There are many good reasons to become an engineer-in-training as part of your journey to becoming an engineer.
While requirements and benefits vary between provinces and territories, there are three basic steps to becoming an engineer following a formal engineer-in-training, member-in-training, or equivalent route:
Step 1: Learn your province or territory’s licensure requirements
Each province or territory in Canada has its own engineering regulator, which sets the conditions for professional practice in that jurisdiction.
To find out more about your province or territory's licensure requirements, read the National Guideline on admission to the practice of engineering. Visit your engineering regulator’s web site to find out if your province or territory has an engineer-in-training program.
Step 2: Gain professional experience
All provinces and territories require that applicants for licensure have at least four years of relevant work experience (two years in the province of Québec), including one year in a Canadian environment, and references from engineers. Equivalent international experience may be accepted, and academic examinations might be required.
Enrolling as an engineer-in-training helps you obtain the required work experience under the supervision of an engineer and the references you’ll need to apply for licensure.
Your school may provide you with resources to find engineering jobs near you.
Step 3: Meet the final requirements for licensure
In addition to possible technical exams that may be assigned by your provincial or territorial regulator to assess your academic qualifications, licensure requires that you meet your jurisdiction’s good character, ethics and language requirements.
Final qualification includes an assessment of your knowledge of the ethical responsibilities that accompany the privileges of status as an engineer and the legal concepts relevant to practising engineering where you live. In all jurisdictions, this includes writing a professional practice exam, such as the National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE) or a professional practice examination developed by the jurisdiction.
Not sure if the engineer-in-training path is for you? Here are five reasons to enroll in your province or territory’s engineer-in-training program.