JET747

Are there any ex Pats who have done the Power Engineering certficates/exams up from 4th class to 1st ? If so what kind of standard are they - City and Guilds or HNC ? There are topic titles but they don't give you an insight into what level they are pitched.

If there are Canadian nationals, I guess the question would be are they the same type of level as a diploma would be - with complex calculations etc. ?

JET

The Hampsons

These qualifications would be something I'd have to consider when we get over to Canada as a Process Team Leader/Operator. I believe you can't take them as an on-line/distance-learning course. It'd be nice if they looked at the amount of service you had, and gave you an equivalent qualification to match the service. Not that that's going to happen.

JET747

I have just recieved an email from McPhail Scool of Energy, they told me the only one that may do it is NAIT. This looks quite expensive and they muddled up the email I had back - so ???

With my HNC's I can pay to get them checked and could be lucky and become a member of the CET (chemical engineering technologist) body in Canada but would from what ABSA said still have to do the steam ticket.

Where are you heading, with who and how did you come across the job ? Did you have a visa first or a job ? All my avenues have hit a brick wall as I need a job for a visa and then a visa to get a job.

Regards

JET

The Hampsons

I've not got the job offer yet, Jet. We're in the same boat as you it seems.
No Visa, No Job. Wasn't that Bob Marley??
Spoke with a couple of agencies when we were over in May, and they said our best option may be to try companies in Fort McMurray. Thought about it and we'd rather sit and wait our time out the long way round.
I'd heard that SAIT also do a 'Steam' course, Problem is you have to actually turn up to do the course, no distance-learning.
If we can't get things sorted out, we may have to try a 12 month Visa option and study when we get over there IF that's at all possible.

JET747

I am led to believe that NAIT may do one ? However, to do it would cost around the $1000 mark to do level 4 plus you would have to buy some reference books.

Best bet seems to keep trying with the job front, then if lucky I am sure that the company who employ you will give you time off and also pay for you to do it.

On the Oil Gas thread I started I am going to give a list of major employers in the industry that I got from the Expo yesterday.

JET

scottymallo

This was the info i received regarding the power engineering certs for BC which are interprovicial.
To confirm you are eligible to write the government examinations for any of the power engineering certifications you should call the B.C. Safety Authority, 604 660 6236 and they will evaluate your credentials and inform you as to which certificate you are eligible to write. When you get this information you can then determine which of our courses you need to take to prepare you for these examinations.

BCIT offers Distance Education programs to provide the theory necessary for candidates intending to write the Interprovincial Power Engineer’s certificate examinations. In order to write the Interprovincial examinations, candidates must have specified practical and qualifying experience as outlined in the BC Power Engineer's, Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Regulations. Generally, this means that you must have worked as a trainee on or around boiler equipment in a power plant for a period of six months or more. You may view the Regulations from the BC Safety Services website at:

http://www.safetyauthority.ca/services/bpvsp/index.html

In order to gain the hands-on training required, you would have to obtain employment in a plant and work on equipment specified by the Regulations. At that point, BCIT’s distance education programs are available to provide you with the theory needed relative to the Syllabi of the Government examinations. Otherwise, an alternative is to participate in a full-time program such as the ones offered at the BCIT Burnaby campus. The programs are described in detail from the BCIT Power Engineering Department home page:

http://www.mechanical.bcit.ca/trades/power_eng/

scottymallo

results back today from IQAS qualifications assessment. They could not give me an equivilent to the power engineer qualifications.
So for $125 and a 10 week wait i found out i hav ethe equiv of grade 12 plus 3 years specialised educational training in the oil and gas industry.
Least now should be able to get of the 4th power engineers course through distance learning. As i meet the mim requirements and my CV should be suffice for the experience

JET747

Scott what exactly did you ask them to do ? Was this to see if you could get the Power Engineers ? or was it to compare and get the equivalent Canadian qualification for what you have ?

