Frequently Asked Questions
New applicants | Reclassification | Reinstating your membership |
Membership dues
What are the benefits of being a CTTAM member?
The primary benefit of a membership is certification with CTTAM. As a certified CTTAM member, you are permitted to use one of two titles: Certified Technician or Certified Engineering Technologist. You are also able to use the designations: C. Tech. or C.E.T., depending on your certification. These designations are recognized by industry and employers and indicate that you are a member of a respected, professional association. A lot of employers require that their employees become certified and will often make this a requirement for job placement and upgrading. Quality-based selection is now an important factor in awarding contracts to companies. Active certified members are able to transfer their certification to other provinces in Canada. As a certified member you may also vote in the association's elections, hold office and participate on one of CTTAM's many committees. There are also many discounts on different services available to you as an CTTAM member along with access to the Canadian Technical Employment Network (CTEN) job bank network at www.cten.ca.
Benefits of Membership (PDF file)
What do I need to be a CTTAM member?
To become a CTTAM member you need to have:
- Graduated from a technology program or
- Obtained an applied science degree.
Along with academics, you need:
- Two years of relevant Canadian work experience.
Note: Applicants who have international work experience require one year of relevant Canadian supervised practice as Canadian references are required.
How do I submit a member application to CTTAM?
You must first submit a online application through the Technology Registrations Canada website. You will be required to set up an account on the website and provide information pertaining to your academics and work experience.
Please contact the CTTAM office at 204-784-1081 or 204-784-1082 if you require assistance with applying online or have questions about the application process.
I'm applying to be certified as a Technician (C.Tech.). What are CTTAM’s requirements for certification?
Minimum requirements for C. Tech certification are that you:
- Are a graduate of a two-year post secondary engineering technician or applied science diploma program or equivalent;
- Have successfully passed the Professional Practice Exam, and
- Have two years of relevant Canadian supervised practice.
Note: Internationally-educated professionals must have at least one year of relevant Canadian supervised practice as Canadian references are required when applying for certification. CTTAM recognizes international work experience but one year of relevant Canadian supervised practice is mandatory.
I'm applying to be certified as a Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T.). What are CTTAM's requirements for certification?
The minimum requirements for certification as a Certified Engineering Technologist require that you have:
- Graduated from an accredited three-year post secondary engineering technologist program or have an applied science diploma/degree program or equivalent;
- Successfully passed the CTTAM ABC Exam, and
- Two years of relevant Canadian supervised practice at the technologist level validated by three references.
Note: Internationally-educated professionals who academics are accredited and have been assessed at the Technologist level must have at least one year of relevant Canadian supervised practice as Canadian references are required when applying for certification. CTTAM recognizes international work experience but one year of relevant Canadian supervised practice is mandatory.
What is the CTTAM ABC Exam?
All applicants must write and pass the CTTAM ABC Exam. The exam is based on the Province of Manitoba Certified Applied Science Technologists Act, CTTAM's Bylaw and CTTAM's Code of Ethics.
Additional information (PDF file format)
Certified Applied Science Technologists Act
CTTAM By-law
CTTAM Code of Ethics
I have received acknowledgement of my application. Now what?
After you have filed your application on the Technology Registrations Canada's (TRC} website, CTTAM will:
- Contact you in order to receive payment for the $175 application fee;
- Contact your references and ask them to complete the online reference questionnaire; and
- Activate the link for the online CTTAM ABC Exam and study manual.
You are able to track the status of your application by logging into your account on the Technology Registrations Canada website. Once all of your references have completed the online reference questionnaire and you have written and successfully passed the CTTAM ABC Exam, then your file will be assigned to a CTTAM examiner to review. Once your file review is completed, you will receive a letter from the Registrar stating your certification as either a Technician or a Technologist.
How long will it take CTTAM to assess my file?
If you have provided all of the required documentation and have successfully filled out the online application, your file will be assigned to a CTTAM file examiner. Review of your file can be quick as examiners have access to your application online. You may receive notification of the file review within as little as two weeks. You are also able to track the status of your application by logging into your account on the Technology Registrations Canada website.
I have paid the $175 application fee. Are there any additional fees required for a CTTAM membership?
Certified Members and Associates are required to pay annual CTTAM member dues. Failure to pay annual dues will result in your membership lapsing and being suspended. Annual dues are to be paid in January of each year and it is your responsibility to pay annual dues in a timely manner. To learn more about CTTAM annual dues, read Maintaining your Membership.
How do I know that I graduated from a nationally accredited college program?
