ASET Releases Evidence over Rhetoric, a Snapshot of Province-Wide Opinions on the Importance of Certifying Alberta's Technologists

EDMONTON, Jan. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - The Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET) today released Evidence over Rhetoric, a report of province-wide consultations regarding the viability and socio-economic value of legally requiring the certification of Alberta's engineering and geoscience technologists.

Organisations that oversee self-regulated professions need the authority to require the certification of their practitioners. ASET lacks such legal support, limiting its ability to ensure compliance with safe, ethical, responsible standards of practice. This is why the Association is proposing that the Government of Alberta amend relevant legislation and require the certification of anyone whose work falls under a proposed engineering and geoscience technology scope of practice.

"Mandatory registration is the logical next step in the evolution of our profession," explains ASET President, Sandra Pippus, C.E.T. "Technologists routinely engage in work that impacts our health, safety, and economic wellbeing of Albertans, as well as the integrity of our environment. Such responsibility should be entrusted to individuals holding a relevant professional designation."

As part of its due diligence on this matter, the Association spent 18 months engaging in discussions on the merits of certification with a range of stakeholders across Alberta, from small communities to major corporations. The engagement's outcomes, as detailed in Evidence over Rhetoric, are instructive. Most individuals and organisations support ASET's position. This is unsurprising given the importance of engineering technologists to the Canadian economy, as evidenced by the Conference Board of Canada's April 2016 study, High Value Skills: The Contribution of Canada's Engineering and Applied Science Technicians and Technologists.

 "We went into this process believing in the merits of our position but also committed to asking the right questions and reporting back transparently, regardless of the results," notes Barry Cavanaugh, ASET's CEO and General Counsel. "It turns out we were right: Mandatory certification is an idea whose time is long overdue. Evidence over Rhetoric's conclusions overwhelmingly support our legislative proposal. It is time for opponents of legislative renewal to join the 21^st century and support a process that can only make Alberta a safer place to live and work."

ASET will promote the results of its consultations throughout the province as it works with the Government of Alberta on the next steps of this process.

About ASET
The Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta is empowered by the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act to regulate Alberta's technology professionals. One of only two such provincial regulatory bodies in Canada, ASET has been certifying technicians and technologists since the 1960s and remains committed to serving the public interest by seeing to the competence of individuals working on projects and in sectors of importance to Albertans. The Association ensures the reliability, responsibility, and accountability of the people who build our bridges, roads, factories, and residential communities; manage our infrastructure, buildings, and industrial facilities; and, design and oversee the systems that protect our most sensitive electronic data.

SOURCE The Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET)