Fifteen years strong

	IEEQ 15th Anniversary Speakers, front row left to right: Ethel Fernandez (IEEQ Alumni), Nusraat Masood (IEEQ Director), Dr. Marcia Friesen (past IEEQ Director, Associate Dean). Back row left to right: Grant Koropatnick (EngGeoMb CEO & Registrar), Dr. Jonathan Beddoes (Dean of the Faculty of Engineering), James Sinnock (MB Hydro HR Advisor), Dr. David Barnard (President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Manitoba)
	IEEQ 15th Anniversary guests at the cake cutting ceremony

by Brandy O’Reilly and Nick Sears

The Faculty of Engineering was delighted to welcome back alumni from the Internationally Educated Engineers Qualification (IEEQ) Program as part of the 2018 Homecoming Celebrations. The IEEQ Program is a program designed for Internationally-educated engineers as a pathway to be considered academically qualified by Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, as part of the process toward a professional Engineering (P.Eng.) license in Manitoba. The evening was not only to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the program at the faculty, but to also recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the many alumni that the program has seen since its inception in 2003. Joined by Dr. David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba and Dean Dr. Jonathan Beddoes, alumni came together to reflect on their time in the program and collectively celebrate their many notable accomplishments since graduation.

IEEQ Program Director, Nusraat Masood led the evening program, which included congratulations and reflections from past Director Dr. Marcia Friesen, Grant Koropatnick, CEO & Registrar of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba and IEEQ program supporter, James Sinnock, Human Resources Advisor at Manitoba Hydro. Ethel Fernandez (P.B.Dip.Eng., 2013), spoke at length to those gathered about how she felt when she first arrived in Canada and not being qualified to obtain work in her field. Coming from the Philippines, Fernandez praised the IEEQ program and staff for their help and guidance throughout her time at the University. She said both the academic and cultural components of the program changed her life.

Dr. Jonathan Beddoes, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering described the IEEQ program as “imaginative and unique” and also praised the program for allowing new Canadians to obtain work in their field faster upon arrival. He said the stories he heard from alumni were inspiring.

The program’s former Director, Dr. Marcia Friesen said that she has seen continual growth since 2003 when the program was first launched at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Friesen, who was in attendance at the event, said, “It was wonderful to see so many years of IEEQ alumni attend the homecoming and to hear of the exciting developments in their professional lives, their involvements in service to the engineering profession, and to see the community that they’ve developed with one another. It’s truly a pleasure to have been a part of the program for so many years”

For more information on the IEEQ program please visit us online: umanitoba.ca/engineering/ieeq

Brandy O’Reilly works for Communications and Special Projects at both the Faculty of Architecture & Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba
Nick Sears is a Communications Assistant at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba
Photos by Dylan Hewlett, freelance photographer, Architecture graduate student at the University of Manitoba
Article originally published October 9th on UM Today http://news.umanitoba.ca/ieeq-celebrates-15-years. Republished with permission.