Border Services (FB) Group
General
- Why was the Border Services (FB) occupational group created?
- What is the qualification standard for positions classified as FB?
- How was the qualification standard determined?
- What is the effective date of the FB Qualification Standard?
- Did CBSA and the Bargaining Agent participate in the determination of the FB Qualification Standard?
- Does the FB Qualification Standard apply to all staffing processes for FB positions?
Education
- Would a candidate meet the minimum educational standard if he/she has obtained an equivalency to a secondary school diploma granted by a provincial or territorial authority?
- Does the federal public service accept Foreign Educational Credentials from candidates?
Alternatives
- What is an "alternative" to education?
- What are the employer-approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma?
- What is the PSC test approved as an alternative to a secondary school diploma?
- What is "an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience"?
- Under the section entitled "Alternatives to Education", what does "may be used at the manager's discretion" mean?
- What happens if the manager does not specify which alternative(s) will be accepted in lieu of a secondary school diploma?
- Is the manager obliged to use the employer-approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma?
- Can the manager of the position being staffed request higher than the minimum secondary school diploma?
- Could the manager accept an alternative to education when requesting higher than the minimum secondary school diploma when staffing positions classified as FB?
Application specific to the FB Group
- When an indeterminate FB employee applies on a process that requires a secondary school diploma, does this person meet the educational requirement if he/she was previously hired via one of the employer approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma?
- What if the definition of an acceptable combination used by the hiring manager at the time of the initial appointment is not acceptable by the subsequent hiring manager?
- What happens when an FB employee applies on an advertised process for a position classified as FB and the educational requirement is higher than a secondary school diploma? Is the employee deemed to meet the higher educational requirement?
General
1. Why was the Border Services (FB) occupational group created?
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which was created on December 12, 2003, brought together the Customs Branch of the former Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, portions of the Appeals and Compliance Programs Branches that supported Customs, the Intelligence, Interdiction and Enforcement programs of Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Import Inspection at Ports of Entry program from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The new work characteristics that resulted from merging these organizations could not be appropriately measured and valued within the existing Treasury Board classification system. To address this issue, in November 2005, Treasury Board approved a new classification standard for the FB Group and an occupational group definition was published in the Canada Gazette in March 2006. In line with this initiative, a corresponding qualification standard was developed.
2. What is the qualification standard for positions classified as FB?
The qualification standard for positions classified as FB is as follows:
Education:
The minimum standard is:
- A secondary school diploma or employer-approved alternatives (see Section 2, Part 1, Alternative to Education)
3. How was the qualification standard determined?
Historically, the Program Administration (PM) Qualification Standard was used by the organizations now amalgamated under the CBSA when staffing these types of jobs. It was determined that the same level of education (i.e. a secondary school diploma or employer-approved alternatives) would still be appropriate as the minimum level of education when staffing positions classified as FB.
4. What is the effective date of the FB Qualification Standard?
The effective date of the FB Qualification Standard is April 1, 2009. This is the approval date from the Treasury Board Ministers.
5. Did CBSA and the Bargaining Agent participate in the determination of the FB Qualification Standard?
Yes. The Qualification Standards team within the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (formerly Canada Public Service Agency) worked closely with CBSA on the design of the new Border Services (FB) Group Qualification Standard. The Public Service Alliance of Canada – Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (PSAC - CEUDA) was also involved in the discussion on the establishment of the qualification standard.
6. Does the FB Qualification Standard apply to all staffing processes for FB positions?
The FB Qualification Standard outlines the minimum requirement to be used for all appointments and deployments into the FB Group. The deputy head, and those with delegated staffing authority, are required to adhere to the minimum standard, except for:
- student employment programs designated by the Treasury Board;
- acting appointments of less than four months in duration; and
- casual employment.
Even though the exceptions listed above are excluded from the application of the Qualification Standards, it would be good management practice to select an individual who meets the minimum standard.
Education
7. Would a candidate meet the minimum educational standard if he/she has obtained an equivalency to a secondary school diploma granted by a provincial or territorial authority?
Yes. The levels of education mentioned in the qualification standards refer to the education levels established by Canadian provincial or territorial authorities. Equivalencies granted by provincial and territorial authorities (e.g., General Education Development (GED) which is a secondary school equivalent) must always be accepted as equivalent to that level of education.
8. Does the federal public service accept Foreign Educational Credentials from candidates?
The federal public service will accept Foreign Educational Credentials as long as a recognized credential assessment service has deemed them comparable to Canadian standards. If candidates were educated outside of Canada, they must have their certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian educational standards. This will enable them to provide proof of Canadian equivalency when applying for a job in the federal public service.
The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) assists persons who wish to obtain an assessment of their educational, professional, and occupational credentials by referring them to the appropriate organizations. The CICIC does not itself grant equivalencies or assess credentials, nor does it intervene on behalf of individuals or in complaints to the Public Service Staffing Tribunal. For more information on the assessment of Foreign Educational Credentials, please visit the CICIC website.
Alternatives
9. What is an "alternative" to education?
An alternative to education is an option that a manager can accept in lieu of the requested level of education stated as an essential qualification on a Statement of Merit Criteria.
The intent is that the alternative accepted by a manager would be comparable and would result in the same outcome as would the actual educational level required. Essentially, the application of the alternative would mean that the candidate has acquired comparable skills as someone who has completed the required level of education. The types of skills could be elements such as: researching, analyzing and providing solutions for complex problems/issues, writing papers or reports, defending points of view, etc. It is the manager who determines whether an alternative will be accepted and also whether a specific combination of education, training and/or experience is comparable to the educational level requested.
