The Voice - Summer 2021 - 30

COVER STORY
Rollout of CPD in Ontario
OSPE will continue to share details via PEO around timing and
requirements for CPD as they become available. In the meantime,
OSPE has conducted a professional development needs
assessment survey, reaching out to more than 4,500 engineers
and employers across Ontario to determine:
* Preferred methods of training and courses for individual
engineers/engineering teams (online, in-person, on-demand/
self-paced learning)
* Preferred topics of interest (technical courses, essential skills
workshops, conferences and knowledge sharing)
* Time allotment and budget allowance
* Goals of training (maintain skills, career growth, selfimprovement,
etc.)
Initial findings from the questionnaire reveal that the majority
of engineers and employers in Ontario that were surveyed agree
with the move to make CPD mandatory for professional engineers.
OSPE will work to ensure that many of its offerings, including
conferences, events, workshops and courses may be eligible
for " professional development units " , or whichever method of
measurement PEO selects to track hours, so that the majority
of membership and advocacy activities done through OSPE will
count as eligible hours.
What could mandatory CPD look like for
Ontario engineers? OSPE consults with
APEGA
In a recent episode of OSPE's podcast
Engineering the Future, host Jerome
James, P.Eng., sat down with Daniel
Lawrysyn,
P.Eng., Manager
of
Continuing Professional Development
at the Association of Professional
Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta
(APEGA), to discuss the details around
Alberta's mandatory CPD program
for practising and non-practising
engineers, which has been in place
since the 1990s.
to trigger events and cause a reactive approach such
as an investigation of an incident or things that result
in disciplinary action. Preventing is always a better
alternative.
There's an importance to being a self-regulated
profession. We have a social licence from the public, and
the CPD program is a component of that overall system
that helps maintain that social licence. When the program
is mandatory and transparent, it reassures the public that
we are maintaining our skills. "
What are your top recommendations for
the engineering profession in Ontario
as we head towards implementing
mandatory Continuing Professional
Development (CPD)?
1. The key challenge is making sure your system links the
Continuing Professional Development to the continued
competency of the licensed professional, not just
something separate. It has to have that linkage to that
competency.
2. Build a system that is not overly complicated for licensed
professionals. This will reduce frustration during
reporting periods. It was also reduce those that give up
and fall into the non-conformance category.
3. Don't forget the public's perception in the development,
and ensure there is transparency. Because, a lot of
people forget that we have that social licence to be selfregulated.
Losing that is detrimental to the profession
as a whole across Canada, not just in Ontario or just in
Alberta.
Daniel Lawrysyn
P.Eng.
As a professional engineer, why do you
believe mandatory CPD is important for
our profession?
" Before becoming a staff member for APEGA, I was a rail
safety engineer for a transit agency. As public safety is a
key element of my former practice, I am a firm believer
in a proactive approach. A mandatory CPD program is a
key component to being proactive in preventing incidents
from happening as a whole. Professionals don't want
4. We're currently upgrading our systems for reporting.
So, building a solid online system to report for your
engineers and have the ability to enter their activities
through their cell phones is something that's important.
You don't want them being tied to a computer, especially
the new generations of engineers that are up and coming.
To listen to the full podcast episode featuring Dan
Lawrysyn, P.Eng., visit OSPE's website at
http://bit.ly/OSPEpodcast or search for Engineering the
Future wherever you listen to podcasts.
30
THE VOICE June 2021
http://www.bit.ly/OSPEpodcast
The Voice - Summer 2021

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