Engineers Who Practise Locally Encouraged to Register with PERB

Engineers who practise locally are being encouraged to register with the Professional Engineers Registration Board (PERB) to receive certification and be in compliance with regulations of the field.

The PERB is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for the regulation of the practice of engineering in Jamaica.

The Professional Engineers Registration Act, 1987, stipulates that anyone practising the profession of engineering in Jamaica or puts themselves forward to the public as an engineer, should be registered with the Registration Board.

Chairman of the PERB, Omar Sweeney, has appealed to practising engineers to seek registration with PERB and for the public at large to insist on it.

“Whether or not your job requires it, it is a good professional qualification to have, and it redounds well for documenting your experience as a practising engineer over the years,” he said in an interview with JIS News.

“My second appeal is to the general public. Do not engage persons who are not registered with PERB, because you will not know the competence or a qualification that you are about to get. So, always insist that engineers be registered with the Professional Engineers Registration Board,” he continued.

Mr. Sweeney is also encouraging engineers who are able to carry out engineering functions for the Government of Jamaica under its special registration to still seek registration with PERB.

“PERB will work with agencies of government and private sector to ensure that their professionals can be registered in the best way possible,” assured Mr. Sweeney.

To be registered as a professional engineer locally, one must meet the basic academic requirement of a bachelor’s degree in the engineering discipline in which you choose to be registered. There is also the requirement of meeting ethical code of conduct and for two to four years’ experience in the field.

“If you are not registered as an engineer, you would have to be working under the direct supervision of a registered engineer. That is what most would have to do in order to gain their experience. Once you have met the requirements and have the necessary portfolio, then you can apply for your own registration,” Mr. Sweeney explained.

The Board Chairman outlined that similar to the field of engineering with several disciplines ranging from chemical, electrical, and mechanical to civil and petroleum engineering, so, too, are the members that make up the Registration Board.

“We are constituted strategically to represent the majority of the disciplines that will be present. Our Board is made up of civil engineers, industrial engineers, chemical engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, so we have a diversity of representation. That gives us the ability to be able to assess the qualifications of persons,” said Mr. Sweeney.

Along with the Board are Committees of coopted members from the profession that help in areas of assessing academic credentials, disciplinary procedures, and other matters associated with the functioning of the regulatory body.

Once an application is reviewed and approved by the Board, a certificate is given to the practising engineer. Certification with PERB is valid for one year and should be renewed annually to legally practise engineering in the country.

It is recommended that engineers begin by registering in the category or area of their greatest competence and then register in other areas as they grow their competence and seek to branch out into other disciplines.

“The ethical requirement is that once you are registered in one category, you would not give advice in an area outside of your competence. The public may just think that an engineer is an engineer and may ask a question of an engineer, but it is not their area of competence. In our case we advise our engineers to refer the person to someone with the competence, and so that is why the ethical code of conduct is very important to us,” emphasised the PERB Chairman.

Registration with PERB is applicable not only to Jamaican nationals but non-Jamaican engineers who wish to practise within the country. To facilitate this, the Registration Board offers temporary and special registration on a case-by-case basis.

Currently, there are more than 600 engineers registered with PERB but the count constantly changes, as Mr. Sweeney explained, when engineers retire, migrate or no longer practise locally.

Engineers may register with PERB by visiting its offices located at 9 Leinster Road, Kingston 5 from Monday to Friday during standard operating hours. For more information, persons may call 876-906-9573, email perbinfo@megjc.gov.jm or visit their website www.perbjamaica.gov.jm.

The PERB is not to be confused with the Jamaica Institution of Engineers, which is not a regulatory body, but a nonprofit organisation which promotes the advancement of the engineering profession.