Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists
Encyclopedia
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is a professional association
Professional body
A professional association is usually a nonprofit organization seeking to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals engaged in that profession, and the public interest.The roles of these professional associations have been variously defined: "A group of people in a...
that promotes the interests of engineering and applied science technicians and technologists to industry, educational institutions, government and with the public. It currently has 24,000+ members.
History
Professional Engineers Ontario
Professional Engineers Ontario, PEO, is the self-regulatory body that governs Ontario's 73,000 professional engineers, and sets standards for and regulates engineering practice in the province. It has a statutory mandate under the Professional Engineers Act of Ontario to protect the public interest...
(PEO). The first certifications were granted on June 5, 1957.
OACETT was incorporated in 1962 by the APEO.
OACETT played a role in the 1973 formation of the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists
Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists
The Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists is an organization in Canada that advocates for the profession of technicians and technologists, as well as certifying their respective educational programs....
(CCTT), a federal parent organization with which OACETT is affiliated.
By 1977, OACETT's Bylaw 15 had adequately established its own registration board separate from the APEO, asserting its independence.
OACETT was governmentally legislated under the Statutes of Ontario by the OACETT Act of 1984. The act recognized OACETT as a professional body whose main objective is to establish and maintain high standards for the engineering and applied science technician and technologist professions. A revised version of the act was passed by the provincial legislature in 1998.
Certification
The Institute of Engineering Technology of Ontario, or IETO, is the section of OACETT responsible for certification. It includes a panel of professional members that evaluates applications for certification and registers engineering and applied science technicians and technologists who meet established Canadian standards in education and experience.OACETT confers the post-nominal designations of C.Tech. (Certified Technician
Engineering technician
An engineering technician is a specialist who is trained in the skills and techniques related to a specific branch of engineering, with relatively practical understanding of the general engineering concepts...
), C.E.T. (Certified Engineering Technologist
Certified Engineering Technologist
Certified Engineering Technologist is a Canadian professional title awarded on the basis of academic qualification and work experience. Abbreviated as C.E.T., most Canadian provincial engineering and applied science technology associations offer this certification.-Definition:The ASET website...
), and A.Sc.T. (Applied Science Technologist). These symbols are legally protected for use only by certified members, in the same manner that the PEO
Professional Engineers Ontario
Professional Engineers Ontario, PEO, is the self-regulatory body that governs Ontario's 73,000 professional engineers, and sets standards for and regulates engineering practice in the province. It has a statutory mandate under the Professional Engineers Act of Ontario to protect the public interest...
protects the use of the P.Eng. (professional engineer
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
) designation.
The designations conferred by OACETT are recognized across Canada by provincial member organizations of the CCTT.
Governance and operation
Although OACETT interacts closely with the provincial and federal governments, it is not a governmental organization, and receives no governmental funding. OACETT's activities are primarily funded by annual membership dues.The association's affairs are governed by an elected council of technician and technologist members. Much of the association's operation is aided by volunteer members.