Non-Graduate

An applicant pursuing certification as a C.Tech. or C.E.T. in Alberta who has not completed a technical academic program or who cannot produce transcripts can apply through ASET's Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) Portfolio program. This program allows applicants to demonstrate their skills and knowledge by preparing a portfolio and assessing themselves against the Canadian Technology Accreditation Criteria for academic programs in Canada.

The whole process can take two – four months on average to complete, but is dependent on how quickly the applicant completes their application. Applicants are given one year to complete the portfolio. Once the portfolio is completed and submitted to ASET for review, PLAR assessors are given three – four weeks to review the portfolio and approve it or request revisions.

No, the PLAR portfolio is completed entirely online in the ASET application portal. You will be provided with an Action Plan Template to help you organize your thoughts prior to entering everything online, but you will not be able to submit this document for review.

Once you have paid and started your PLAR application, you will receive an email regarding PLAR advisors. At any point after you have started the application process you can reach out to ASET staff to connect you with a PLAR advisor. The key functions of PLAR advisors are to:

• support the applicant in completing the PLAR portfolio
• help applicants to:
  • understand the academic criteria
  • match their learning to the criteria
  • identify appropriate sources and types of evidence
• provide ongoing support and feedback; and
• liaise with ASET staff as needed.

Advisors do not:​

• try to assist applicants with resolving personal issues through therapeutic interventions
• simply repeat application information; they must offer guidance and improve applicant understanding; or
• judge whether applicants have the requisite knowledge or skills for certification.

ASET staff will first review the submitted portfolio for completion. Your portfolio will then be assessed by a discipline-specific subject matter expert to ensure your examples demonstrate equivalency to the academic requirements for C.Tech. The key functions of PLAR assessors are to:

• assess the applicant's evidence
• ensure the evidence is valid, reliable, sufficient, current and authentic
• ensure the applicant meets the required academic criteria; and
• provide feedback to the applicant regarding the portfolio and any additional evidence requirements. 

No, a successful PLAR portfolio will serve as the "educational transcript" component of your application for certification. You will need to apply for C.Tech. using the online application portal, and then complete all the requirements of that application. These include supplying further documentation, completing a competency logbook and passing the ASET Professional Practice Exam (PPE). The C.Tech. application also goes through a review process. More information about the C.Tech. application can be found on that page.

Yes, since ASET uses a competency-based assessment model for certification, we allow applicants that have C.Tech. level education to apply for C.E.T. as long as they can show they have been working at the technologist level. The successful PLAR portfolio would still take the place of the traditional educational transcript in the application process, and the applicant would first need to gain the C.Tech. designation and then reclassify to C.E.T. following the ASET reclassification process. Reclassification from PLAR to CET is a three-step process:

1. Successfully complete and pass the PLAR portfolio.
2. Gain the C.Tech. designation via the C.Tech. application process.
3. Reclassify to the C.E.T. designation via the reclassification application process.

More information about the reclassification application can be found on this page.

No, unfortunately a successful PLAR portfolio cannot take the place of the educational portion for a P.Tech. application. The P.Tech. designation has a requirement of being a graduate of a two-year technical post-secondary program as defined by the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act of Alberta. Since this requirement is in legislation, an applicant cannot gain their P.Tech. designation as a non-graduate. They would need to return to post-secondary schooling to gain this education prior to applying for P.Tech. More information about the P.Tech. application can be found on that page.

The PLAR program is designed for foreign-trained professionals who come from war-torn countries or countries with conditions that make it difficult or impossible (i.e., bribery and corruption) to obtain copies of academic documentation, as well as senior practitioners with many years of experience in the field who are qualified but may not have completed a formal training program. These individuals have worked hard to be where they are, although they may not have followed the traditional pathway to get there. 

ASET’s competency-based assessment model was developed with support from the Government of Alberta and has gained ASET national and international recognition for leadership in the regulatory professions. Over 400 ASET members, instructors and industry representatives – supported by a recognized psychometric services firm – have contributed to the development of the competency profiles, exams and PLAR portfolio tool that are key components of this process.

The PLAR portfolio assesses an applicant’s skills and knowledge against the Canadian Technology Accreditation Criteria for accreditation of academic programs in Canada. Applicants must prepare and produce extensive documentation, such as letters of attestation, industry certification and technical reports to demonstrate compliance with the benchmarks. If an applicant successfully completes the PLAR process, they are admitted to the C.Tech. application stream and must meet all of the requirements for that designation. To obtain the C.E.T. designation, the applicant must meet the requirements for C.E.T. and pass an additional technologist certification exam. 

In summary, only qualified technical professionals will be successful in completing the PLAR and certification process. It is a rigorous process that recognizes qualifications can be obtained through a number of career pathways.