Power Engineering Certifcation Scale
The Five Ranks of Power Engineers
Power engineers are divided base on five seperate classes (like a ranking system). The first-class certification is the highest and fifth-class is the lowest. This ranking system is also applied to process plants and the chief engineer of a plant must have a matching certificate (for example, the chief engineer of a second-class plant must have a second-class power engineer certification.
A power engineer employed with a certification one class lower than the plant rating can be the shift-engineer of the plant (second in charge of the plant and in charge of the shift).
Power engineers must progress through each class (starting at either as a fourth or a fifth) until reaching the first-class level.
The following is a brief summary of each class.
Fifth-Class
Fifth-class plants are very small scale plants. Examples include community centres, high-rises, municipal buildings, malls and ice arenas.
Fifth-class engineers tend to have jobs as building managers and maintenance engineers.
Fourth-Class
Fourth-class power engineers are in steady demand. This is the certification achieved through BCIT's one year program.
As per the legal codes governing power engineers, a fourth-class power engineer can be the chief engineer of a power plant with a 50 square-meters of heating surface (but less than 500) and the chief engineer of any lower class plant.
Fourth-class engineers are hired by large-scale plants as assistant engineers and field engineers.
Most applicants take a government approved course and pass two government exams.
Third-Class
Third-class power engineers are in high demand. This is the certification achieved through BCIT's Power and Process program. As per the legal codes governing power engineers, a fourth-class power engineer can be the chief engineer of a power plant with a 100 square-meters of heating surface (but less than 500) and the chief engineer of any lower class plant.
Third-class engineers are hired very quickly upon completion of the Power and Process program and are put in operating (control room) positions.
Most applicants take a government approved course and pass four government exams.
Second-class
There is a shortage of second-class power engineers across Canada. These engineers tend to fill supervisory roles as shift-engineers in first-class plants. This experience required to obtain this certification comes from working in the field and passing six government exams.
First-class
The highest ranking of power engineer. A first-class power engineer is entitled to be chief engineer of any steam or refrigeration plant. A candidate must have the necessary experience and must pass eight government exams.
Some first-class power engineers may take further exams to be qualified as chief engineers of nuclear power plants.
First-class power engineers will find themselves in high-level management roles (sometimes having their offices away from the steam plant).