Regulated and Non-Regulated Occupations

A regulatory body is an organization that makes sure all people working in that industry or profession meet entry requirements and education or experience standards. Regulatory bodies are responsible for:

• providing certification, registration or licensing for qualified workers
• discipline of members that do not meet the requirements for the profession
• in general, protecting the public as well as their members

In a regulated profession, you must have a license or certificate from the appropriate regulatory body that governs the occupation you want to work in. Each regulatory body evaluates educational qualifications, work experience, and professional skills in different ways. Many internationally trained professionals decide to find employment in non-regulated professions because of the the cost and time needed to re-license.

Non-regulated professions do not need a license or certification. Employers may want to verify certain credentials, such as education and work experience, as a requirement to work in their company. There are voluntary certifications that can increase your career success that usually take less money and time to obtain compared to the regulated professions. Although no license, certification, or registration is required for these occupations, membership or certification through an association demonstrates commitment to the profession, and adherence to a set of association standards.

You can use the information resources below to find out if your occupation is regulated.

There are 2 kinds of certification:

1. Reserved (or Exclusive) Title: To use a particular job title you need to be certified by a regulatory organization. If someone uses the job title for themselves and is not certified then they are breaking the law.
2. Reserved (or Exclusive) Practice: Certain tasks or jobs can only be performed by someone who has been certified by a regulatory organization. If someone performs these tasks and is not certified then they are breaking the law.

Some occupations have reserved titles, some have reserved practice, and some have both.

For Example:

• Only people certified by the British Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons can call themselves medical doctors in British Columbia, and without the certification you cannot practice medicine in BC. Medical doctors have Reserved Title and Reserved Practice.
• Only people certified by the Applied Science Technologists & Technicians of British Columbia can call themselves Electronics Technologists in British Columbia, but anyone can perform the tasks of an Electronics Technologist if they have sufficient skill. Electronics Technologists have Reserved Title but not Reserved Practice.
• Anyone in British Columbia can call themselves a teacher, but teachers in a Public or Independent primary or secondary schools in British Columbia need to be certified by the provincial authorities.  Teachers do not have Reserved Title, but have Reserved Practice.
• Anyone in British Columbia can call themselves a counsellor, and can provide counselling. Counsellors do not have Reserved Title or Reserved Practice.

Sometimes the practices that are reserved for a particular occupation may be different than you might think.

For Example:

• Only people certified by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the province of BC can call themselves professional engineers. Most of the tasks performed by a professional engineer can be performed by anyone with sufficient skill but often for legal and insurance reasons will need to be approved by someone who is a professional engineer. Engineers have Reserved Title and some Reserved Practice, but many tasks that they perform can be performed by someone else.

If your occupation is a Reserved Title occupation you may be able to find employment using your skills independently or under the supervision of a certified professional.