APEGS VIEW : CPD
July 1st, 2021
The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program requires APEGS members to complete ongoing professional development activities to maintain and improve their competence. It encourages members to engage in lifelong learning to protect public health, safety and welfare. The program provides tools for members to assess their current skills, knowledge and abilities, determine activities to maintain or enhance them and report completed activities online to APEGS as professional development credits. For more information, navigate to the CPD menu at apegs.ca.
Online Ethics Module #3 Launches in April
The next instalment of the free APEGS online ethics modules launched in April 2021.
Our current ethics module topics are:
• Module 1 – Professionalism and Ethics
• Module 2 – Conflict of Interest
• Module 3 – Investigation and Discipline
For more information and to access the modules, visit the CPD menu at apegs.ca.
CPD Tutorial Videos
Are you looking for more help in understanding the APEGS CPD Program? Check out our CPD Tutorial Videos on YouTube. Links to these videos can be found on the CPD page of the APEGS website. Current topics include:
• How the CPD Program Works.
• CPD Program Requirements.
• CPD Scope of Practice and CPD Plan.
• CPD Activity Categories.
Does Your Next Meeting Need an Ethics Topic?
Monthly ethics moments are available to APEGS members for use in meetings.
When an ethics moment is included in the minutes of a meeting, along with the start and end times of the ethics moment discussion, this time can count as part of the member’s annual ethics requirement.
If you would like this month’s ethics moment, email cpd@apegs.ca
Important CPD Program Deadlines to Help Achieve Compliance
September 30, 2021 – Deadline to apply for a 2021 CPD Variation.
December 31, 2021 – Deadline to obtain credits for the 2021 reporting cycle.
January 31, 2022 – Deadline to report online your 2021 CPD credits earned.
Did You Attend the 2021 Online Annual Meeting?
| EVENT TYPE | CPD ACTIVITY CATEGORY |
|---|---|
| Professional Development Track Sessions* | Informal Activity* |
| Keynote Sessions* | Informal Activity* |
| Business Meeting on May 1, 2021 | Participation |
| Awards Ceremony | Participation |
| Keynote – The Winds of Change: Key Trends Affecting the Regulation of Professions | Formal Activity and Ethics credit |
| PD Track – Geoethics in Reporting for Resource Companies | Formal Activity and Ethics credit |
| PD Track – Communication as Ethical Action | Formal Activity and Ethics credit |
| PD Track – Indigenous Consultation & Public Interest for Engineers & Geoscientists | Formal Activity and Ethics credit |
*Unless otherwise noted.
Common mistakes when reporting CPD
This is the second year that APEGS members have been required to participate in the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program. While the overall compliance rate increased by two per cent from 2019, there are some common mistakes still being made. Here is a summary of these common errors.
| REASON | REMEDY |
|---|---|
| Did not complete the annual verifiable ethics training, or at least did not check the box that you did so. | APEGS offers a variety of ways for members to obtain the required annual verifiable ethics refresher training, including online modules that are free to all members and are accessible through the APEGS home page (www.apegs.ca). The CPD Program Document and the CPD webpage also provide several suggestions for ways that members can achieve this requirement.
Note that members are required to obtain at least one cumulative hour of verifiable ethics training annually and must report this in their CPD online reporting by: |
| Did not report any CPD information to APEGS. | There are numerous ways members can earn eligible credits for the CPD Program. Working in the professions is not the only eligible activity. Many activities are also available for free or for minimal cost.
For more information on what activities are eligible, refer to Section 3.2 in the CPD Program Document, or watch the short CPD Tutorial Video called CPD Activity Categories on YouTube. The link can also be found on the CPD page of the APEGS website. |
| Checked the box that you reported elsewhere, even though your preferred address is Saskatchewan. | If your preferred address is Saskatchewan, you cannot check the box that you reported elsewhere. You are required to report to APEGS.
Alternatively, you can change your preferred address to one in a different jurisdiction if you live or work there and then check the box that you reported elsewhere, assuming you are a member there. |
For more information, navigate to the CPD tab at apegs.ca where you will find the CPD Program Document, helpful tutorial videos and online ethics modules.
