CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA)
IMPORTANT
The Québec Association of Environmental Auditors (QAEA) offers the title of junior certified environmental auditor (Jr. CEA) to persons wishing to specialize in environmental auditing soon after completing their studies, but who do not meet the criteria for full CEA certification.
Specific criteria and a specific process for Jr. CEA certification have therefore been established and are presented in this document.
A physical person who meets all the junior certification criteria and successfully completes all the steps in the certification process is granted the Jr. CEA title.
A person holding this title has licensure to practise; moreover, through mentorship, the time it takes to obtain full certification can be reduced.
The certification criteria for the full CEA title (not junior) are published in a separate document which may be consulted on the QAEA website.
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CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA)
1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This document contains the criteria used by the Québec Association of Environmental Auditors (QAEA) to
determine whether a person may obtain the title of junior certified environmental auditor (Jr. CEA), and
determine whether a Jr. CEA may submit an application for full certification at the end of a mentorship whose duration varies according to the person’s profile and experience.
2. ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING AND APPLICABLE STANDARDS
2.1. Scope of environmental auditing
Environmental auditing is a multidisciplinary activity, and an environmental auditor is, first and foremost, a generalist in the environmental field.
It is defined as a systematic verification designed to determine whether the activities of a person or organization are in compliance with the environmental requirements prescribed in national or international standards, codes, guidelines, regulations or laws, or by an environmental management system.
Environmental auditing generally comprises, but is not limited to, the following areas:
Environmental compliance auditing Environmental management system (EMS) auditing
QAEA certification does not grant exclusivity of practice in environmental auditing. But it does meet market needs in terms of qualifications, compliance with standards, protection of the public, credibility of certified professionals and fostering of good practices. Certification—along with broad distribution of the CEA directory—helps guide the market.
2.2. Recognized standards
Environmental auditing is governed by standards, guidelines and legal requirements regarding its practice and subject matter. Among other things, an environmental audit should be conducted in accordance with the following standards:
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CSA Z773-17, Environmental Compliance Auditing; ISO 19011:2011, Guidelines for auditing management systems; ISO 14001-2004 and ISO 14001-2015, Environmental Management Systems: Use Requirements and Criteria;1 ISO/IEC 17000: 2004, Conformity assessment — Vocabulary and general principles; ISO 14050:2009, Environmental management – Vocabulary.
The standards define the various terms and expressions used in environmental auditing.
Depending on the context and the country or region where the environmental audit is conducted, some other standards may apply, for example:
ASTM International Standards Association standard, E2107-06 (Reapproved 2014), Standard Practice for Environmental Regulatory Compliance Audits (www.astm.org/Standards/E2107.htm); Numerous compliance audit protocols adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (see for example: www.epa.gov/compliance/audit-protocols); Regulation (EC) No. 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco- management and audit scheme (EMAS); (eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32009R1221.
Identification and understanding of the applicable standards and legal requirements are therefore an important aspect of the environmental auditor’s work.
3. JR. CEA COMPETENCIES
The Jr. CEA title granted by the QAEA confirms that its holder has, over the course of a rigorous certification process,2 demonstrated the competencies needed to
participate in or conduct environmental compliance audits, and participate in or conduct EMS audits.
1 The QAEA will continue referring to the 2004 version of ISO 14001 throughout the transition to the September 2015 version. The transition is expected to last three years, i.e. until 2018. In Canada, the standard has been approved by the Standards Council of Canada and is numbered CAN/CSA-ISO 14001:16. 2 The QAEA’s process is in accordance with ISO/IEC 17024:2012. The QAEA is a certification body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada. D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 3 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28
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However, the Jr. CESA may not direct an audit team or be the sole signatory of the audit report.
Because the QAEA is accredited to perform the Certification of Persons, the Jr. CEA title may be used in any jurisdiction that recognizes ISO/IEC standard 17024:2012.
4. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS FOR CERTIFICATION AND ANNUAL MAINTENANCE
The certification process is conducted by the QAEA’s Certification Committee, which reports directly to the Board of Directors.
The certification criteria are listed in Section 5.
Here are the main steps in obtaining Jr. CEA certification from the QAEA:
1) Application and payment of fee
The person must submit an application on the form prescribed by the QAEA and pay the applicable fee. That person then becomes a certification applicant. The information on the form enables the QAEA to determine whether the applicant meets the certification criteria.
2) Analysis of certification application
The Committee checks that the application is complete and that it will show whether the applicant meets the certification criteria. If so, the applicant becomes a certification candidate. During this step, the Committee also evaluates the application in terms of organization and quality of written communication.
