Environment and Urban Sustainability

Career Professional Certification

Professional certification is official recognition from an accrediting authority that an individual has achieved a specified level of knowledge, skills, and/or abilities, in addition to meeting a set of pre-established standards, a set of established criteria, or fulfillment of a legal requirement.

Professional certification is a method of marketing one's skills, knowledge, and commitment to professional and personal development.  The advantages of certification for the individual are that it signals to prospective employers that the possessor has achieved a specific level of expertise, is committed to maintaining or advancing that level of expertise, and will take on a professional role with responsibility and accountability for his or her actions.  For individuals embarking on their career paths or entering into new areas of environmental practice, the certification also offers chances to network with other professionals, the possibility for mentorship, career guidance and access to technical expertise.

The environmental certifications which most closely match with the Environment and Urban Sustainability program at Ryerson University are the Canadian Environmental Practitioner in Training (CEPIT) and the Canadian Certified Environmental Practitioner (CCEP). The Canadian Environmental Certification Approvals Board (CECAB), which was established in 1997, administers these national certification programs for Canadian environmental practitioners.   http://www.cecab.org  

The Canadian Environmental Practitioner in Training (CEPIT) designation enables practitioners with fewer than five years work experience to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to excel as competent environmental practitioners.  Given that the Environment and Urban Sustainability program includes many areas of practice established by the Canadian Council for Human Resources in the Environment Industry, which founded CECAB, the CEPIT may be a readily achievable certification for graduating students.

To be eligible for CEPIT certification, applicants are required to have the following:

• Post-secondary education completed at a Canadian institution or equivalent.
• Related career experience or the intention to pursue a career as an environmental practitioner.
• Submission of three peer references (academic, career related or otherwise).
• Agreement of the applicant to abide by CECAB's code of ethics for environmental practice.

The Canadian Certified Environmental Practitioner (CCEP) designation provides environmental practitioners who have five or more years of work experience with formal, Canada-wide recognition of the skills and expertise required for competent environmental practice.   The qualifications for CCEP certification include completion of a college diploma or university degree at a Canadian University (or equivalent), five or more years of work experience, possession of a suite of environmental competencies that meet or exceed the requirements for proficiency in each sub-sector applied for (as compared to the National Occupational Standards for environmental employment), and consent to abide by CECAB's code of ethics for environmental practice.

In addition, maintenance of CCEP certification requires annual professional development, including activities such as completion of technical courses with examinations, obtaining new professional or academic credentials, upgrading environmental competencies through continuing education, participation in industry-related activities such as committees, task forces and mentorship, publishing technical papers in journals, and presenting at conferences or schools.  Finally, CECAB requires that all CCEPs undergo complete reevaluation of their skill profile every five years.