This issue of The Edge is themed around inclusion. Within the professions and APEGS as the regulator, the diversity that results from inclusion leads to improved service to the public. This is something to be celebrated.
Over the past decade, APEGS has seen many changes in membership. Currently, approximately half of registered engineers and geoscientists are non-resident to Saskatchewan. At one time, the majority of APEGS members were trained in Saskatchewan or western Canada, but now APEGS members have training from around the globe. Admittedly, as a regulator, this can present challenges to ensuring competence and proficiency, but as professions, this diversity of training and experience adds value to society and presents an opportunity for the professions to share this knowledge and experience to improve our service to the public. Meeting these challenges pays dividends in improving our professions and is in the public interest.
Training institutions are changing recruiting strategies and the way they deliver curriculum to both appeal to and support training of a more diverse group of graduates. In Saskatchewan, for example, recruitment of women and Indigenous students into engineering, geoscience and other science, technology, engineering and math programs is a particularly high priority.
This diversity of training and experience in the workplace has been combined with increased diversity in terms of gender, race, culture and more. It has proven to provide value in designs that take into consideration a wider array of public needs and interests. Society, in general, has also changed our view on such things as work-life balance, family units and parental responsibilities for children. As such, the workplace has adjusted to support employees more broadly, which in turn has increased retention and productivity. As well, more and more engineers and geoscientists are working outside of Saskatchewan and Canada for extended periods of time, applying their expertise to projects in jurisdictions around the world.
APEGS, as the regulator of the professions in Saskatchewan, can do several things to support these changes in order to serve the public better. APEGS can continue to ensure there are no unintended barriers within the regulatory process in terms of remaining registered and maintaining competency and proficiency. APEGS can also increase its role in facilitating the sharing of knowledge between these diverse groups of engineers and geoscientists in order to foster the practice of the professions to elevate every member’s competence and improve our service to the public. APEGS can also ensure it is inclusive in the recruitment of volunteers for committees and council to take advantage of the diversity of background and experience.
The diversity within the professions is increasing and APEGS is making efforts to ensure it is as inclusive as possible in support of the regulation of the professions in the public interest.
Terry Fonstad, Ph.D., P.Eng., P.Ag., FEC
APEGS President