3) Examinations
Each candidate must then take a written examination lasting about 90 minutes, which will test the person’s basic technical knowledge in environmental auditing.
4) Exam correction by the Committee
5) Approval of new junior certified members by the QAEA Board
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Principal Steps in the Annual Junior Certification Process
Steps March April May June July August Sept.
Posting of schedule and forms on AQVE.COM
Submission of applications
Analysis of applications
Written examination
Exam correction
Approval of results and notification of candidates
The process is described in detail in the certification application form.
5. JR. CEA CERTIFICATION CRITERIA
To be accepted as candidates for junior certification, applicants must prove that they have one of the following five profiles:
A (jr). Appropriate undergraduate degree
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences or environmental science) Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent
OR
B(jr). Undergraduate degree
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent
OR
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C (jr). Appropriate undergraduate and graduate degrees
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences or environmental science) Master’s or higher in an appropriate field Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent
OR
D (jr). Undergraduate degree plus graduate degree in an appropriate discipline
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Master’s or higher in an appropriate discipline (engineering, natural sciences, environmental science) Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent
OR
E (jr). College diploma (DEC)
College diploma (DEC) or equivalent Successful completion of the core QAEA training or equivalent
Applicants who have attended an institution outside Canada must include their Évaluation comparative des études effectuées hors du Québec provided by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion du Québec, unless they already belong to a recognized professional order in Québec. See: www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/living-quebec/education/comparative- evaluation.html.
The core continuing training is described in Appendix B.
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CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA)
6. MENTORSHIP
6.1. Description
The main feature of junior certification is the mentorship, during which the Jr. CEA must complete the required number of audits and acquire experience with a view to obtaining full certification (not junior).
6.2. Who can be a mentor?
Candidates must find their own mentors. To be accepted as a mentor, the person must meet one or both of the following conditions:
a) Must be a CEA and have held the title for more than three (3) years.
OR
b) Must have held a management position in an environmental organization (private company, public organization, non-profit, etc.) for at least five (5) years, directing a unit whose mandates include conducting environmental audits.
Ideally the mentor will be working for the same organization as the junior, but this is not compulsory.
The proposed mentor must be accepted by the chair of the QAEA Certification Committee at the time the candidate’s file is studied.
The mentor must sign a letter of engagement, be available to meet with the Jr. CEA on a quarterly basis, and produce a short report at the end of the mentorship.
6.3. Duration of mentorship
The mentorship will last at least one year. It begins on September 1 of the year in which the candidate receives junior certification.
The maximum duration of the mentorship depends on the junior’s profile.
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6.4. Obligations of the Jr. CEA during mentorship
Acquire experience
Including the experience already acquired prior to certification application (see example below), by the end of the mentorship, the Jr. CEA must have:
1) Participated in at least eight (8) full environmental audits for a total of at least forty (40) days.
However, he or she must participate in at least two audits during each year of mentorship.
2) Accumulated: four (4) full years of appropriate environmental experience for profiles3 A (Jr) and D(Jr), OR five (5) years for profile B(Jr), OR three (3) years for profile C(Jr), OR six (6) years for profile E(Jr).
“Full year” means a continuous 12-month period starting on September 1 and ending on August 31 of the following year, including the year when the application is submitted.
For more details on appropriate work experience, see Appendix A.
The mentorship ends on August 31 of the year in which the Jr. CEA meets the two conditions above. The QAEA will provide the candidate with a calculation of the duration of the mentorship, along with the start and end dates and the number and duration of audits required.
3 See Section 5, CERTIFICATION CRITERIA. D017 (V0) Certification Criteria – Jr. Certified Environmental Auditor Page 8 of 14 Revision: 2017-03-28
CERTIFICATION CRITERIA JUNIOR CERTIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR (JR. CEA)
IMPORTANT
Here is how the QAEA takes into account the experience acquired prior to certification application.
In calculating the years of appropriate experience, all full years acquired before the application are counted. If the applicant has already accumulated the years of experience stated under #2 above, that person will not be able to apply for junior certification, since the mentorship must be at least one (1) year long.
Moreover, because mentorship is a time for learning and professional development, the junior member is required to participate in at least two audits during each year of mentorship, regardless how many were completed prior to the initial application. In total, the person must have participated in at least eight (8) environmental audits for a minimum of forty (40) days.
Example
In April 2017, a person with profile A(Jr) submits a junior certification application after completing three (3) audits with durations of five (5), six (6) and three (3) days. On the August 31 following her application, she will have accumulated eighteen (18) months of appropriate experience.
