On July 1, 2026, we are moving the minimum required engineering experience from four years to two years. This update changes the minimum time threshold. It does not change our competency-based assessment (CBA) or our licensure standards.
What this does not mean
It’s important to note that the update does not mean applicants are automatically eligible for a licence after two years. On average, applicants need three to four years of experience to develop demonstrable competence across all 34 competencies required by the CBA, and some may need more than four years.
For applicants who can demonstrate the required competencies after two years, the updated requirement removes an unnecessary time threshold once competence has been shown.
Competency-based assessment is the key factor
We introduced CBA as the method for assessing engineering experience in 2023.
Competencies are observable and measurable skills, knowledge and abilities, as demonstrated by the applicant’s experience. Applicants provide detailed examples from their engineering work to demonstrate how they have developed the required 34 competencies across seven categories. The framework is designed to assess whether applicants have the knowledge, skills and judgment required for entry into professional practice.
CBA supports a fair, transparent and consistent licensing process that focuses on demonstrated competence rather than time. It is the standard among professions for experience assessment.
Today, all engineering regulators across Canada use a CBA framework to assess experience.
Why PEO made this change
We carefully reviewed the time-based experience requirement and conducted a regulatory impact assessment that considered our CBA model, stakeholder input from the Ontario Fairness Commissioner, Engineers Canada and peer engineering regulators and our responsibility to regulate the profession in the public interest. We also considered that the 1998 change from two to four years was neither evidence- nor risk-based and was intended to facilitate mobility between Ontario and certain US jurisdictions.
Prior to 1998, the experience requirement was two years, with no CBA.
Our review found that the four-year minimum was no longer necessary for applicants who can demonstrate the required competencies earlier. The updated two-year minimum balances the value of engineering experience with the central role of demonstrated competence in licensing decisions.
Regulation 941 was amended to reflect the update, with approval from the Ontario government and the support of the Office of the Fairness Commissioner and the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Similar changes to the time component for engineering experience are under consideration by engineering regulators across Canada and are already in place in several provinces, including Quebec, which requires two years, and Manitoba and New Brunswick, both of which have eliminated the time component entirely and replaced it with CBA.
What this means for applicants
Applicants should focus on developing competence and documenting their work experience early.
Starting July 1, applicants can begin building their CBA in the application portal when they start an application. They no longer need to wait until they have accumulated the minimum number of years before documenting their work experience.
Applicants will be able to mark the experience requirement as complete only when they have entered at least two years of eligible experience, and their CBA has been completed and validated.
Applicants are encouraged to review our experience requirements, read the CBA Applicant Guide and start preparing competency examples early.
How study-related engineering experience is considered
Undergraduate experience obtained before the conferral of a bachelor’s degree, such as a co-op or internship, does not count toward the two-year minimum. However, it may be applied toward the CBA if it meets the criteria.
Eligible engineering experience gained during graduate study, such as during a master’s or doctoral program, may count toward both the two-year minimum and the CBA if it meets the criteria.
We do not grant experience credit solely for completing a graduate degree. Only eligible engineering work that meets the CBA criteria will be considered.
The key factor in determining whether engineering experience is eligible is whether it meets the CBA criteria.
Learn more
You can learn more about our experience requirements and the CBA framework by downloading the CBA Applicant Guide from our experience requirements web page.