ABOUT THE ACESC

The Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC) is a pan-Canadian membership anization composed of six members operating in the public and private sectors, in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.

In close collaboration with the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC), ACESC was established in the 1990s to ensure compliance with UNESCO conventions related to the recognition of qualifications, following ratification in Canada.

Members of ACESC issue assessment reports for general purposes to outline expert, non-binding opinions on the assessment of academic credentials issued outside Canada. These reports are widely used by competent recognition authorities in Canada—i.e., educational institutions, professional regulatory authorities and associations, immigration authorities, and employers—that require assistance with document authentication and comparability procedures.

In turn, competent recognition authorities use ACESC reports to inform their binding decisions on internationally educated applicants seeking to settle in Canada for immigration, employment, licensure or registration, or further educational purposes.

ACESC has supported millions of internationally educated individuals throughout Canada who seek or have sought fair assessment of their academic credentials.

Get more background information on ACESC and consult CICIC’s Web site to get an overview of the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC).

QUALITY ASSURANCE

The Pan-Canadian Quality Assurance Framework for the Assessment of International Academic Credentials (QAF) was developed by CICIC in collaboration with ACESC, and the policies and procedures of all member anizations comply with QAF’s principles and recommendations. ACESC also supported the development of CICIC’s Assessor Portal—Assessor.CICIC.ca—which features tools and resources used by the pan-Canadian community of academic credential assessors. ACESC members undergo a rigorous annual self-assessment and peer-review process to examine a number of criteria. Membership is conditional on continued compliance with the Terms of References.

Assessment reports issued by members of ACESC comply with QAF and the LRC. Holders of these assessment reports can expect:

• fair and credible services, where applicants are treated in an equitable manner;
• quality, based on established pan-Canadian and international principles of good practice;
• portability, where an assessment report will be accepted by other members and widely used by competent recognition bodies in Canada;
• consistency, while decisions may vary according to provincial or territorial education systems, by using agreed-upon standards to ensure similar outcomes;
• accountability, given members are mandated by or work within provincial or territorial competent authorities to provide these services, and they are ultimately accountable to the public.

anizations interested in providing academic credential assessment services in Canada and wish to request ACESC membership are invited to submit a completed membership application form to the ACESC Secretariat.

Get more information on the ACESC Terms of Reference, Membership Application Form , and Annual Self-Assessment Form.

SECRETARIAT

CICIC is a unit of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), and is Canada’s National Information Centre under UNESCO conventions related to the recognition of qualifications. It assists in the adoption of best practices set by these conventions and functions as ACESC’s Secretariat.

The ACESC Secretariat serves as a:

• forum to discuss policy and analysis of academic credential assessment issue management in Canada;
• mechanism through which to undertake activities, projects, and initiatives in areas of mutual interest to both reinforce and promote continued compliance with UNESCO conventions; and
• means by which to consult and cooperate with pan-Canadian and international recognition-related networks in respect of provincial and territorial jurisdiction over education.

The ACESC Secretariat is not responsible for recognizing credentials issued outside Canada. Consequently, it does not grant equivalencies or assess credentials, nor intervene on behalf of individuals or in appeals.

To contact the ACESC Secretariat, consult CICIC’s Web site.

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