Not all three-year technology programs are accredited. To find out which programs are accredited, you can:
- Contact CTTAM at 204-784-1081 and talk to the Member Services Coordinator, and
- Visit www.technologyaccreditation.ca and check the programs listed under the “Accreditation” tab.
If your program of study is accredited at the Technologist level, then with two years of relevant work experience at the technologist level, you can be certified as a Technologist (C.E.T.). International programs of study must be listed under an international engineering accord to be accredited. To view the applicable accords, go to www.ieagreements.org.
Do I need to have two years of experience in the same company or can I use my experience in previous jobs?
Experience can be accumulated with one or more full or part-time employers after graduation with a minimum of six months employment at each employer. Co-op work experience is recognized at 50% of the time worked up to a maximum of six months.
Does my work experience from another country count?
Yes, as long as your work experience is in a related field it can count towards fulfilling the two-year experience requirement for certification. Internationally-educated professionals must also obtain one year of relevant Canadian supervised practice in order to meet the work experience qualification for certification as Canadian references are required as part of the application process.
I’m an internationally educated professional. Why do I need a World Education Services (WES), ICAP (course-by-course) academic evaluation?
You are required to provide a WES ICAP academic evaluation as part of the on-line application process as the WES academic evaluation validates your international education and documents as well as provides a comparison to Canadian education standards.
Can I transfer my membership to another province?
Yes. Once you are a certified member with CTTAM and your membership is active, you can transfer your level of certification to the new province. You are required to fill out an inter-provincial transfer form and submit it to the provincial association that you wish to transfer to. There is also an applicable transfer fee.
What is a self-assessment?
As part of the online application process, you will be required to do a self-assessment. The self-assessment is a detailed inventory of your achievements both in academics and experience against national standards of competencies needed to become registered and certified as either a technician or technologist. Information about Canadian technology standards are available at www.technologyaccreditation.ca under the “National Standards” tab.
I am a graduate of a two-year engineering technician or applied science program (currently registered as a C. Tech.) and want to be a Certified Engineering Technologist (C.E.T.). What do I need to do?
As C. Tech., you can challenge a competency exam and if you receive a passing grade, you can complete the process of reclassing to a Technologist (C.E.T.) by submitting a competency summary that has been signed off by your immediate supervisor. Competency exam sessions are held quarterly and there is a charge associated with writing the exam. For more information on competency exams, go to www.cttam.com, “Registration”, "Current Member", “Competency Exam Resources”.
Is there a fee for a reclassification of my membership status?
Yes. If you are a Certified Technician and wish to reclassify to a Certified Engineering Technologist, there is an application fee.
| Reinstating your membership |
Is there a fee to reinstate my membership status?
If your membership has been inactive for more than five years, you will be required to apply online through the Technology Registrations Canada website as new/current information is required. If it has been less than five years you may reinstate your membership. You will need to contact the CTTAM office at 204-784-1081 or 204-784-1082 for information on fees and reinstating your membership.
Please note that CTTAM requires certified members to submit annual professional development reports which you will be required to remit for the period that you let your CTTAM membership lapse to show that you are current and up-to-date in your technology discipline.
What does my membership dues cover?
Because of the pandemic, we anticipate a drop in membership and expect that some of our members may experience financial hardship. We currently offer a non-practicing rate to those members that are unemployed or on leave from work. Sponsorships are also offered the members' children who are enrolled in studies that lead to a technician or technologist diploma in a recognized program of study in engineering technology or applied science technology.
CTTAM has a national affiliation with Technology Professionals Canada as well with Technology Accreditation Canada, resulting in payment of annual dues based on the number of active CTTAM members.
Inflation also affects our costs and in the last few years we have lost some of our members due to retirement. CTTAM members who have retired and have been an active member for 30 years or more qualify for "Retired Life Member" status with no annual fees or dues. It is important to retain these members with their experience and knowledge as they add value to the Association.
There are costs associated with our strategic plan that covers the following:
- Development and implementation of Continuing Personal Development (CPD) — CPD is mandatory for our members. Information about CPD requirements is available on CTTAM's website under "Members Toolkit", "C.P.D.". Training opportunities for members will be offered via webinars or online for little or no cost;
- Member communications — This involves contracted services for social media and marketing;
- Networking events — As restrictions are released, we hope to hold networking events for new members as well as student information sessions at RRC Polytech.
- Mentorship program — The program is currently on hold because of the COVID pandemic.
If you have questions or require further information, please contact Robert Okabe, CEO & Registrar, at [email protected].