Goke

Hello everyone thanks for your help so far with other issues. I need some help/tip/advise on job hunting from here in the UK for my OH please.

He is a mechanical engineer with C Eng who currently works for the London underground in the heavy machinery section. He is currently the operational shift manager for the lifts and escalators department. Prior to that he was in the on track machines department for 5 years. In a nutshell he carries out fault analysis on failures, review and improve designs to standards and conformance, quality assurance and improvement, condition monitoring feasibility studies on failures and manages a collection, collation and dissemination of asset condition to compliant state.

I have listed his speciality so someone(those in the Engr field) can guide us on the sort of jobs he can apply for as we are aware he cannot work as an Engr just yet without APEGGA qualification. He is prepared to work as whatever he can get to provide him with a years Canadian experience after which he can apply for P Eng( he is a chartered Engr here in the UK) afterwards.

The problem is we have no idea what sort of job title he should be looking at based on his background as it is likely to be called something else over there in Canada.

Any help would be really appreciated as we would like for him to get a job offer before we make the move to Canada(Calgary bound). Salary expectations for now are no issues, just need to know what to search for.

Many thanks.

not2old

your OH is highly qualified & at minimum look for a job as a Mechanical Engineering Technologist. Alberta will be familiar with UK qualified C.Eng Engineers as I'm sure that there are many. As you said to start anywhere, get a foot in the door, get familiar with the work in a foreign country - IMO technician level is way below his qualifications & expertise.

On the basis he gets employed as an Engineer or a technologist he should anyway immediately apply to APEGGA for his P.Eng ... like right away & he'll likely get it based on the Washington agreement as well as the fact that he has the years in, is a C.Eng.

To give your OH some idea, an Engineering Technologist level in Canada has been classed as equivalent to the old UK HND.

Look at the links below to get a feel of the jobs & type of work

http://ca.indeed.com/Mechanical-Engi...obs-in-Alberta

http://www.wowjobs.ca/BrowseResults....ogist&s=r&l=AB

smivers

Apply for an engineering job, not a technician job. His qualifications will be recognised, and once he has a year of Canadian experience he will be eligible to get his P.Eng. designation (he will need the years experience, as the international agreements only apply to degree qualifications, not experience). In the meantime, he can still work as an engineer, it will just mean another engineer will have to take responsibility for his work, which wasn't a big deal for me and so shouldn't be a big deal for him.

By the sound of the work he has been doing, most of his stuff will be used internally by the company rather than externally, so actually having the P.Eng. will not make that much of a difference to his job, as you are not necessarily required to stamp anything for internal use only.

As for the specific job title he'd be looking for, I can't help you there. I'm a structural engineer!

Goke

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Really helpful links there for job search. will peruse through both sites.

Goke

Its really encouraging to hear he can get engineer jobs even without the APEGGA qualification. He's okay with starting with another engineer taking the responsibility and signing off on his jobs until he gets his P.Eng. Great insite. Thanks for your response.

Beaverquest

suggest come over for week or two on holiday ; hand deliver resume to relevant offices , ask to speak to hiring manager or HR

Goke

Thanks for your advice. We are considering doing this. Thanks again.

pkc

Here is the AB Gov't info on becoming accredited as a Mechanical Engineer: http://www.albertacanada.com/FQR_Mec...r_May_2011.pdf Not sure if you'd seen this info already?
It pretty much runs you through the process of your hubby getting certified.

Goke

Great thanks for responding.

cbrown89

APEGA is a massive pain in the ass.

not2old

why do you say that - is there something specific which you can offer so the OP can avoid the same hassles?

Goke

yeah. It would be quite helpful if you could be more specific so weknow what to avoid doing or what to do to avoid any hassles or struggles.

Thanks.

cbrown89

Just the time it takes to get registered I applied 3 months ago and only recently started getting correspondence back from them. I contacted them to see if my university documents had arrived and got this response which I thought was a bit rude...

My advice would be apply as soon as possible and in Calgary, certainly in O&G, job title is everything....

"Dear Colin,

Yes! We have received all your academic documentation!"

not2old

Let me provide a broad brush to the licensing of foreign qualified engineers in Canada.

In the 90's I was a volunteer membership examiner for one of the Canadian Professional Engineering Associations & can tell you that a fair number of first submitted applications are incomplete.

The Associations employ staff for many areas & those assigned to membership applications deal with at least several hundred applicants over a busy 3-month period. This staff take an application along with a check list of what is needed & once its complete pass it on to a qualified trained volunteer (by discipline - mech, elec, civil etc) group of seasoned Engineer peers formed as a membership committee.

The committee meets regularly & can only do so much. Each applicants file is given careful review & consideration as it would be like the I.Mech E or any of the other Engineering Institutions/Associations in the UK.

Once the file is complete all original transcripts, diploma, other CE/CPD academics, CV, record & proof of experience, references etc - the candidates file is examined by 1. (ARC) Academics requirements committee, 2. the (ERC) Experience requirements committee. Its not a subjective process, its a full detailed review of the academics, experience & anything else - often by not less than two examiners. Then before its signed off - a full review by several examiners is/can be conducted.

Even though the staff has passed the file onto the membership examiners, it can be sent back for the applicant to provide further information. Its not a process of rejection - its a process of making sure and that every applicant is given the same consideration for license. The associations want members because its revenue to them, by the same token its not a zoo in especially coming in with foreign credentials & experience. No different than a foreign applicant applying to a UK engineering association.

Put yourself in the shoes of one of those examiners

The key is to provide everything what is asked for in the application.

If you have originals of transcripts, diploma's & everything else - I suggest if possible you walk those into the provincial association office, speak to someone in membership, say that you are applying that you have the originals & would they at that office mind proofing them & to give you the originals back.

Some associations will say yes, some no & will keep the originals. that will be returned to you at some later date.

Failing that - just send in what they asked for in the application & instructions

The delays can be either - incomplete attachments to the file, summer holidays (July - Sept), busy periods, waiting original transcripts from the applicant or their university, references or other documents.

Most all of the Canadian engineering associations membership committees consist of & are made up of a cross section of a broad range of academic, local & foreign educated & trained persons - not just Canadian educated trained people - folks that know other jurisdiction qualifications.

Key to applying - make sure when you apply that you have 100% of everything on the list. For each single missing item expect a delay of the file one-month per item

On the review of the complete file of a Brit C.Eng with 10 years experience employed in an engineering position in Canada - the best & quickest license granted is that the applicant would only be required to write the PPE Professional practice exam.

Worse case - several exams will be assigned and/or a requirement for further years of experience.

johntheScot

apply for engineer's positions, there is a wider gap here in what they class as engineer's work and technicians work and can be a significant difference in wage between the 2. You don't want them getting you on the cheap!

i was in the same position all engineers positions require PEng, cant apply for your PEng until you have a year of Canadian experience. so i applied for tech positions had an interview and received an offer as an engineer. i cannot call myself an "engineer" so on my card and any correspondence i use designer instead of engineer.

by the sounds of it he would call himself a maintenance or engineering manager and he will be fine.

im not sure that Peng will be critical to his role for the day to day functions of the job you described he currently does. for example a PEng needs to stamp the design of a new escalator your other half could do the design the the checker is a Peng and stamps it. all designs should be checked by more than 1 person anyhow so it makes no odds who stamps it designer or checker.

but the person who manages the maintenance of that escalator does not produce any work that would require sealing by a PEng so with any luck a company would not be that picky about him having his PEng straight away