Steps taken to transform the Engineering Council of South Africa

5th July 2013

By: Joanne Taylor

  

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The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) has embarked on a transformation process to ensure maximum efficiency in the delivery of its core mandate and, consequently, improve its service to the engineering profession and the public, says ECSA president Cyril Gamede.

The reasons for the industry body’s transformation include that its structures need to be responsive to what is required in the professional engineering field and that the profession needs to be regulated to protect public interest.

South Africa is a developing economy, which places ECSA in a crucial position as a key role- player in providing well-equipped engineering professionals to render the necessary skills.

Gamede says that ECSA is aware of the salient challenges that are associated with its role in the national development agenda, and paramount among these is ensuring a critical mass of registered engineering professionals, while striving to meet equity targets.

ECSA’s systems, its processes and infrastructure, particularly its information technology (IT) systems, are already being transformed.

“Our IT system needs to align with the changing environment and as a consequence we will introduce an online registration process to ensure that our registration process is efficient and enables applicants to track the status of their applications,” explains Gamede.

ECSA is working towards a more objective, fair and reasonable registration process by removing all the issues and concerns that registrants have raised with it.

“Should an application be unsuccessful, it is essential that registrants be given guidelines to help them work on the areas that need improvement to register successfully when they apply again,” explains Gamede.

Also, ECSA plans to engage more with government, the Department of Public Works and the Council for the Built Environment. It also aims to contribute to government in the engineering sphere and ensure active and multiracial participation of engineering practitioners.

The council also plans to work with industry to increase and improve the practical training of engineers to help them meet the requirements to qualify as registered practitioners.

ECSA will also participate in social and economic activities that are highly dependent on engineering skills. It has signed a memorandum of intent (MoI) with government for the Strategic Infrastruc- ture Projects (Sips). The MoI involves a broad framework agreement that allows for ECSA’s participation in the implementation of the Sips as much as government will allow it to, he says.

“Another area of transformation will be the funding of the initiatives that will be implemented. Subscription fees alone will not adequately fund the initiatives, so we must find alternative funding.”

ECSA’s President’s forum will engage and mediate with the business sector, industry and leaders at academic institutions to align the needs of the engineering skills needed, as South Africa needs to produce engineers at ten times the current rate to compete with developed economies.

“Some of the transformation initiatives are improvements on existing strategies, while others brand-new initiatives that will enable ECSA to provide a better service for engineers, government and the public,” says Gamede.

 

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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