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ECSA has big plans

The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) has big plans and recently spoke to Technews about some of its initiatives. ECSA is the only body in South Africa that is authorised to register engineering professionals and bestow the use of engineering titles such as Pr Eng. Its other core functions are the accreditation of engineering programmes, the regulation of the practice of registered engineering professionals and the promotion of engineering as a profession.

One of ECSA’s key projects for 2014 is the national engineering skills survey. This will help build an updated picture of SA’s available engineering skills and guide future action to strengthen the engineering skills pipeline. The survey is supported by its partners, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Economic Development Department (EDD) and the ECSA recognised Voluntary Associations. Results are due to be published in March. Meanwhile over 6000 responses were recorded in the first month and some trends have already emerged:

* The profile of the profession has transformed significantly from the traditional white male profile of the past in terms of race, but limited progress has been made in terms of gender.

* About 10% of projects carried out by local engineering practitioners are international projects, largely based in Africa.

* Most retired practitioners are willing to continue working as consultants.

* 40% of engineering practitioners have post-graduate qualifications, mostly in technical specialisation areas.

* 74% of respondents registered with ECSA value the professional designation and the recognition of expertise it provides.

Another of ECSA’s strategic goals is to have more influence over strategic infrastructure projects (SIPs) and government policy. To this end it has signed a memorandum of intent with the Presidential Infrastructure and Coordination Commission (PICC) which will culminate in a memorandum of understanding.

A further initiative in the pipeline is ECSA’s candidacy phase programme. A working group has been set up to identify, launch and oversee initiatives that will lead to an increase in the number of candidates enrolled with ECSA and to create a culture of respect for professional registration and a recognition of its value. The structured workplace training process for candidates is labour-intensive and costly. ECSA continues to engage with government and other industry role players to explore methods of accessing funding for candidate training. The goal is to incentivise companies through claiming rebates when they take on a candidate. This would encourage more employers to provide enabling environments to facilitate the professional registration of engineering practitioners.

Lillian Mlambo, manager: corporate communications & marketing.

Three key ingredients for structured workplace training are supervision, coaching and mentoring. ECSA aims to play a key role through the development of its Mentor-Connector programme. This will be rolled out through the Voluntary Associations to link mentors with companies and candidates.

Engenius is one of ECSA’s strategic advisory programmes. This aims to help youngsters understand the role of the engineering profession in their lives and inspire them to make engineering a career. In addition to maintaining an attractive and informative website, ECSA teams go out to schools to promote engineering as a career of choice. “Most teachers focus on science, not engineering. We engage with learners and train teachers to present engineering as part of career guidance,” says Lillian Mlambo, manager of corporate communications and marketing.

“We use engineering kits to present to the learners and they get hands-on experience in engineering activities such as creating structures and building infrastructure like bridges,” she continues. “Learners are also engaged through the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car kit. Here they work in teams to build and assemble a car using a mix of car and aircraft technology.”

ECSA also participates in the annual Sci-Bono Engineering Week, aimed at creating awareness of the role of the engineering profession and facilitating interaction between students and industry.

ECSA has 41 000 registered engineering practitioners. There is a code of conduct and registered engineering practitioners are held accountable against this, but it is not applicable to non-registered engineering practitioners.

“ECSA will focus on engaging with government to support national priorities and increase awareness of the routes to and benefits of registration. We aim to raise our profile among both government and the engineering community and to highlight the value of professional registration. ECSA is the custodian of engineering intellectual capital and remains committed to advancing the engineering profession,” Mlambo concludes.

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