Greater mobility. Global opportunities. For many employers, having employees licensed to work in all 13 provinces and territories of Canada is vital to staying competitive. Until June 1999, engineers were required to have five consecutive years' continuous licensure in one province or territory before they could easily obtain a P.Eng. licence in a different province or territory. Now, engineering's licensing bodies have removed the residency requirement to support greater national mobility for Canadian engineers. That's good for them and good for you. In addition, international free trade and economic globalization have created worldwide employment opportunities for Canadian engineers. Canada is currently the world's fourth largest exporter of engineering services, and the high calibre of Canadian engineers is internationally recognized. To help engineers and businesses take advantage of these opportunities, the profession's national body, Engineers Canada, recently created the Canadian Engineering International Board to negotiate international mutual recognition agreements that make it easier for Canadian engineers to work and be licensed in foreign countries. So far, four international agreements have been signed with other engineering organizations: a mutual recognition agreement with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Inc. (ABET); the Washington Accord; the NAFTA mutual recognition agreement; and a mutual recognition agreement with La Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur (CTI) for France. On behalf of engineering's licensing bodies, Engineers Canada is also part of an international agreement setting up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Engineer Register. As bilateral recognition agreements are negotiated with other participants, Professional Engineers who meet the engineering experience requirements to be on Canada's national APEC register will enjoy even greater international mobility. P.Eng. licensure is mandatory to be included on the register, which should ultimately allow greater access to the U.S., Australia, Hong Kong, Great Britain, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea. The advantage for Canadian engineers who have earned the P.Eng. licence is recognition in participating countries, and the same privileges accorded to professional engineers in that country. The advantage for Canadian businesses is greater respect and confidence from partners, clients and employees abroad, as well as greater international mobility for your workforce. TOP