The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, or OACETT, is a not-for-profit, self-governing organization in Ontario, Canada. It is a professional association that promotes the interests of engineering and applied science technicians and technologists to industry, educational institutions, government and with the public. It currently has 24,000+ members.
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In 1956, a certification program for technicians and technologists was started by the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario (APEO), now known as Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). The first certifications were granted on June 5, 1957.
OACETT was incorporated in 1962 by the APEO.
OACETT played a role in the 1973 formation of the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT), a federal parent organization with which OACETT is affiliated.
By 1977, OACETT's Bylaw 15 had adequately established its own registration board separate from the APEO, asserting its independence.
OACETT was governmentally legislated under the Statutes of Ontario by the OACETT Act of 1984. The act recognized OACETT as a professional body whose main objective is to establish and maintain high standards for the engineering and applied science technician and technologist professions. A revised version of the act was passed by the provincial legislature in 1998.
The Institute of Engineering Technology of Ontario, or IETO, is the section of OACETT responsible for certification. It includes a panel of professional members that evaluates applications for certification and registers engineering and applied science technicians and technologists who meet established Canadian standards in education and experience.
OACETT confers the post-nominal designations of C.Tech. (Certified Technician), C.E.T. (Certified Engineering Technologist), and A.Sc.T. (Applied Science Technologist). These symbols are legally protected for use only by certified members, in the same manner that the PEO protects the use of the P.Eng. (professional engineer) designation.
The designations conferred by OACETT are recognized across Canada by provincial member organizations of the CCTT.
Although OACETT interacts closely with the provincial and federal governments, it is not a governmental organization, and receives no governmental funding. OACETT's activities are primarily funded by annual membership dues.
The association's affairs are governed by an elected council of technician and technologist members. Much of the association's operation is aided by volunteer members.
Mellor, Colleen. "OACETT's History". http://www.oacett.org/page.asp?P_ID=21. Retrieved 2007-07-23.