CONTINUING

PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Members Guideline

JANUARY 2002
Revised April 2007
Revised March 2012
Revised August 2013

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience.

To All Association Members
The Continuing Professional Excellence (CPE) program was designed to meet APEGS statutory
requirements as well as the professional obligations of our members. Section 5 of The Engineering and
Geoscience Professions Act states that the Objects of the Association are:
a) to ensure the proficiency and competency of members in the practice of professional engineering
or the practice of professional geoscience in order to safeguard the public;
b) to regulate the practice of professional engineering and the practice of professional geoscience by
members in accordance with this Act and the bylaws;
c) to promote and improve the proficiency and competency of members;
d) to foster the practice of professional engineering and the practice of professional geoscience by
members in a manner that is in the public interest.
Subsections a), c) and in part d) speak directly to the need for a program such as CPE.
As well subsection 20(2)(d) of the Regulatory Bylaws (the Code of Ethics) requires APEGS members to:
keep themselves informed in order to maintain their competence, strive to advance the
body of knowledge with which they practice and provide opportunities for professional
development of their subordinates.
The Continuing Professional Excellence program provides members with a framework to plan and to
report on their continuing professional development activities.

What You Must Do

Read through this Guideline and become familiar with the Scope of Practice and Activity Record sheets.
You can download these forms from www.apegs.sk.ca.

Work through and complete your own Scope of Practice sheet to determine the knowledge, skills and
judgment you need to acquire. A number of completed example sheets are enclosed. Remember that as
your job expands or changes you need to revise your Scope of Practice. We suggest that you review your
Scope of Practice at least once a year to ensure it is consistent with your accountability and development.
Retain this document for your records.

Record your activities on your Activity Record sheet, or similar, if you have an existing development
program tracking process.

Report your development credits at the end of the year. As you have been tracking your development
throughout the year, you will have all the information you need to report your development credits to
APEGS.

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

SETTING UP A PROGRAM .....................................................................................................1

INDIVIDUAL SCOPE OF PRACTICE .......................................................................................2

Duties and Responsibilities ............................................................................................2
Level of Responsibility and Impact of Individual Scope of Practice ............................2
Knowledge, Skills and Judgment Requirements ...........................................................2

PROGRAM PLAN AND CONTENT ..........................................................................................3

ACTIVITY CATEGORIES AND LEVELS OF EFFORT ............................................................3

Considerations for Counting Credits ................................................................................4
Professional Practice .........................................................................................................5
Formal Activity .................................................................................................................5
Informal Activity ..............................................................................................................5
Participation ......................................................................................................................6
Presentations .....................................................................................................................6
Contribution to Knowledge...............................................................................................6

MEMBER RECORD KEEPING AND REPORTING ...................................................................7

ASSOCIATION MONITORING AND REPORTING ..................................................................8

APPLICABILITY TO MEMBERS ............................................................................................8

MEMBERS NOT RESIDENT IN SASKATCHEWAN ..................................................................8

ROLE OF AN EMPLOYER ......................................................................................................8

EXAMPLES
PROJECT MANAGER ..................................................................................................10
GEOSCIENTIST ............................................................................................................12
MECHANICAL ENGINEER ...........................................................................................14

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience.

 CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
MEMBERS GUIDELINE

The APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence initiative establishes a benchmark against

which members will evaluate their ongoing professional development activities and provides
tools for analyzing needs, planning programs, and recording and reporting activities. Most
APEGS members already undertake a greater level of effort than set out in this guideline. Indeed,
merely meeting the benchmark level may not be adequate in many circumstances. You, perhaps
assisted by your employer, will be better able to assess and meet your Continuing Professional
Excellence needs using this guideline.

The Continuing Professional Excellence initiative provides a great deal of flexibility. Members
special circumstances can be accommodated. Programs are tailored to meet each members
situation. You are encouraged to undertake activities that provide the greatest benefit to you in
the practice of your profession. It will take a minimal amount of effort to set up your program,
and to record and report activities.

SETTING UP A PROGRAM
This process requires a candid personal assessment of your current knowledge, skills, and
abilities. It asks you to define what you need to know to competently execute your
responsibilities. You may find consultations with your peers, supervisors or the APEGS office
helpful.

