Frequently Asked Questions

If you were educated in Canada find a complete list of requirements here. If you were educated internationally then check here.

2. I want to become certified. What are the requirements?

The requirements to become certified are the same whether you were educated in Canada or abroad. However, the way you demonstrate your qualifications will differ depending on where you completed your education. If you were educated in Canada, check here. If you are internationally educated check here.
 

3. I have received acknowledgement of my application. Now what? 
You can track your application by logging into the OACETT member portal (the login button at the top of your screen) and navigating to My Membership. Once your application is complete and your annual membership dues paid, your file is moved to the ‘Queue for Review’ where it goes to the attention of the Admissions Committee. Once the Admissions Committee has reviewed your file we will send you a report by email, including an evaluation summary and what level of certification you are eligible for. The entire process takes 16 weeks.

 

Delays are most often caused by incomplete or incorrect applications. Make sure you have submitted all parts of the OACETT application and that the application has been filled in correctly. Be sure that the people you designated as your professional references have completed and returned their questionnaires. Once you have submitted a complete application, paid your membership dues, and we have received your professional reference questionnaires, then we can begin to assess your application. Assessing your file will take 16 weeks.

 

All applications require an application fee; you will not have to pay an application fee again unless you submit a new or different application in the future.
 

In addition to your application fee, you will be required to pay a fee to write the Professional Practice Exam (PPE) or the Internationally Educated Professional Practice Exam (IEPPE). All members must write the exam before they can be certified.

All members of OACETT, whether certified or not, pay annual dues to maintain their membership. After your first dues payment, your annual dues will continue to be billed on the anniversary of your application. It is your responsibility to pay your annual dues in a timely fashion.
 

Non-payment of your dues will cause your membership to lapse and you will be registered as resigned for nonpayment. If this happens, membership privileges and titles will be revoked and any active applications will not be processed any further.

Please refer to the fee schedule for complete details.

 

Learn about the short-term Associate membership category by reading here.

 

Members are admitted once per month, typically within the first week of the month. Once admitted to membership, you will be mailed a welcome package which includes information on your benefits. You can then login to the OACETT website using your membership number to access the benefits section.  

 

Experience can be accumulated with one or more employers after graduation. For every job you count towards the two year minimum you must provide a job description. See the details on preparing a job description here.

9. I did a co-op program while in school, does that experience count?

OACETT grants credit for co-ops, internships, or other similar programs. Up to one year experience may be credited if: 

Co-op experience that does not match either of the above requirements is counted at 50% of the time worked, up to a maximum of 6 months. You must submit a job description  for co-op just like any other employer. If you supervisor was a certified member of OACETT or a licensed professional, have them include their membership and license number alongside their signature on your job description.

 

Yes, as long as your work experience is in a related field and can be verified. 

 

One of your certification requirements is demonstrating a facility with the working language and knowledge of the standards, codes and practices of your discipline. You can satisfy that requirement in one of two ways. You can either work in Canada for at least one year and write the Professional Practice Exam (PPE), or you can write and pass the Internationally Educated Professional Practice Exam (IEPPE). Passing the IEPPE means no Canadian work experience is required, which means you can be certified sooner. OACETT recommends the IEPPE to all internationally educated members.

 

Your OACETT discipline is normally the same discipline as your academics; otherwise, significant competencies/courses may be assigned to you. You can check OACETT's accepted disciplines of registration on our website and contact us if you need further assistance. 

 

Yes, once you are a certified member with OACETT you can transfer your level of certification to another province. Not all titles are available in all the provinces. If you are an Applied Science Technologist with OACETT the requirements for certification may be different in other provinces and you may be asked to complete a Technology Report if you have not done one with OACETT. 

 

13. Why have I received a list of academic competencies to complete? How do I find courses to satisfy these competencies?  

In the Academic Review IETO will evaluate your education in relation to a 2-year (typically technician) or 3-year (typically technologist), Ontario post-secondary engineering technology or applied science program.  If required, missing academics will be assigned.

 

To fulfill missing academic competencies you have three options. The most popular choice is to check with your local college or educational institution for a suitable course. The content of the course must match the competency you were asked to complete. To confirm that the class is appropriate, we strongly recommend that you send the course outline to OACETT for review before you register or pay. The admissions committee needs 4 weeks to review a course.
 

Another option is to complete a technical exam. OACETT will set an exam for you and provide you with a list of materials to study. Please visit the technical exam section of our website for details. 
 

The final option for members with professional experience greater than 10 years is to apply for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR). 

 

All new members are given 3 years to become certified. Members assigned additional academic competencies are given an additional 3 years for a total 6 years to become certified. This is your certification timeline. If your certification timeline expires and you are not yet certified, you will be assigned a CPD cycle. For those whose academics and work experience requirements are already fulfilled, certification can be achieved quickly, often in less than a year.