Do you have any HNC's ?

The 4th class power engineer is I am led to believe a multiple choice. Never mind the books just sit the exam and see how you go.

JET

scottymallo

Jet I have 2 nvq lv3 2* lv 2 2 full oncs, 2 HNC units and nebosh cert. I asked for power engineer equiv but it does nt have any comparables outside of Canada. So basically they gave me the grade 12 which is still a good one to have as some oil and gas jobs take that with exp and then they said i had the canadian equivilent of 3 years specialised training.

JET747

Seems now after all this time, and being hopefully close to PR I will have to get my HNC or maybe 2 of, evaluated by IQAS/ Following this I will then submit to ABSA - Alberta - to get onto the Power Engineer ladder. Starting as Scott said on a 4th class.

It is a little frustrating as the uK industry is safe, has good training and also the HNC / ONC and even city and guilds is a good standard. Therefore when in Rome .......

It certainly takes a lot of resolve, patience, resilience and CASH to get through this.

The main question ringing in my head. If we are on a list of 38 as a supervisor and on this basis being fast tracked - you would have thought they would have looked closer at the Power Engineer etc. I have been a supervisor for 4 years now in the Oil/Chemical Industry but will take an Operator job then will probably take 4-5 years to get the 2nd class Power Engineer enabling me to get to a supervisor level. Frustrating. However, as an Operator you can make a decent living so no worries there.

JET

mutchg1

Power Eng by ABSA is almost like a Mafia, I worked as a lead operator in a large Power Station for over 2 years and have been in the oil gas industry for 15 years and ABSA said it would cost them too much and take to much time to look into to check my qualifications, They recomended I apply to sait and take the course first. The gas plant I work on only has small boilers for thermal heating so we only need 5th class to cover the max KW of the boilers we run. I just sat the test, multiple choice like filling in a lottery ticket for 3 hours not as easy as you would think as they word the questions and give you answers where more than one is correct but its the one they think is most correct that they score you on. By the way, dont just sit the tests they give you 3 tries then you are banned from sitting for 6-12 months, they cost 94 dollars a time. here is a link for practice questions
http://power-net.ca/dev/ its free to register and the question are some of the ones that are in the tests.

If you dont get above 80% for each section then I would get studying as theres no point paying for the exams. I was getting about 90% on average, I got A+ for my Sait course but the Absa test asks you stuff not even in the course, You also need to know about ABSA rules as there are a good number of questions on them even though this isn't covered in the course you have to pay for.
I should get my results tommorrow heres hoping.

JET747

Good luck with them exam results. I know exactly what you are saying as I have been communicating with ABSA the last 2 days.

I have also noticed that some jobs-as in Fort McMurray-they seem to have a lead op who is power engineer who looks after the ops. It looks like if they have no steam ticket that they can work with a shaparone ?

Surely a lot of the regualtion with regards to safety is common sense, especially if you have worked in the industry for a long time.

Did you get IQAS to evaluate HNC or oNC ?

JET

mutchg1

Yeh I got my HNC in Mech Eng done by ICAS they said I had equivalent of a diploma issued by a recognized community college in Canada so it didnt really do any thing for me. Anyway after a year of contract operating for Total Enerflex on a BP Canada site I am getting taken on with them on the 16th Dec so everything worked out fine for us.

JET747

What does that Diploma enable you to do ? Could you become a mecahnical engineering technician with that ? What do people who study that in other words become ?

One of my HNC's is in chemical Engineering which may lead me to an option - if accepted and cleared with the correct association - to becoming a Chemical Engineering Technologist / Technician - - however I think being an operator is better and you make more wedge.

I saw a few jobs recently for BP and Total Enerflex, I think BP was in the rural part of southern alberta. Witchea - or similar ?

JET

scottymallo

Mutch congrats on the job! how did you get the contract in the first place? I had the same icas results as you done nothing for me. Im sitting 4th class in feb.