Her mentorship will be three (3) years long (four years minus one full year recognized), starting September 1, 2017, and ending August 31, 2020. During that time, she must have completed at least six (6) audits (two (2) in each year of mentorship), for a minimum of twenty-nine (29) days (forty (40) days required, minus eleven (11) days recognized). In this example, the QAEA recognizes two (2) of the three (3) audits completed before the application, i.e., the two longest ones.
Continue to develop professionally
Given the rapid changes taking place in environmental auditing, the QAEA requires Jr. CEAs to participate regularly in professional development activities, for a minimum of twenty (20) hours per year. Acceptable activities are listed in Appendix A.
Meet with the mentor regularly
During the mentorship, the Jr. CEA must meet with the mentor once per quarter to discuss what he or she has accomplished in environmental auditing. Each meeting is summarized
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on a brief evaluation form which must be signed by both parties and then sent to the QAEA by the junior member.
Remain in good standing
All Jr. CEAs must keep a record of their audits, professional activities and professional development activities.
To remain in good standing during mentorship, Jr. CEAs must pay their annual dues AND send the QAEA a form reporting on their professional development and other professional activities. Any junior member who fails to provide this form annually may be struck from the rolls.
6.5. Final months of mentorship
Towards the end of their mentorship, Jr. CEAs must submit a file containing their own record and the mentor’s signed report. The mentor’s appraisal of the junior member must be positive. Instructions will be sent to the junior member and the mentor at the appropriate time.
IMPORTANT To obtain full certification, the junior member must complete the following steps during the last year of the mentorship: 1) Undergo a telephone interview, to be held a few weeks before the full certification exam, and 2) Pass the full certification exam.
Junior certification is granted only once. If, at the end of the mentorship, the junior has not met all the conditions set out in this document, he or she will lose certification and will have to wait two (2) years before being able to apply for full certification.
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APPENDIX A
1) APPROPRIATE WORK EXPERIENCE
“Appropriate work experience” means professional activity in more than one of the following areas: Environmental technologies and sciences Technical and environmental aspects of facility operations Application of environmental laws and regulations Environmental management systems and standards Audit methodologies and techniques
In sectors such as: Private sector Institutional sector (teaching and research) Non-governmental organizations Public and parapublic sectors
Where the individual acts in the capacity of: Manager Administrator Auditor Technician Inspector Specialist Advisor Planner Scientist Specialized communicator
In the following specialized fields: Auditing Environmental compliance auditing Environmental management Risk assessment Environmental consulting Environmental law Impact assessment
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Environmental monitoring Environmental protection Development and application of laws and regulations R&D Environmental technologies Teaching of environmental sciences
While acquiring their work experience, candidates must demonstrate the following qualities and personal skills: Ability to clearly express concepts and ideas, both orally and in writing Good interpersonal skills: tact, diplomacy and ability to listen Ability to remain independent and objective Work methods and organization that will produce results in an efficient manner Ability to identify objective evidence and to determine root causes of the problems identified Good judgement Respect and sensitivity for the local context
2) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Conferences, symposia, seminars: unlimited Training sessions: unlimited Association meetings: recognized maximum 5 hours Organized conference tours: recognized maximum 2 hours Committees: recognized maximum 10 hours Author presentations: recognized maximum 10 hours Publishing of articles: recognized maximum 10 hours Development of training material: recognized maximum 20 hours Dissemination of training: recognized maximum 20 hours
Professional development activities must be linked to the practice of environmental auditing as defined herein, or deemed relevant by the QAEA.
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APPENDIX B CORE CONTINUING TRAINING
“Core continuing training” refers to specific knowledge that applicants are expected to have acquired, either during their education or through specific training delivered by a recognized organization.
Core continuing training consists of the acquisition of both mandatory content and content that is deemed optional.
Hours (for Mandatory content information only) General auditing principles 7 hours Methodological and operational aspects • Environmental issues • Background and types of audits • Environmental auditing as a profession Methodology and operationalization • Pre-audit activities • Audit assignment planning • Preparation of work tools Legal aspects 11 hours Environment law (municipal, provincial, federal and international) Professional law Theoretical and practical content on environmental management systems and 10 hours the ISO 14000 series Background and international context Environmental management and corporate strategy Objectives, principles and components of environmental management systems ISO 14000 international standards Case study 7 hours Simulation of an EMS audit
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Hours (for Optional content information only) Environmental law Principles Concept of environment Nature of environmental law Environmental law and management Application mechanisms Preventive Remedial and punitive 35 hours Environmental law total Federal legislation Provincial legislation Professional law Concept of professional liability Sources of professional liability Protection against liability Duties of an environmental auditor Case study
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