EP Applicant Guide

APPLICANT GUIDE – EP and EPt
Environmental Professional Certification
Applicant Guide
Environmental Professional (EP)
Environmental Professional in-training (EPt)
A step-by-step guide to the EP Certification process
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Table of Contents
Welcome to the Environmental Professional Certification Process ............................................................. 4
About Environmental Professional Certification ...................................................................................... 4
About the EP and EPt Titles ...................................................................................................................... 4
About Environmental Employment Certification Standards .................................................................... 4
Fields of Specialization .......................................................................................................................... 5
Eligibility Requirements ................................................................................................................................ 6
Employment .............................................................................................................................................. 6
EP .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
EPt ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Education .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Steps to Certification .................................................................................................................................... 7
Application ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Registration ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Contact Information.............................................................................................................................. 7
Designation and Specializations............................................................................................................ 7
Current Employment............................................................................................................................. 8
Upload Resume ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Education .............................................................................................................................................. 8
References ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Agree to the Applicant Declaration ...................................................................................................... 9
Payment ................................................................................................................................................ 9
Confirmation ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Background Validation ............................................................................................................................ 10
Self-Assessment ...................................................................................................................................... 11
Peer Validation ........................................................................................................................................ 12
EP ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
EPt ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
All Applicants....................................................................................................................................... 12
Registrar Review ..................................................................................................................................... 12
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Board Ratification ................................................................................................................................... 12
Successful Certification ........................................................................................................................... 13
Appeal of Certification Decision.............................................................................................................. 13
Complaints Regarding the Certification Process..................................................................................... 13
Certification Maintenance .......................................................................................................................... 13
Annual and Term Renewal Requirements .............................................................................................. 13
Code of Ethics and Disciplinary Action.................................................................................................... 14
How to Contact ECO Canada Staff .............................................................................................................. 14
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WELCOME TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONAL
CERTIFICATION PROCESS
Thank you for your interest in Environmental Professional (EP) certification with ECO Canada. Please
review the information provided in this guide to determine your eligibility. It will also help to ensure
that your application is completed as thoroughly as possible. It is an excellent reference to assist in the
application process.
About Environmental Professional Certification
ECO Canada’s certifications are overseen by the Canadian Environmental Certification and Approvals
Board (CECAB). CECAB is a national organization dedicated to recognizing competent environmental
professionals in Canada. The Board oversees the final ratification of all candidates who meet
certification requirements, contributes to the maintenance of the certification process, and ensures that
the Environmental Professional (EP) Code of Ethics is upheld.
About the EP and EPt Titles
Environmental Professional (EP) – This title is intended for practitioners who possess significant
experience in the Canadian environmental sector, and provides environmental professionals with formal
recognition of their unique environmental competencies;
Environmental Professional in-training (EPt) - This option is intended for emerging practitioners, and is
available to recent graduates, newcomers to Canada, and those with fewer than five years of
environmental work experience. Students pursuing post-secondary studies can also apply for EPt during
their final year, although the title will not be granted until studies are complete.
The initial application fee for EP is $250.00 plus GST/HST, and the initial application fee for EPt is
$150.00 plus GST/HST.
Please note that application fees are non-refundable, even in the event of an unsuccessful application
for certification.
The membership fee for EP is $200.00 plus GST/HST, and is payable upon initial certification and every
year thereafter.
The membership fee for EPt is $100.00 plus GST/HST, and for the first year is included in the application
fee, but payable every year thereafter.
About Environmental Employment Certification Standards
Certifications are awarded based on the evaluation of an individual’s competency level, in his or her
area of expertise, as compared to the National Occupational Standards (NOS). The NOS for
Environmental Employment were developed through extensive consultation and validation with
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industry experts within Canada. These standards were developed as a definitive guide of the skills and
knowledge required for practitioners to do their jobs within their selected fields of specialization.
Fields of Specialization
In order to recognize a variety of environmental expertise, EP and EPt offer a number of different fields
of specialization in which candidates can choose to become certified. Associated with each field is a
unique set of standards for proficiency, which serve as the foundation for the certification. This system
has been designed to allow professionals to obtain recognition that is specific to their skill set, and at the
same time, reflects the entire scope of their expertise.
