ENGINEERING COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA
“endorses the National Infrastructure Plan of government
and seeks to provide support in the
implementation of the Plan”
Date: 10 April 2014
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Presentation Outline
• State Presidents Call
• National High Priority Infrastructure Challenges
• An Engineering Profession relevant to the National
Imperatives
• ECSA’s Response to the State President’s Call
• ECSA & PICC – MoI
• Work of HRDC
• Development of Occupational Skills
• NMCCMC
State President’s Call
• “For the year 2012 and beyond, we invite the
nation to join government in a massive
infrastructure development drive. This will
boost the level of economy and create job
opportunities”. - President Jacob Zuma in his
State of the Nation Address on 9 February
2012.
An Engineering Profession
relevant to the national imperatives
• Introspection of the Engineering Profession
Shape (gender , race), size, age profile
 Increased diversity and numbers
• National Development Plan
Building a capable State
Active citizenry
 Developing the human resource skills base
• National Infrastructure Programme
 Skills shortage
 Procurement Policy, Systems, and Practices
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ECSA’s Response to The State
President’s Call
• ECSA invited a smaller group of stakeholders to kick-start the
process
– Future deliberations would be expanded to solicit a broader
range of stakeholder inputs to ensure reasonable levels of
representation.
• The group generated a single, consolidated discussion paper for
engagement with Minister Patel :Economic Dev. Ministry and the
PICC
– The discussion paper is available on request.
• The above engagements resulted in the signing of a Memorandum
of Intent (MoI).
ECSA & PICC - MoI
• ECSA & PICC Signed an MoI
– On the 19 October 2012, ECSA signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI)
with the PICC at a Presidential Infrastructure Investment Conference
which was held in Sandton.
• The partnership will initially focus on the development
strategies in two key areas:
– The development of Engineering skills and capacity to support the roll
out and establishment of national infrastructure.
– The development of procurement policies and practices which will
ensure "value for money"
ECSA & PICC MoU
• The MoI has been converted into a MoU. This be signed with
the PICC in the near future.
• Work has commenced as outlined in the next slides.
•
The purpose of the MoU is to provide a framework for
support by ECSA to the PICC in the implementation of the
National Infrastructure Plan for effective delivery of
infrastructure at all levels of government spheres
•
ECSA’s role: facilitator to mobilize engineering expertise and
skills.
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Human Resource Development Councilll
• The HRDC of SA commissioned a Technical Task Team (TTT) to
identify the challenges related to the expansion of professionals in
the different professions in SA.
• An analysis of the challenges related to producing an increased
number of professionals highlighted that professional bodies need
to play additional roles to those typically in the regulations
regulating their professions, beyond:
– the accreditation of educational programmes,
– the registration of professionals,
– providing advice to government on matters relating to their respective
professions
– and enforcing their Codes of Conduct.
Work of the HRDC
The TTT looked at challenges with respect to
growing number of professionals across the
pipeline, which includes inter-alia:
1. Entering education and training (schooling
through to tertiary)
2. Sustaining learners through post-school
education (throughput and completion)
3. Entering the world of work (access, experience
and registration)
4. Career Progression and Development
(Continuing Professional Development)
DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS
The pathway that learners need to travel to become
professionals to become tradespeople or other
vocationally recognised occupations are:
• Completing a theoretical programme at an institution of
learning which must meet certain national occupational
requirements
• This learning normally includes some simulated practice or
laboratory work
• It is then followed by a required period of structured
workplace learning, the elements of which are nationally set
by an assessment body for that occupation
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PATHWAY FOR OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS…….
continued
• They then undergo a final assessment of their
competence conducted by a trade test agency or some
other occupational assessment body
• Only if they pass this assessment are they able to seek
employment as qualified tradespeople or occupation
holders
• It is envisaged that national “Occupational Teams”
would be established and piloted for the occupations,
focusing on a single occupation or closely related group
of occupations
NMCCMC
• COGTA established the National Municipal Capacity
Coordination and Monitoring Committee as an
overarching institutional structure aimed at:
– monitoring the implementation of capacity building,
– support initiatives and training programmes that are
targeted at local government
– and assessing the impact made thereof.
• ECSA is represented on the Technical NMCCMC that
focuses on operational matters related to capacity
building.
Next Steps
• To promote professional development in terms of
the to be confirmed MoU by:
• Assisting candidates and graduates to work
towards developing their competencies for
professional registration
• Developing a cohort of mentors and encouraging
them to make themselves available to support
and assist graduates with training
• Requesting and appealing to employers to invest
in the development of engineering graduates
Questions?
Thank you!
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