OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021 - 39

NEWS & EVENTS
ENGINEERS AND EXPERTS DISCUSS
THE FUTURE OF THE LICENCE AT
OSPE'S ENGINEERING CONFERENCE
T
he Engineering profession is facing disruptive change
due to emerging technology. This is the not the first
time in history that advances in technology and
human resourcefulness have impacted how a society
performs. What can be done in Ontario to ensure
engineers remain relevant?
At OSPE's 2021 virtual Engineering Conference in October, a
panel of experts delved into this issue. Former President of OSPE,
Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) and Engineers Canada
Annette Bergeron, P.Eng., moderated this panel, beginning with
the following question:
" Within our engineering community, the current pace of licensing
doesn't always line up with the rapid advancement we're seeing with
emerging technologies. Licensing comes with a number of different
requirements around education and legislation. We also know that
with engineering licensure, there a several key expectations from
the public around competence, ethics, standards and accountability.
With all of this in mind, can each of you start by telling
us what your vision for the future of the engineering
licence is? "
RICK GUERRA, PE,
President of the National Society of
Professional Engineers (NSPE) and President/
CEO of Jose I. Guerra, Inc.
" Recent and persistent legislative, economic and
technological trends have exposed shortcomings in our
system. As we move towards a more global economy, the mobility
of our workforce is becoming increasingly important. Our current
licensure model, while providing for the health, safety and welfare of
the public in each individual state, has fallen short in providing the
uniformity needed across state lines to accommodate the demands
of today's engineering workforce and the growing need for interstate
practice. "
BERYL STRAWCZYNSKI,
Manager, Regulatory Research and
International Mobility, Engineers Canada
" Engineers will not only be responding to the
challenges of tomorrow, but will be leading that change and that
is why the licence is so important to represent the role of the
engineer in that social contract.
Life-long learning helps practitioners stay current and develop
new competencies as the workplace shifts and as the technologies
change. The future of engineering will depend on broad foundation
skills... like creativity, collaboration, communication. This is what
the new CPD programs need to impart to engineers at all phases
o f
their careers. "
MATTHEW OLIVER, P.ENG.,
Deputy Registrar and Chief Regulatory
Officer, Association of Professional
Engineers and Geoscientists Alberta (APEGA)
" While we have a really strong foundation in our
long tradition of public protection, making sure that ethical
foundation remains relevant to today's context is a really critical
development area for our profession. "
CHARLES TREMBLAY,
Director, Digital Transformation, Notarius
" We are in an application age. Engineers today,
they design, they draw, they test, they create,
they craft with applications. The application
world is the same world of social media, where we see fake news,
conspiracy theories, cyber attacks. We're all witness to the best
and worst of it. The future of the licence is digital, and trusted
digital credentials are a definite enabler. "
December 2021 THE VOICE
39
OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021

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