10. What are the employer-approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma?
The employer-approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma are:
- a satisfactory score on the Public Service Commission (PSC) test approved as an alternative to a secondary school diploma; or
- an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.
The manager is delegated to determine if one or both of the employer-approved alternative(s) would be acceptable or may determine that he/she is not prepared to accept an alternative to the secondary school diploma. When used, the alternative must be specified on the Statement of Merit Criteria for transparency purposes.
11. What is the PSC test approved as an alternative to a secondary school diploma?
The PSC test approved as an alternative to a secondary school diploma is the General Intelligence Test 320. This test assesses an individual's general cognitive ability - the ability to use reasoning to solve problems at the level normally required to complete secondary school. For more information on the General Intelligence Test 320, visit the PSC website.
12. What is "an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience"?
A "combination" is normally two or more things. An "acceptable combination" may be education and training, or education and experience, or training and experience. It may also be education, training and experience. The word "acceptable" refers to acceptability for a position as determined by the manager, unless otherwise regulated by the employer.
13. Under the section entitled "Alternatives to Education", what does "may be used at the manager's discretion" mean?
This wording, found in Section 2, Part 1 of the Qualification Standards, refers to deputy head or manager's authority to decide to accept an alternative in lieu of a level of education stated as an essential qualification on a Statement of Merit Criteria.
This means that, subject to any applications or restrictions noted within the qualification standards, the deputy head or manager has the authority to decide whether or not to accept an alternative. If it is decided that an alternative will be accepted, what will be acceptable in lieu of the education requested must be specified on the Statement of Merit Criteria, for transparency purposes.
As an example, if a manager is requesting a secondary school diploma as an essential qualification and decides to accept an alternative to that level of education, he/she would then have the authority to decide to accept either of the following alternatives:
- a satisfactory score on the PSC test ONLY;
- an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience ONLY;
- a satisfactory score on the PSC test OR an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.
Note: If a manager chooses to accept a combination of education, training and/or experience, he/she then has the authority to determine what that combination will consist of, as long as it respects what has been regulated by the employer (i.e. does not go below the minimum). Information on the acceptance of an alternative must be specified on the Statement of Merit Criteria for transparency purposes.
14. What happens if the manager does not specify which alternative(s) will be accepted in lieu of a secondary school diploma?
If the manager decides to accept an employer-approved alternative but does not specify which one of the two will be accepted in lieu of the secondary school diploma, the candidate may choose the alternative to be used.
15. Is the manager obliged to use the employer-approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma?
No. The manager may request only the possession of a secondary school diploma when staffing a position classified as FB. There is no obligation for a manager to accept either of the employer-approved alternatives.
However, it is important to note that an indeterminate FB employee previously hired via one of the employer approved alternatives must always be accepted as meeting the prescribed secondary school diploma, i.e. the minimum (see FAQ # 18).
The Public Service Employment Act provides deputy heads and their delegates with the flexibility to develop hiring processes that best meet their organizations' strategic objectives and human resources plans. In any given FB appointment or deployment process, the manager is delegated to determine if the PSC test and/or the combination of education, training and/or experience would be acceptable as an alternative to the minimum educational standard or if no alternative is acceptable. When used, the alternative must be specified on the Statement of Merit Criteria for transparency purposes.
16. Can the manager of the position being staffed request higher than the minimum secondary school diploma?
Yes. The manager may request higher than the minimum educational standard by asking for a post-secondary education, a baccalaureate, etc. However, the decision to request higher than the minimum educational standard should be substantiated by the duties and responsibilities to be performed in the position being staffed. Alternatively, the manager also has the option to request the higher level of education as an asset qualification.
17. Could the manager accept an alternative to education when requesting higher than the minimum secondary school diploma when staffing positions classified as FB?
Yes. At the manager's discretion, an employer-approved alternative could be accepted for the higher level of education as long as it is comparable to the educational level required. This means that the candidate has acquired comparable skills as someone who has completed the required level of education.
It is the manager who determines whether an alternative will be accepted and defines what is comparable to the educational level requested. The use of the alternative must be specified on the Statement of Merit Criteria for transparency purposes.
Application specific to the FB Group
18. When an indeterminate FB employee applies on a process that requires a secondary school diploma, does this person meet the educational requirement if he/she was previously hired via one of the employer approved alternatives to a secondary school diploma?
Yes. An indeterminate FB employee who meets one of the following criteria must always be accepted as meeting the prescribed secondary school diploma requirement:
- those who were converted on an indeterminate basis to a Border Services (FB) position; or
- those who were appointed or deployed on an indeterminate basis to a Border Services (FB) position and already have attained a satisfactory score on the PSC approved as an alternative to a secondary school diploma; or
- those who were appointed or deployed on an indeterminate basis to a Border Services (FB) position via an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.
19. What if the definition of an acceptable combination used by the hiring manager at the time of the initial appointment is not acceptable by the subsequent hiring manager?
If the person is already an indeterminate FB employee and the educational requirement is a secondary school diploma, regardless of the definition being used by the current manager, the person is deemed to meet that level of education.
20. What happens when an FB employee applies on an advertised process for a position classified as FB and the educational requirement is higher than a secondary school diploma? Is the employee deemed to meet the higher educational requirement?
No. The employee would need to meet the higher educational requirement.
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