The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region

							The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region
                Annual Summit
     Workforce Development Working Group
      Engineering Reciprocity Case Study
                  July, 2008


                Anne Garrett
              Consultant, PNWER



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                                   US Demand


*
*


*
*
*
                 US National Science Board Bachelor’s Degrees




    * Faster than average growth during the period (average growth is 7-13%)
                                                                               3
    US Engineering Degrees
   90.00


   80.00


   70.00


   60.00


   50.00
                                                                       Bachelors
   40.00                                                               Masters
                                                                      Doctoral
   30.00


   20.00


   10.00


    0.00




                                                                                   4
Source: US National Science Board: Science & Engineering Indicators
                  US CS Degrees
   70.00



   60.00



   50.00



   40.00
                                                                      Bachelors

   30.00                                                              Masters
                                                                      Doctoral

   20.00



   10.00



    0.00




                                                                                  5
Source: US National Science Board: Science & Engineering Indicators
      US Engineering Degrees
      Awarded to Visa Holders

        Bachelor’s




          Master’s




          Doctoral




                     0     10        20       30        40       50        60   70

          Percentageof U.S. Engineering degrees awarded to visa holders: 2005



Source: US National Science Board: Science & Engineering Indicators                  6
                    Canadian Demand




Excess-demand:
- employment and wages are increasing substantially faster than in other occupations
- unemployment rate is markedly lower than in previous years or relative to other occupations




                                                                                                7
  Canadian Engineering Degrees




Source: Engineers Canada: Trends in Engineering Enrollment and Degrees Awarded 2001 - 2005
                                                                                             8
      Impact of Specialization

• 3 or more years of specialization starting
  in undergrad
• Dozens of disciplines (both US and
  Canada list almost 20 Occupational codes
  for engineers)
• Canadian study found that the “market
  adjusts in about two to eight years (plus
  the four years of natural lag in
  production).”
                                               9
             Conclusions

• Complex supply dynamics (many
  disciplines, early specialization)
• Increasing proportion of visa holders who
  may not remain because of visa limits
  (US)
• Supply may lag demand by up to 10 years

Need flexibility in temporary migration to
 fill gaps in supply                      10
Engineering Reciprocity in
         PNWER




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         Political Timeline
• 1994 NAFTA US, Canada, Mexico
• 1995 AIT Canada
• 1995 NAFTA MRD Engineers
• 1999 Inter-Association Mobility Agreement
  Canada
• 2007 TILMA - AB, BC


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             PNWER Timeline
• 2000: Initial PNWER Private Sector Initiative Resolution on
  Professional Mobility encouraging bilateral agreements
  based on spirit of NAFTA
• 2003: Refinements to Resolution on Professional Mobility
  encouraging regulatory bodies to seek legislative change
  with support from their legislators
• 2004: Resolution added urgency related to upcoming
  infrastructure projects (oil and gas development, 2010
  Olympics
• 2006: Criteria added to resolution to mirror NAFTA (8 years
  experience post degree, in good standing in home
  jurisdiction
• 2007: Funding from CIC and WD to create task force, meet
  with regional stakeholders, identify barriers to mobility 14
       Regulatory Timeline
• 1920s+: Comity in the US and Mobility in
  Canada have been in existence since
  early legislation
• 1990s: Bilateral/multilateral discussions
• 2000s:
  – APEGGA Mobility Forums
  – Attendance at NSPE & NCEES, AGMs and
    each others Board/Council meetings
  – Due Diligence on processes and outcomes
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       Regulatory Progress
• AB/YK accept US FE/PE exams and
  NCEES Record
• AB/BC/YK use FE exam for applicants
  with non-accredited degrees
• ID House Bill 380 extending definition of
  comity (July 1, 2008)
• WA model for discussion
• Local bilateral agreements
  – AB/NV, NB/ME                              16
            Key Enablers
• Understanding that outcomes and
  objectives are essentially the same even if
  processes and procedures differ
• Mutual trust between individuals
• Due diligence on the details
• PNWER model of bringing together
  legislators, private sector and regulators

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 Where Do we Go from Here?
• What still needs to be done in PNWER for
  the engineering profession?
  – Use of NCEES Record in Canada
  – Requirements for Citizenship or Permanent
    Residency
  – Better information for potential migrants
• Can some of the lessons learned be
  applied to other professions?

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Questions?

   Anne Garrett
lagarrett@mac.com
   206.225.6134



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