EP applicants can choose up to five fields of specialization in which to become certified, and EPt
applicants can choose up to two fields of specialization. The diagram below lists all available
specializations to EP and EPt applicants. For a description of each specialization and to view their NOS
profiles, please visit the ECO Canada website:
http://www.eco.ca/certification/ep-specializations/
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ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To qualify for the EP title or the EPt option, a candidate must satisfy basic requirements in the areas of
employment and education. The eligibility requirements for initial application for the EP title and the
EPt option are outlined in this section.
Employment
EP
Applicants must possess a minimum of 5 years of environmental work experience.
The EP certification program requires that practitioners possess a minimum of 5 years of relevant
Canadian employment in the environmental sector. While consecutive experience is preferable,
applicants must have accumulated the required 5 years of experience over a maximum of 10 years.
Equivalencies are also given for international employment – an applicant may submit 6 years of relevant
environmental employment, of which at least one year must be Canadian employment and up to 5 years
may be international employment.
Internships are acceptable for use towards satisfying the work experience requirements as they are
defined as work placements that are independent of post-secondary studies.
Work terms that are undertaken as part of a PhD Graduate degree are acceptable to use towards
satisfying the work experience requirements provided they meet specific criteria. Please contact
[email protected] for further information.
A co-op work term, or any work term whose completion is required for graduation from an
undergraduate degree, is not acceptable to use towards satisfying the work experience requirements
because it is viewed as part of the education requirement.
Volunteer experience is not considered acceptable employment for the EP title.
EPt
There is no minimum employment requirement for EPt applicants. EPt is designed as a stepping-stone
towards the attainment of the EP certification. The focus for the EPt option is to allow the applicant to
develop and hone their environmental skills, with the eventual aim of upgrading to EP certification.
Education
Applicants for both EP and EPt are required to have completed either a 2-3 year college diploma or a 3-4
year university degree, from a recognized Canadian institution.
NOTE: If an applicant’s education was attained outside of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United
Kingdom or the United States, a credential equivalence assessment will be performed. The applicant
will be charged an additional fee of $50.00 + GST/HST to cover the costs of the assessment. A credential
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report will not be provided to the applicant. If (in rare cases) the applicant’s educational institution is
not covered by the scope of the credential equivalence assessment, the applicant will not be charged,
but must have their educational background assessed for equivalency through a third party assessment
center.
STEPS TO CERTIFICATION
The length of the application process is highly dependent on the applicant securing all of the right
documentation and support in a timely manner. This includes the completion of the consent form
enabling ECO Canada to verify your education, and the prompt turnaround of peer validators. The
following section details all of the steps involved in certification, from the initial application right
through certification decision.
Application
Applications for certification are accepted via the www.eco.ca/certification website only. Please ensure
that all information is accurate and complete. In your application, you will provide ECO Canada with
your contact information, the certification you wish to pursue, and details regarding your eligibility.
Please note that the Registrar will only review completed applications which are accompanied by full
payment of the application fee.
The following section will help you in entering your qualifications into the applicant website. Note that
you must have a current resume available in order to upload it for Certification staff to review. When
you are using the online application system, please note that you can logout and then resume your
application at a later time using your email address as your login, and the password that you select.
Registration
On the registration page, you will provide ECO Canada with your contact information, as well as select a
password for your account and agree to the terms of service.
You will then proceed to the EP Application page, at which point you will complete several more fields of
information:
Contact Information
Please enter further details regarding your contact information
Designation and Specializations
Please select the designation and the fields of specialization for which you wish to apply:
If you choose the Environmental Professional title, you may select up to 5 fields of specialization.
If you choose the Environmental Professional in-training option, you may select up to 2 fields of
specialization.
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Note that applicants can only apply for one certification title at a time.
Current Employment
On the EP application page, you will enter information about your current Employment, including your
Occupation, and the address of your current employer, start date of your current employment, your
current job description and the contact information of your supervisor.
