The Futures of Engineering Accreditation (FEA) project team is pleased to share the FEA Path Forward Report, which outlines 18 recommendations for the future of engineering accreditation in Canada. These recommendations reflect the learnings received from the Canadian engineering ecosystem over the last three years. The report’s publication is the final deliverable in the Engineers Canada strategic priority 1.1 ‘Investigate and Validate the Purpose and Scope of Accreditation’.
The Path Forward Report is a strategic blueprint for the future of engineering accreditation. It proposes a revised purpose of accreditation and scope statement with associated parameters for a revitalized accreditation system, anchored in a recommendation to transition to a fully outcomes-focused model. The report also recommends the development of a Full Spectrum Competency Profile (FSCP) to serve as a national framework for assessing all licensure applicants, a subset of which forms a National Academic Requirement for Licensure (NARL). The report marks the beginning of a transformative journey, the ultimate effects of which remain to be determined. A clear vision has emerged through the years of the FEA project work, although many of the specific implementation details remain to be defined.
We encourage you to read the report and consider how these recommendations can inform engineering accreditation in Canada.
Engagement and participation
Since the inception of the current Engineers Canada strategic priority in 2021, we have actively sought input from a wide range of interest holders, including regulators, engineering faculties, industry representatives, and students. The 18 recommendations in the Path Forward Report have been informed by hundreds of interest holders who served on the steering committee and task forces, shared feedback, and participated in engagement activities. The engagements took the form of workshops, feedback sessions, and surveys to ensure that all perspectives were carefully taken into account.
We appreciate this significant level of participation from across the Canadian engineering ecosystem; it has been instrumental in shaping the report’s recommendations.
Development of the recommendations
The recommendations in the report are founded on this collaborative effort. Through collective knowledge and expertise from the Canadian engineering ecosystem, the FEA project team undertook a thorough analysis of the current engineering accreditation system and explored what it could look like in the future. The FEA team worked to analyze trends, challenges, and opportunities facing engineering accreditation, which resulted in the 18 recommendations for the way forward. A glimpse into what we heard along the way is captured in the foresight session event journal, the path forward co-design session summary, and more listed on the project website.
Next steps
The report will be formally submitted to the Engineers Canada Board at their December meeting.
With the approaches taken to investigate the Canadian engineering accreditation system over the last three years, we are hopeful that this report reflects the significant progress the FEA project team has endeavoured to make in suggesting ways to evolve the system to meet the changing needs of the profession and the Canadian engineering ecosystem, while understanding the importance of reflecting on and maintaining its strengths.
An immense thank you to all volunteers and interest holders for their ongoing support and contributions to this important project.