2020 CPD Reporting Compliance Review Results
A review has been completed to ensure that members are reporting their CPD for the 2020 reporting cycle. APEGS reviewed each member’s record (more than 12,000 in total). While there was a two-per-cent increase in compliance compared to 2019 reporting (88 per cent in 2019 compared to 90 per cent in 2020), there is still need for improvement. Members are reminded that it is their professional obligation to participate in the CPD program and report as required as per The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Regulatory Bylaws, section 23.2.
| CATEGORY | TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS |
|---|---|
| Members who met their 2020 CPD requirements | 11,289 |
| Members who reported but did not meet all requirements | 683 |
| Members who failed to report to APEGS | 429 |
| Overall compliance rate | 90 per cent |
Members who reported their information to APEGS but failed to meet their 2020 requirements will be assigned a Remediation Plan in 2021. Members must complete these assigned tasks in addition to their 2021 CPD requirements. Following is a summary of the reasons why members did not meet their annual requirements:
| NOT COMPLIANT REASON | TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS |
|---|---|
| Missing Ethics Requirement | 572 |
| Missing Credits, Activity Categories and Ethics Requirement | 15 |
| Missing Credits Only | 34 |
| Missing Activity Categories Only | 18 |
| Missing Credits and Activity Categories | 21 |
| Missing Credits and Ethics | 11 |
| Missing Activity Categories and Ethics | 12 |
The 429 members who failed to report to APEGS for the 2020 CPD reporting cycle have been placed on administrative suspension. The repercussions for a member who has been administratively suspended are:
- These members are not licensed to take professional responsibility for any engineering or geoscience work in Saskatchewan;
- These members will appear in the APEGS register as being administratively suspended;
- If a suspended member is an Official Representative for a company’s Certificate of Authorization, they are no longer permitted to hold this position. If they are the only official representative for a company, the company’s Certificate of Authorization will be revoked and the company is not permitted to offer engineering or geoscience services in Saskatchewan;
- If a member uses the Notarius electronic signature to sign documents, this privilege is revoked and a member must reapply and pay the application fee again if they wish to use this service after they are reinstated; and
- If a Member-in-Training is suspended, they are not permitted to write the Professional Practice Exam while suspended or apply for professional member licensure.
Members who are administratively suspended must apply to be reinstated. Members must submit requested CPD supporting documentation along with their application for reinstatement. APEGS will review their application and wthl only reinstate a member once they have successfully met all the criteria. This process may take a few weeks to complete, depending on how quickly a member meets their outstanding requirements and supplies APEGS with all the required documentation.
CPD Program Changes
Council approved amendments to the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program at its March 26, 2021 meeting. Visit the CPD tab at apegs.ca for the current document. Here is a summary of the changes:
Table 6CPD credit requirements for new members have been adjusted. Refer to Table 6 in the CPD Program Document for details.
Section 5.2 –
Application for a VariationLogic for calculating how many credits is required for a CPD Variation application has been added.
Section 5.3 –
Approval of a CPD VariationIf the CPDCC assigns an alternate Variation or contract and requires the member to provide written acknowledgment of the new conditions, the member must return the agreement letter to APEGS within 30 days or the Variation expires and the original program requirements are reassigned. The member must submit a new Variation Request if they require their file to be reassessed.
6.2 –
Remediation Plan InitiationIf the member is the initiator of the Remediation Plan, the Plan and the member’s detailed record of their CPD activities for the deficient year must be submitted to the CPDCC for consideration.
Section 7.3.1 –
Annual CPD Assurance Review ProcessAt a minimum, the Assurance Review will require members to submit the following:
• CPD Plans for the requested period.
• Detailed CPD activity records.
• Verification records for formal activity, presentations and contribution to knowledge activities claimed.
• Verification records for the annual ethics training.
| SECTION | CHANGE |
|---|---|
| Section 1.2 – Applicability | Temporary Licensees are not required to participate in the CPD Program. |
| Section 2.3 – CPD Plan | CPD Plans are required to contain the following information, at a minimum: Member name, job title, scope of practice description and a list of learning activities planned for the year. |
| Section 3.2.4 – Presentations (CPD Activity Category) |
Completion of presentation activities must be verifiable. |
| Section 3.2.6 – Contribution to Knowledge (CPD Activity Category) |
Verifiable evidence may be requested for activities claimed under this category. See Section 3.2.6 for a complete list. |
| Section 3.3 – Annual Ethics Component |
Once the annual ethics training has been completed, members must check the Ethics Training checkbox online and then record the hours spent on ethics training under the Formal Activity category. |
| Table 5: Annual Reporting Requirements |
Members are only able to report to APEGS using the Reporting Elsewhere option if they are also reporting their CPD information to another Canadian engineering or geoscience regulator. Members must also disclose their member ID number from that regulator to APEGS. |
| Section 4.6 – Credit Requirements for Waiver Holders |
Members who hold a licence waiver for the entire year require a minimum of 30 credits annually obtained outside of professional practice, including one hour of verifiable ethics training, which shall be claimed under Formal Activity as part of the 30 credits. |