The structure and content of your Continuing Professional Excellence (CPE) program is up to
you. However, to set up an effective program, you will need to complete four essential steps:

STEP ONE What combination of professional responsibilities,

Identify where you are. knowledge, skills and abilities do you currently have?
STEP TWO What knowledge, skills and abilities are required for your
Decide where you want current career or a future one? Your plan could include not
or need to be. only what you do now, but also what you would like to do
in the future.
STEP THREE What knowledge, skills and abilities do you need or want to
Plan your program. gain or enhance? Should your program address changes in
knowledge bases, work environments and technology?
STEP FOUR What activity categories are covered? Which categories
Record and report your need more attention? Is greater balance or specialized
activities. attention to activities required?

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience.

APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 2

INDIVIDUAL SCOPE OF PRACTICE

Each members CPE program must have a well-defined individual scope of practice; essentially,
a description of your current or anticipated practice. Members who use their individual scope of
practice for both their CPE program and their Permission to Consult will need to obtain approval
for their scope of practice when the Permission to Consult is initially approved or renewed.
Members who do not have Permission to Consult will not need to obtain this approval. A
member with Permission to Consult who wishes to change their scope of practice could have a
slightly different CPE program scope in order to accommodate the learning that would be
required for the new scope of practice.

You should provide some flexibility within your individual scope of practice. A narrowly
defined or restrictive scope will actually hamper an effective CPE program. In the event you
assume a new position, or take on significant new responsibilities within your existing role, you
may need to review and modify your CPE program plan.

You should remember that APEGS recognizes the practice of engineering and the practice of
geoscience in the broadest sense to include the teaching of engineering and geoscience, the
management of engineering and geoscience, spanning low-technology to leading edge, high-
technology engineering and geoscience. Refer to the Engineering and Geoscience Professions
Act 2(m) and 2(n) for the full detailed description of the practices.

To define your scope of practice, describe your current position and, if appropriate, your
anticipated career. Then define the knowledge, skills and abilities that you require or will
require. Many members will have completed this exercise already for their employer. Possible
components of an individual scope of practice are:

i) Duties and Responsibilities

A current and comprehensive list of your primary duties, tasks and responsibilities is
essential.

ii) Level of Responsibility and Impact of the Individual Scope of Practice

You should state your level of responsibility such as Municipal Engineer, Manager of
Electrical Department, Design Engineer, Regional Geologist, etc. Identify the
professional and technical positions under your direct supervision, if any. Describe the
impact of your work (and that of your immediate subordinates, if any) on the public, the
environment, your employer, other clients, and stakeholders.

iii) Knowledge, Skill and Judgment Requirements

You should review the specific knowledge, skill and judgement requirements for your
practice or desired practice. You might use your job description, employer core
competency analysis, or the APEGS Salary Survey point system to help determine these
requirements.

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013
APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 3

Elements to consider include, but are not restricted to:

technical supervisory
legal administrative
managerial ethical behaviour
financial environmental
safety training
project management advisory
mentoring/developmental teaching

PROGRAM PLAN AND CONTENT

Your next step is to develop a CPE program that will help you gain or refine required
knowledge, maintain or improve required skills, or acquire new abilities. In effect, this is your
personalized development program. The most important principle to remember is that your
Continuing Professional Excellence activities must relate to your individual scope of
practice. The following section provides categories of activity and levels of effort suitable for a
CPE program. The activities listed in each category are not inclusive; rather, they are intended to
give general guidance for the selection of activities. These lists also identify activities that
comprise lifelong learning. Given the diversity of member practice, some activities may be more
appropriate for you than others. Use your own judgment in selecting activities that relate to your
individual scope of practice and that work best for your continued learning. The activities you
select may also embody some or all of the following concepts:
application or development of technical theory,
learning of new concepts,
practical experience,
management of engineering, geological or geophysical practice,
communication and interpersonal skills, and
public, community and professional service.

ACTIVITY CATEGORIES AND LEVELS OF EFFORT

A credible Professional Development program should meet minimum levels of effort. The unit of
measurement has been designated as a credit. Six general activity categories have been
recognized as contributing to continuing professional development and provide the framework
for credit reporting:

i) Professional Practice
ii) Formal Activity
iii) Informal Activity
iv) Participation
v) Presentations
vi) Contributions to Knowledge

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013
APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 4

An annual baseline of 80 credits has been established as a reasonable minimum number of

credits for members to demonstrate suitable Continuing Professional Excellence. This is
comparable with other Canadian and U.S. engineering organizations, and will be useful for
transferability and mobility of membership. Members in some industries may require a great deal
more double or even triple this amount to remain abreast of their areas of expertise.
Knowledge-based and rapidly changing industries, for example, require continuous professional
development for survival.

