Through the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), Engineers Canada oversees the accreditation of Canada’s engineering undergraduate programs. Engineers Canada’s role is to uphold the integrity of the profession and care for its long-term success; managing the tension between maintaining long-standing professional standards and ensuring engineers are ready for new challenges and opportunities that arise with changes in society and technology.

In 2022, Engineers Canada set out to engage the Canadian engineering community to investigate and validate the scope of engineering accreditation in Canada. Coeuraj has been selected as the partner to lead the engagement process and help Engineers Canada map what is a complex system of stakeholders and their relationships to accreditation. The goal of this work will be to present a concrete and well-tested set of options for improvements to the Canadian engineering accreditation system.

This is a multi-year initiative that requires the participation of many stakeholders. Coeuraj and Engineers Canada have outlined a four-phase journey, beginning with in-depth research to benchmark the Canadian system and assess current trends in the engineering profession. Phase two sets out to engage a variety of key stakeholders to gather opinions on the state of licensure. Phase three broadens the engagement approach through a series of strategic foresight workshops, focused on what ‘engineers of the future’ will face and the steps needed to meet this demand. Phase four culminates in a Path Forward Report, which will provide recommendations for improvements to academic licensure that balance the needs of emerging engineers with practical standards that are the backbone of professional integrity and public trust.

Coeuraj is thrilled to be a partner in this important work. To learn more about the initiative and read up-to-date reports from the engagement activities, visit the FEA website.

Futures of Engineering Accreditation aims to reach as much of the Canadian engineering ecosystem as possible. If you have any questions about the project, or are interested in getting involved, please email fea@engineerscanada.ca