Upload Resume
Please browse for your current resume, which should include information on all of your past relevant
employment as well as your educational history.
Education
Please select an option from the drop down list that best describes your post-secondary education.
NOTE: If your education was attained outside of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or
the United States, ECO Canada will perform an assessment for Canadian equivalency on your educational
background. You will be charged a $50.00 + GST/HST fee for this service. Please log into your account to
remit payment for this invoice, as your application will not be processed if any outstanding fees remain.
If (in rare instances) the scope of the ECO Canada credential assessment cannot cover your educational
institution, you will not be charged, but you will be asked to have your educational background assessed
for Canadian equivalency yourself. An educational assessment can be attained by visiting the Canadian
Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) website at: www.cicic.ca/415/credentialassessment-services.canada). In this case, an original copy of the foreign credential assessment must be
sent to ECO Canada directly from a Canadian academic institution or a recognized agency.
To verify your educational background, ECO Canada uses the third-party verification service BackCheck.
After successfully completing your self-assessment, you will be contacted via e-mail within 3 business
days requesting that you complete a consent form. This is a requirement for your certification
application. If you do not receive an email within the 3-day time frame, please check your Junk/Spam
folders. Please note that while BackCheck is able to confirm education with the majority of postsecondary institutions, it is not a guarantee – some institutions are easier to reach than others.
For more information on BackCheck’s educational verification process, please visit:
http://www.backcheck.net/educationverifications.htm
References
Peer Reference Selection and Requirements - EP Applicants
In completing the information on the EP Application page, please submit a minimum of three references
that can validate your technical competencies. Peer References will be contacted after confirmation
that your Self-Assessment has been successful.
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Please note that each specialization requires three peers for validation, but that the same peer may
validate any number of your chosen specializations.
Peer References should be individuals that have worked with you, and/or observed your environmental
skills, and thus have sufficient knowledge of your environmental competencies. Co-workers, supervisors,
and clients are suitable peers for EP applicants. As an applicant, you cannot choose anyone who you
directly supervise to act as a reference, as this would cause a conflict of interest. You are also not able to
submit a relative to complete a peer reference validation on your behalf.
Peer Reference Selection and Requirements - EPt Applicants
In completing the information on the EP Application page, please submit a minimum of three references
that can validate your technical competencies. Validation via peer reference is conducted on a
randomly-chosen percentage of EPt applicants, thus your peers may or may not be contacted. If your
application is randomly selected, your peers will be contacted after confirmation that your SelfAssessment has been successful.
Please note that EPt applicants do not require three peers per specialization, just three peers in total.
In order for an individual to act as a reference on your behalf, a peer must have sufficient knowledge of
your environmental competencies. Co-workers, supervisors, former college/university professors or
classmates, and clients are suitable peers for EPt applicants.
Agree to the Applicant Declaration
At the bottom of the EP Application page is the Applicant Declaration. Please read it thoroughly, and if
you agree to abide by the EP Code of Ethics, check the “I agree” box. Please do read the Code of Ethics;
it is an important part of the Environmental Professional title, ensuring that all members are held to high
standards of accountability. Moving forward in your certification application depends on agreement to
the EP Code of Ethics. If you do not agree to abide by the EP Code of Ethics, your application will not be
processed, nor will you have access to the Self-Assessment.
Payment
Upon completion of the EP Application page, you will be forwarded to the Review Order, and
subsequently the Checkout page.
For your convenience, ECO Canada’s online application system allows you to pay your non-refundable
application fee and subsequent membership fees by credit card via our website. Please pay your fees as
soon as you are automatically directed to the checkout page, as Certifications staff will not be able to
process your account until payment is made. The chart below summarizes application-related fees.
EP/EPt Fee Schedule
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Title
One-Time Application Fee
Annual Membership Fee
EP
$ 250 + GST/HST
$ 200 + GST/HST
EPt
$ 150 + GST/HST
N/A for first year, $ 100 + GST/HST per year thereafter
The Online Payment Center can be accessed at any time, and all transaction receipts will be kept here.
You will not be sent a paper receipt; however, you can login to your account and print copies of your
invoices and receipts as needed. The payment center will allow all certified members to have access to
their payment history/receipts with ECO Canada at any time.
