We provide resources to assist our stakeholders in understanding our regulatory role and how we protect the public interest.
As part of its regulatory mandate, PEO establishes, maintains and develops: standards of knowledge and skill; standards of practice for the profession; standards of professional ethics; and promotes public awareness of its role. The following are resources to assist PEO stakeholders--licence holders, applicants, and the public--in understanding their roles and responsibilities and the regulator’s work protecting the public interest.
Resources
Ontario professional engineers are part of a community of more than 87,500 PEO licence and certificate holders committed to enhancing the quality of life, safety and well-being in the province.
PEO’s Engineering Intern (EIT) program provides guidance and assistance to engineering graduates as they acquire the 48 months of acceptable engineering work experience, including annual reviews of experience.
As the regulator of engineering in Ontario, it’s PEO’s role to assure the public that licensed practitioners are competent to practise in their chosen discipline, and that they are taking responsibility for the outcomes of their work.
As Ontario’s engineering regulator, PEO relies heavily on its volunteers. More than 1,000 professional engineers, engineering interns and non-engineers volunteer their time each year on behalf of the association through their participation.
PEO's mandate, as described in the Professional Engineers Act, is to ensure that the public is protected and that individuals and companies providing engineering services uphold a strict code of professional ethics and conduct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PEO accredit continuing knowledge activities courses to ensure they have value?
No. The value of a course depends on the needs of each licence holder. It is up to licence holders to develop a continuing knowledge plan of value to them.
Does attending manufacturer’s workshops and training sessions on their new products or technologies count as continuing knowledge activities?
Yes, if the workshop training session deals with any of the core competencies given above.
Can attending a PEO chapter event count towards my continuing knowledge hours?
Yes. The program recognizes continuing knowledge activities that are learning sessions with technical knowledge and focus on maintaining or enhancing engineering competence. PEO provides guidance on the three types of continuing knowledge activities that are recognized by the PEAK program.
PEO does not validate specific continuing knowledge activities or endorse activity providers as being eligible for the PEAK program. Practising licence holders are asked to determine their own needs based on their practice and pursue relevant continuing knowledge opportunities, then report these activity hours to PEO using the online reporting tool in their Member Portal account.
Does PEO recognize online courses?
Yes. PEO is not concerned with how an individual learns but, rather, with what they learn. Any course that has content addressing at least one of the five core engineering competencies is acceptable. The core competencies are:
- A – Apply engineering knowledge, methods and techniques
- B – Use engineering tools, equipment or technology
- C – Awareness of the risks and impacts of engineering work
- D – Manage engineering activities
- E – Communicate engineering information
Over what timeframe should I be completing my recommended number of continuing knowledge activity hours to report back to PEO?
Practising licence holders are to asked to pursue continuing knowledge activities that occur during your licence period—from the date of your current licence renewal to shortly before your next renewal date the following year.
How do I determine how many or what continuing knowledge activities I should complete?
A truly unique aspect of the PEAK program is that it allows professional engineers the opportunity to design their own knowledge plan to align with their area of practice and the available continuing knowledge opportunities. Under this self-directed initiative, each licence holder will:
- complete the practice evaluation questionnaire to determine the recommended number of hours for annual supplemental knowledge (maximum of 30 hours annually);
- determine his or her own needs, based on his or her own practice;
- pursue opportunities that are most relevant to his or her practice; and
- report what they have done to PEO.
What is an acceptable continuing knowledge activity?
Acceptable continuing knowledge activities fall into three broad categories: formal education, informal education and contribution to knowledge.
Formal education refers to any structured classroom-based learning provided by persons with expert knowledge of the subject matter. This includes college or university courses in technical subjects; courses for industrial sector certifications; training courses provided by manufacturers or suppliers; and similar activities. Courses must be completed in order to count towards the annual continuing knowledge requirement. Teaching or instructing such courses also counts.
Informal education refers to learning activities that take place outside the classroom. This includes self-study through reading of technical journals, books or manuals. It also includes attendance at conference technical sessions or trade-shows; or at standalone workshops or seminars. Structured discussions with peers such as mentoring sessions or study groups are also acceptable as long as the subject of the discussions is technical in nature.
Contributions to knowledge includes any activity that disseminates knowledge to other licence holders or establishes best practices for the profession. This includes the preparation and publication of papers on topics of interest to the engineering community; preparation and publication of articles in technical or trade journals or magazines; participation on committees developing codes and standards; participation on expert advisory panels; preparing and/or delivering a seminar or presentation to an audience of professional engineers, technologists, or related professions.
Is the ethics module a test I need to prepare for?
The ethics module is not a test and requires no study or preparation before completing it. It is an interactive video refresher to help both practising and non-practising licence holders get reacquainted with their ethical and professional obligations as described in the Professional Engineers Act (PEO’s regulatory role; legal and ethical obligations of licensure; professional misconduct; and a licence holder’s duty to report). You’ll also be reminded on how these obligations should be applied in real-life situations.
Who is asked to complete the ethics module?
All licence holders, including retired P.Engs and those who are not practising, are asked to complete the online ethics module to ensure that they are aware of their ethical obligations and how to govern themselves in compliance with the Professional Engineers Act and its regulation. Licence holders declaring non-practising status must understand what activities are foreclosed to them when they decide to adopt retired status.
What subjects does the ethics module cover?
The ethics module covers a variety of subjects including: the regulatory role of PEO; what licensure means; a review of legal and ethical obligations of licensure; how to identify and deal with ethical considerations in engineering practice; and professional misconduct.