 

If your official transcripts are not in English, translations must be prepared by a certified member of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) or other equivalent Canadian association of certified translators. If you attended a Canadian French language institution, you do not need to have your documents translated.

Complete the following steps:
 

Please phone or email the OACETT office for assistance at 416.621.9621 or info@oacett.org. Please also visit OACETT’s Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Policy required under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA 2005). 

 

Phone calls and emails are returned in 2-3 business days, although many can be responded to within 24 hours. 

Please be advised that IETO admits applicants and certifies members once per month on our admissions date, which falls during the first week of the month. Once all necessary documents are submitted, file reviews take 16 weeks, technology report proposal reviews 8 weeks, technology report reviews 12 weeks, and course approvals 2 to 4 weeks. Please realize that these are average times and some variation does occur based on availability of an expert in your discipline or the volume of files received.

 

You may request a 2nd file review. Click here to learn more.

 

You may apply for a certification appeal. Click here to learn more.    

 

Yes, the exam is a mandatory requirement for certification. It should be completed as soon as possible after your are made an Associate member. You must pass the Professional Practice Exam (PPE) or the Internationally Educated Professional Practice Exam (IEPPE) to prove your knowledge of your legal and ethical responsibilities to the public, employers, and yourself. Writing the PPE or the IEPPE enables you to meet the high professional standards set by your association.

 

If you completed or will complete your education in Canada you should write the PPE. This is the correct choice for the majority of members.

 

If you completed your education internationally you should write the IEPPE. Passing the IEPPE will satisfy the OACETT requirement to prove understanding of the standards, codes and practices of the engineering technology or applied science workplace in Canada. This removes the need for one year of Canadian work experience, allowing both required years of work experience to be from countries other than Canada. That means you can be certified sooner.

 

No, past exam papers are not distributed.

 

No, the Technology Report is required only to become a Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T.), it is not required to become a Certified Technician (C.Tech.) Graduates from nationally accredited programs who completed a suitable report while in school will have the TR waived.

 

Yes, if it is not more than 5 years old. You must still send in a Proposal for a Technology Report first.

 

OACETT's File Reviewers are required to maintain the confidentiality of your Report. However, you may contact us and ask for a Declaration of Confidentiality, which we will send to you. We do not sign other versions. Technology Reports for which there is a Declaration of Confidentiality will be returned to you once reviewed.

 

If you have academics left to complete you may not submit the Technology Report until they are finished. If your academics are complete you may submit the TR, even if the other certification requirements, including experience, have not been met. However, OACETT recommends you wait until all other requirements are met; this ensures you are in the best position to write a successful report.

 

Yes, you should be working on completing all outstanding certification requirements as soon as possible after becoming an Associate member. The Technology Report should be the last step.

 

There are guidelines available on our website. There is also a seminar available. 

 

No. OACETT has the rights to both titles; however, in 1993, we began using the Certified Technician (C. Tech.) title for Technicians. This was done to align ourselves with our sister associations in the other provinces and to reduce confusion. Only active members who were registered as Certified Engineering Technicians prior to 1993 can use it.  

 

Arrange for your college to send your official transcripts directly to us. The transcripts must clearly show your program and that you graduated successfully. You will need to complete an application to upgrade your membership as OACETT will require additional information. There is no fee for the upgrade application. Once we have received all necessary information the Admissions Committee will review your file and inform you of any outstanding requirements.

 

Fill in and submit the Reclassification to C.E.T. Application. There is a modest application fee . Make sure you complete the application in full and submit new versions of your job description, resume, etc. The Admissions Committee will review your information and assign any necessary competencies to upgrade your certification.

 

Check here for all the details.

 

You can read about access to records by clicking here.

 

Any document submitted to OACETT as part of an application becomes the property of OACETT. Electronic copies of active members’ documents are kept until such time as their membership becomes inactive. Inactive members’ documents are removed from OACETT’s database after 5 years. Physical documents are digitized and destroyed once OACETT receives them. Do not send documents to OACETT that you cannot replace.

 

If you are still within your 3 or 6 year certification timeline, then you do not need to complete CPD. You continue your education by pursuing certification. If your certification timeline expires you will have to begin CPD in the following January. Read more about CPD and certification timelines here.

36. I am planning on leaving the province for a time, and would like to put my OACETT membership on hold. Can I do that?
To remain a member in good standing, members must continue to pay their annual membership dues. Memberships are not put on hold. You can retain your membership if you leave the country, by ensuring that you continue to pay your full dues.  Members who will be residing in other provinces, and will be certified in that province, can apply for a dual membership and receive a discounted dues rate. This web page contains further information.