Credits must be obtained from at least three of the six activity categories. This demonstrates that
members are taking a balanced approach to Continuing Professional Excellence, rather than
concentrating all their efforts into one specific area.

Considerations for Counting Credits

To encourage planning over a few years, your CPE program has a three-
year rolling time period.
You are strongly encouraged to accumulate at least 80 credits per year.
You should accumulate at least 240 credits over three years. Once you
are in the third or subsequent year of the program, you should maintain a
rolling total of 240 credits over a three year period.
You should report annual activity in at least three of the six categories.
You should note the maximum allowed credits in each category when
developing your plan.
Credits earned in excess of the annual maximums in any category may
be carried forward for a maximum of two years from the date of
completing the activity.
Do not to count the same effort in more than one activity. If an activity
falls under two general categories, you may count it only once in what
you determine is the most appropriate category.

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013
APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 5

i) Professional Practice
Active professional practice is known to be a significant factor contributing to maintaining
and improving skills. It is appropriate for a member to receive credit for professional
practice since it is recognized that significant learning occurs on the job. It is reasonable to
assume that one hour of learning is achieved for every 20 hours of professional practice.

One credit will be earned for each 20 hours of professional work within a members
scope of practice. A maximum of 50 credits per year towards the annual 80 credit total
requirement (or 150 credits over three years) may be claimed for professional practice.

ii) Formal Activity

Formal activities are those provided as a structured course or program, often for credit,
occasionally with an evaluation process. Although formal activity is not specifically required,
all members should strive to include some formal activities within their CPE program.
Delivery methods might include traditional classroom settings, and remote learning
techniques such as written correspondence, video, Web or Internet based courses. Formal
activities could include:
under-graduate or graduate courses provided through universities, technical institutes and
colleges,
industry sponsored courses, programs and seminars,
employer training programs and structured on-the-job training, and
short courses provided by technical societies, industry or educational institutions.

Every hour spent in attendance at a course (contact hour) earns one credit. For courses
offering Continuing Education Units (CEUs), each CEU equates to 10 credits. A
maximum of 30 Credits per year towards the annual 80 credit total requirement (or 90
Credits over three years) may be claimed for formal activities.

iii) Informal Activity

These are activities not normally offered by an educational institution or other formal
organizations, but that nevertheless expands your knowledge, skills or judgment. They
include:
self-directed study such as reading technical journals, books, manuals; learning new
software;
attendance at conferences, technical sessions, talks, seminars, workshops and industry
trade shows;
attendance at meetings of technical, professional or managerial associations or societies;
and
structured discussions (such as technical paper critiques or discussions) of technical or
professional issues with ones peers.

Each hour of informal activity earns one credit. A maximum of 30 credits per year
towards the annual 80 credit total requirement (or 90 credits over three years) may be
claimed for informal activities.

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013
APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 6

iv) Participation
Activities that promote peer interaction and provide exposure to new ideas and technologies
both enhance the profession and serve the public interest. These activities include:
acting as a mentor to a Member-in-Training or other less experienced professional
member or technologist,
serving as a supervisor to a graduate student in preparation of a thesis,
acting as a mentor to an undergraduate in an engineering or geoscience university
program accredited by CEAB/CGSB,
presenting to schools, career days, judging science fairs, etc.,
serving on public bodies that draw on professional expertise (i.e., planning board,
development appeal board, investigative commissions, review panels or community
building committees),
service on standing or ad-hoc committees of technical, professional or managerial
associations, or societies,
community service activities that contribute to the community which require
professional and ethical behaviour, but not necessarily the application of technical
knowledge, including active service for professional, service, charitable, community
or church organizations, coaching league sports teams, or elected public service on
municipal, provincial or federal levels or school boards.

Each hour of service earns one credit. A maximum of 10 credits per year (or 30 credits
over three years) may be claimed for community service activities. A maximum of 20
credits per year towards the annual 80 credit total requirement (or 60 credits over three
years) may be claimed for participation.

v) Presentations
These activities are either technical or professional presentations made outside a members
normal job functions. Both preparation and presentation of material could be counted.
Eligible presentations might occur at:
a conference or meeting, and
a course, workshop or seminar either for an educational organization, within the
members company, or at an event sponsored by a technical or professional
organization.

Each hour of preparation and delivery earns one credit. A maximum of 20 credits per
year towards the annual 80 credit total requirement (or 60 credits over three years) may
be claimed for presentations.