Please note that the application fee is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome of your application. In
addition, the Annual Membership Fee is not charged unless the applicant is successful in their bid for
certification. The first year Annual Membership Fee is included in the Application Fee for EPt applicants.
NOTE: For your convenience, the secure online payment center will keep your credit card information
on file, and should you become certified, will automatically charge your annual membership fees to the
same credit card. You will not receive annual payment reminders; rather you will receive one notice
that the annual maintenance fee has been processed. You may opt out of the recurring payment plan at
any time by contacting ECO Canada at [email protected].
Confirmation
Upon successful payment, you will be forwarded to the Confirmation page. The Confirmation page will
provide a printable copy of your receipt. In addition, the confirmation page states that you will be
contacted shortly regarding the next steps of the process. This will occur after the Background
Validation step (outlined below) has been undertaken by Certification staff.
You may then choose to look at your Profile. To access your Applicant information in our system, click
on "My Certifications" on your Profile page. If you have chosen to upload your resume, the education
and employment fields in your application will not contain any information. You may choose to enter
employment and education information; however, Certification staff will have your resume on file.
Background Validation
Applicants for all titles undergo a validation of the employment and resume information that they have
submitted. In this stage, Certification staff ensures that all necessary information to evaluate and
validate all or your employment and education submissions has been received. It is common for
applicants to be asked for additional information regarding any information that may seem unclear or
inconsistent in order to clarify the details of your application information.
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During the Background Validation, Certification staff may contact the verification contacts you listed in
your employment history. ECO Canada contacts these people in order to determine that the
employment information is accurate. Verification contacts will not be asked about your personal
attributes.
Once you have submitted your application, Background Validation will typically be completed within two
weeks. You will be contacted by email with the results of background validation – you may be asked to
proceed to the Self-Assessment (below), submit further information, or re-evaluate which title you wish
to pursue.
After successful Background Validation, Certification staff will verify your educational information via
BackCheck, as outlined in the Application section above. In order to complete this step, ECO Canada
must receive permission to verify your education, as well as payment of all applicable fees.
Self-Assessment
Based on the NOS technical competency statements in the field of specialization(s) that you have
chosen, you will be required to conduct a self-assessment of your technical competencies. The results
of your self-assessment must meet or exceed the minimum levels established through the NOS
validation process. As you complete your self-assessment, you will see the competency statement
groupings for each field of specialization for which you have applied. Click on each competency group to
reveal a new page that lists the appropriate competency statements, against which you will compare
your skills and knowledge to the national standard.
Each EP/EPt field of specialization is comprised of a series of competency statements. For each
statement, you will be asked to disclose how recently you last demonstrated the competency and to
rate your level of proficiency for each competency statement, according to the following scale:

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


No Experience: You have no experience with this work
Learning: You only work on pre-assigned duties related to this work, and require supervision
Guidance Required: You can perform most aspects of this work but you may still require occasional
guidance.
Independent: You can perform this work independently and may coordinate it. Your involvement is
widespread and you may oversee aspects of the work.
Lead: You have significant breadth and depth of knowledge and experience. You lead and have the
overall responsibility for the quality and outcomes of the work.
In order to proceed to your Peer Validation, you must receive a minimum passing score on the total
competency assessment. Once you have submitted your self-assessment, the results will be evaluated
by the Registrar. If the evaluation has been successful, you will receive an email confirmation and will be
able to move on to the peer validation stage. If your assessment is unsuccessful, the Registrar will
conduct a review of your application, and will provide you with a list of available options.
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Peer Validation
EP
Your peers will be contacted after confirmation that your Self-Assessment has been successful. Peers of
EP Applicants will be presented with the same set of statements that the applicant evaluated
themselves on in the self-assessment, and asked to rate the applicant on the same scale (No Experience,
Learning, Guidance Required, Independent, Lead).
EPt
If your application is randomly selected, your peers will be contacted after confirmation that your SelfAssessment has been successful. Peers of EPt Applicants will be presented with a generalized list of
environmental competencies, and asked to select those that apply to the applicant.
