July 7, 2015 – Canada has its first successful Australian architect who has satisfied the conditions for licensure in Canada through the recently signed Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) between Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The MRA was signed in February of this year and allows for fast-track crossborder registration for senior architects between the three countries.
Andrew J. D. Scott is an Australian architect practicing in New South Wales since 1987. He obtained his APEC designation in 2010. Mr. Scott’s design and consultancy work has taken him to the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, India and now Canada. Andrew moved to Vancouver BC in 2010, and is grateful for the opportunity to apply for licensure in British Columbia through the MRA.
On May 16th of this year Mr. Scott attended a domain specific interview as part of the APEC registration process. The purpose of this interview is to ensure that the candidate has the necessary skills, knowledge and ability to practice architecture in Canada. One of the main duties of the architectural regulators is to safeguard the public by ensuring only those individuals that are qualified are granted licensure. The interviewers unanimously recommended that he be granted licensure through the Architectural Institute of BC.
The MRA came about through participation by the three countries in the APEC Architect Project. All three countries maintain an APEC Architect Register of senior architects who have met a number of criteria including having at least seven year’s senior experience.
At the signing ceremony for the MRA, Peter Streith, chair of the International Relations Committee, stated: “Architecture is an international profession and this enhanced mobility of senior Architects among our economies will provide opportunities that will enrich our profession”.
It is the hope of the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA) that Canadian architects will also avail themselves of the MRA to gain licensure in Australia and New Zealand. The successful negotiations for the MRA were made possible through funding from the federal Department of Employment and Social Development Canada.
More information about the Mutual Recognition Agreement can be found on the CALA website at http://cala-roac.ca/apec/?lang=en .