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013
APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 7

vi) Contribution to Knowledge

Activities that expand or develop the technical knowledge base in the disciplines of
engineering and geoscience must be recognized although not every member is able to make
such a contribution outside his or her normal job functions. Contributions could include:
development of published codes and standards - 1 credit per hour of committee work
patents - 15 credits per patent registered
publication of papers in a peer-reviewed technical journal - 15 credits per paper
published
publication of articles in non-reviewed journals - 10 credits per article, to a maximum
of 10 credits per year
reviewing articles for publication - 1 credit per hour of review, to a maximum of 10
credits per year
editing papers for publication - 1 credit per hour of editing, to a maximum of 10
credits per year

A maximum of 30 credits per year towards the annual 80 credit total requirement (or 90
credits over three years) may be claimed for contributions to knowledge.

MEMBER RECORD KEEPING AND REPORTING

Each member is expected to maintain a complete record of their CPE program for at least three
years. Sample forms are attached to this document and available on the APEGS web site. These
records will not normally be submitted to APEGS, except perhaps, for those members applying
for approval or renewal of Permission to Consult. It is expected that your records would contain
the following information:

your individual scope of practice,

your program plan, and
a detailed record of completed activities and number of credits earned.

Record the details of your activities on your Activity Record sheet, or similar, if you have an
existing development program tracking process. At the end of the year you need to report only
your development credits in the six categories.

Log into the Member On-Line Services portal on the APEGS home webpage,
and enter the category credits directly into your personal profile.

Follow the instructions during the login process if you require a new password.

Conveniently, you may also edit your personal information and make payments
through this member services portal.

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013
APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 8

ASSOCIATION MONITORING AND REPORTING

The Continuing Professional Excellence initiative is monitored by APEGS to provide an
assessment of member activities and provide information required to review the initiatives
effectiveness. Aggregate statistics will be compiled. Data from individual profiles or forms
will not be made public. This information may also be used to develop further monitoring and
audit measures based on statistical and risk analysis methods.

APPLICABILITY TO MEMBERS
The Continuing Professional Excellence program applies to all regularly employed members of
APEGS, be they P.Eng., P.Geo., Engineers-in-Training, Geoscientists-in-Training, Engineering
Licensees, and Geoscience Licensees.

Special consideration may be given to members who have a license waiver in accordance with
Section 13 of the APEGS Regulatory Bylaws; members on parental leave; or members who feel
they have a special case. Generally, members in special situations may be expected to
accumulate at least 30 credits per year or 90 credits over three years.

MEMBERS NOT RESIDENT IN SASKATCHEWAN

Non-residents of Saskatchewan, who participate in a similar program, will not be required to
participate in our program. You will be required to indicate on your online personal profile that
you are involved in a program and provide the name of the association to ensure APEGS CPE
standards are met. Please be aware that each provinces Association may have varying
requirements for non-resident professional development reporting.

ROLE OF AN EMPLOYER
Each members employer has a role to play in CPE and an obligation to ensure that professionals
in their employ maintain and improve their skills. Every employer of professionals is encouraged
to support the CPE efforts of its members. Members are encouraged to discuss their programs
and plans with their employers or mentors. Through discussion and mutual agreement, the
employer and professional can create a suitable CPE program and select an appropriate type and
level of employer support. Employer support results in an employee with an ongoing interest in
lifelong learning. This, in turn, provides increased value and commitment to the company

Among other things, employer support can include:

consultation with the employee during development of the employees program,

provision of learning opportunities,
assistance in developing job expectations and responsibilities,
periodic review of employee performance and progress,

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013
APEGS Continuing Professional Excellence Program 9

incorporation of CPE into annual performance reviews,

assistance in documenting activities and levels of effort through company performance
management systems,
financial support of activities,
allowing time to participate in activities,
encouragement of professional development of employees, and
encouragement of employee lifelong learning.

It is important to note that even though the employer has a role to play in defining requirements,
the primary responsibility for a CPE program and maintaining competence rests with the
individual professional. Members should be aware that APEGS can only encourage employers
to support the CPE initiative. Some companies already have existing corporate training or
professional development programs that will assist members to meet these requirements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have specific questions or concerns that are not addressed by this guideline, or you wish to
discuss your program with another member, please call or e-mail the APEGS office
(apegs@apegs.sk.ca). The Professional Development Committee has offered to undertake, as
time permits, to help members define their individual scope of practice or CPE programs.

CPE forms and examples are available for downloading from the Professional Development
section of our web site, www.apegs.sk.ca.

Our Act and bylaws require that each of us

remain competent.

Your personal commitment to lifelong

learning is essential.

Achieving a safe and prosperous future through engineering and geoscience. August 2013