All Applicants
It is essential that you confirm participation of your peers prior to submitting their information to ECO
Canada.
Once submitted, peers will be notified to begin the validation and periodic reminders will be sent out
until it is complete. To ensure that the time limit for applications is not exceeded, it is important to keep
in contact with peers and enable completion of the validation in a timely manner.
Note: Applicants may not discuss the details of their self-assessment or peers’ validation with peer
validators as the process is strictly confidential.
If your peers successfully validate your level of competence, your application will be forwarded to the
Registrar for final review. If your peers do not validate your level of competence, the Registrar will
contact you with options regarding how to proceed.
Registrar Review
Once the results of your Background Validation, Self-Assessment and Peer Validation have been
received by the Registrar, a final review will be conducted to ensure that all steps were successful, and
all submissions and documentation are in place before your application goes to the Board for
ratification.
Board Ratification
The Approvals Board will review elements of your application and provide final ratification. Generally,
the Approvals Board meets during the second week of each month. The Approvals Board also oversees
the certification process - to view the current members of the Canadian Environmental Certification
Approvals Board please visit the Board’s website at www.cecab.org.
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If your application is approved for certification by ECO Canada, you will be notified via email. At this
juncture, you should verify that all personal information and information regarding your employment is
correct, as these are the items that will be displayed on the Roster.
Successful Certification
If you are successfully certified as an Environmental Professional with ECO Canada, you will be mailed a
certification package including a wall certificate, and your name will be added to the publicly available
roster located at:
http://www.cecab.org/public/roster.aspx
At this time, the first year membership fee will be charged to successful EP applicants. This fee will be
automatically applied to the credit card provided upon initial application payment, unless the applicant
has made prior arrangements with Certifications staff ([email protected]).
Note that EPt members do not receive a wall certificate, as they are still in-training, but their name will
be displayed on the roster as an EPt. The first year membership fee for EPt applicants is included in the
application fee.
Appeal of Certification Decision
If you are unsuccessful in your application for certification, and you feel that the certification process
was handled inappropriately, you are entitled to appeal the certification decision.
If you would like further information on the appeal fee or process, please contact the Registrar at
[email protected].
Complaints Regarding the Certification Process
If you are unhappy with aspects of the certification process, you are entitled to file your written
complaint with the Registrar ([email protected]). ECO Canada endeavors to investigate complaints in a
constructive, impartial and timely manner. The complaint is assigned to a suitable investigator, and a
correction, cause and corrective or preventive actions are determined and carried out. The complainant
will be updated when significant progress has been made and/or when the investigation has concluded.
CERTIFICATION MAINTENANCE
Annual and Term Renewal Requirements
Please see the EP/EPt Member Guide on the Support Documents page for further details:
http://www.eco.ca/certification/become-an-ep/ep-support-documents/
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Code of Ethics and Disciplinary Action
Maintenance of certification also hinges on members maintaining adherence to the Environmental
Professional (EP) Code of Ethics. Certification may be revoked if a certified member breaches the
Environmental Professional (EP) Code of Ethics. Revocation proceedings could be initiated by a
complaint, registered in writing, to the Registrar by an employer, client, or member of the general
public. In such proceedings, ECO Canada ensures that all parties are treated fairly and equitably. The
following actions are examples of what could initiate a complaint and ultimately result in revocation of a
certificate:





Falsification of credentials
Evidence of professional incompetence
Breach of the Code of Ethics
Knowingly falsifying environmental documentation
Professional misconduct
ECO Canada maintains a policy and procedure for complaints against certified members, as well as
withdrawal and cancellation of certification. Please contact the Registrar at [email protected] for details.
Please note that the Environmental Professional Code of Ethics can be found at:
http://www.eco.ca/certification/become-an-ep/ep-support-documents/
HOW TO CONTACT ECO CANADA STAFF
Should you require any assistance while in the application process, or have questions after becoming
certified, please feel free to contact Certifications staff at any time:
Email - [email protected]
Phone - 403-233-7484
Fax - 403-264-6240
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