada, as employers have
recruiting needs for specific projects, but markets will be weaker
for new graduates," adds Bourgeois.

How to start the process

While licensing as an engineer is done on a provincial/territorial

basis (every province/territory has its own governing body
overseeing the profession), a new national online resource
launched by Engineers Canada and funded by Citizenship and
Immigration Canada provides immigrant engineers with a single,

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25/9/2017 Career for engineers in Canada - Times of India

comprehensive source of information about how to become a

licensed engineer in Canada (see
newcomers.engineerscanada.ca).

"Employers in the engineering field say we need good, skilled

workers," says Marcia

Friesen, director of the internationally educated engineers

qualification program at the University of Manitoba. "It just
makes good business sense to do everything we can to bring
international engineering graduates here and integrate them
into our communities."

The website, designed with extensive input and support from

the 12 provincial and territorial regulators of the engineering
profession, also features a new Academic Information Tool,
which newcomers can use to compare their undergraduate
education to Canadian engineering programs to help them
understand how their academic credentials are likely to be
received in this country.

"In so many cases, people don't know what they're actually

getting into when they come here," says Kate MacLachlan,
director of academic review for the Association of Professional
Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan. "With this site,
we're looking to make sure international engineering graduates
are as prepared as possible."

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25/9/2017 Career for engineers in Canada - Times of India

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Copyright 2017 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service

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