1.0 Abstract The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) is the certifying body for engineering technology professionals in the province of Ontario (www.oacett.org). They have been in operation for over 50 years, with a current membership base of 23,500 and they have a solid reputation within the industry. They own and manage three certification marks as follows: C.E.T. Certified Engineering Technologist C.Tech Certified Engineering Technician As.cT Certified Applied Science Technologist The research paper falls within the Strategy/Human Resource/Labour Market domain and the research questions that were addressed are as follows: 1. Is the current OACETT strategy addressing the labour market needs of the future? 2. Will the current certification standards meet the needs of employers in the future and allow OACETT members to have a competitive advantage in the workplace? 3. Is OACETT at risk based on the looming talent shortages? An OACETT member does not need certification to work within their chosen discipline. Some companies recognize certification as a professional standard within their industry and request potential employees to have OACETT certification and others view it as a nice to have but do not base their hiring decision on this. This paper is a conceptual paper and several sources of secondary data were used to address the above questions. The sources used were based on how they align with OACETT’s networks of government, industry, academia and potential competition. Outside sources were used to gain a broader perspective of the Canadian demographics and to identify risks and opportunities for OACETT. Independent informal discussions were held and their comments used to frame my own opinion and to gain a better understanding of the industry from their perspective. The results of this literature review revealed that OACETT is well positioned in terms of addressing the labour market needs of the future. The current certification marks are recognized within the industry and amongst companies who employ their members. They are building solid partnerships with companies and or looking at ways in which to address the looming talent shortages. OACETT’s strategic plan and its six priorities are well positioned for the future but they are limited by both human and financial resources in what they can deliverable in a reasonable time frame. The lengthy time delays in significantly moving forward on these priorities could put them at a competitive disadvantage. OACETT, with three other provinces, recently made the decision to withdraw from the Canadian Council of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (CCTT). CCTT has been the driver of international relationships, credential recognition and government relationships at the federal level within in Canada. The decision to withdraw and to structure a new entity will be time consuming, costly and it will take key resources off their own provincial strategic plan. OACETT certification is not mandatory for engineering techs to work within Canada. Without OACETT being a licensing body, the main drivers for certification will come from the employers. OACETT needs to strengthen its relationship with these companies who employ their members and work with them to develop talent acquisition and retention strategies. Ongoing mandatory professional development will continue to be an issue for OACETT. Other similar types of associations are moving to this and they will question why OACETT has not. If OACETT determines that mandatory professional development is not needed then it should position the association as a leader in promoting various forms of training and courses for its members. OACETT is a volunteer driven association with over 350 active volunteers. They will need to implement effective succession planning programs to attract and retain existing volunteers. OACETT has a large percentage of their membership due to retire in the next ten years and this could both be an advantage for OACETT but also a disadvantage. These groups of members are ideal to be mentors at the employer level, and to internationally trained professionals. OACETT has a solid reputation, growing membership and a volunteer base that is to be admired. They will need to focus on these strengths while moving forward to address these issues and to look for innovative ways to continuously provide quality service to their members. Moving forward, the recommendations contained in this report address the new and innovative methods to attract students; seek external marketing expertise to target companies and create strategic partnerships; review mandatory professional development and the development of a mentoring program to leverage the strengths of their volunteer base and long term members.