Since early 1995, the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering has adopted a policy to offer recognition to engineers for their participation in CSCE-sponsored career development activities. This initiative was a result of the creation of a new group within the Society - the Professional Activities Committee (PAC).  This group has been tasked with the responsibility for the reflection of issues, and delivery of services of particular relevance to the practicing civil engineer.

The objectives of the Society have always been focused on various forms of continued education for civil engineers. The PAC initiative of recent years has been in to provide more structure to the Society's efforts, while responding to the challenges in the recent guidelines (1993) "Promoting the Continued Competence of Professional Engineers" as published by the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board of the (CEQB) Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE).

With the recent endorsement of APEGN's Continual Professional Development Program at the 1997 APEGN Annual General Meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland, the CSCE is in a position to offer to its members the required CEU's and/or PDH's as required.  CSCE's program will involve issuing two types of career development credits including:

Continuing Education Units (CEU's)

Professional Development Hours (PDH's)

Continuing Education Units:
This is the most "formal" type of credit awarded for career development activities, such as continuing education courses and programs. Activities that qualify for granting of CEU' S and procedures that must be followed to award the CEU's, are defined by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) holds a CEU user's membership with IACET and keeps records of CEU's granted to participants through approved activities sponsored by the member societies of the EIC, of which the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering is a member.

A continuing education unit is defined as 10-contact hours of participation in an organized, continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction.

Professional Development Hours:

This is a much broader form of credit. It can be provided for participation at conferences, workshops, seminars and lectures of a technical, managerial and professional nature. One PDH is awarded for one-hour of participation, in the form of attendance. Professional engineers must keep their own records of the PDH's that they have earned with documentation to substantiate these activities.

The CSCE has taken a leadership role in offering PDH's, for participation in the form of attendance, at appropriate technical, managerial or professional sessions at CSCE sponsored conferences, seminars, lectures and workshops. PDH's were offered by the CSCE for the first time at the 1994 CSCE Annual Conference and associated Specialty Conferences in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The local CSCE Newfoundland & Labrador Section offered its first PDH's at their "Fish Habitat in Stream Channels" workshop in St. John's, NF in March of 1995.

CSCE fully subscribes to the concept of life-long learning and promoting the continuing competence of professional engineers.
 

For more information on CSCE's National Continuing Education initiatives, we invite you to visit the Continuing Education Page located on CSCE's National Website.
 

Last Update: February 16, 2001 12:11:33 AM.