Electricity + Control March 2015

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR

Intensive transformation in the engineering profession

By Engineering Council of South Africa

The magnitude of young engineering practitioners has increased in recent years, which can be attributed to the increasing number of the previously disadvantaged people registering in the engineering field at higher education institutions. This has been found by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) after conducting the engineering skills survey, which was commissioned in 2013.

“U nderstanding the issues that influence the engineering profession is one of ECSA’s top priorities, hence the commissioning of this kind of a research,” says Sipho Madonsela, chief executive officer at ECSA. “We have gone to con- siderable lengths to review the respondents’ feedback and compile a thorough report on our profession to date,” he added. ECSA, together with the Department of Higher Education (DHET), and the Economic Development Department (EDD) collaborated on the engineering skills survey, which was commissioned to gain a bet- ter understanding of the skills pool of engineers, technologists, and technicians, with the focus on their qualifications, and current state of employment. The survey indicated that 90 % of all respondents are employed and working in the different engineering disciplines in the country. Of the registered engineering practitioners who possess engineering degree among therespondents, 74 % are white profes- sionals, followed by 14 % of black practitioners, and 8 % of Indians, with only 2 % and 0,5 % being Coloured and Asianrespectively. Engineers form the largest category of those that are registered with ECSA, although there are equivalent numbers of technicians and technologists who are registered with ECSA. Only 28 % of the respondents hold a National Diploma as first qualification, and the bulk of this figure are historically disadvantaged individuals (Black, Coloured, and Indian). A small percentage of respondents possess an N4, N5 and N6 certificates as their first qualification but have pro- gressed through the alternative route to become registeredwith ECSA. “One of ECSA’s mandates is to champion the cause of transfor- mation within the profession, and to achieve that we need com- plete buy-in from the profession to ensure that there is adequate and consistent transfer of skills andmentoring of younger black engineering professionals,” says Madonsela. Having noted, amongst other issues, gender imbalances and a need for more professionals of colour, ECSA has undertaken to make this their top priorities – to increase the number of women joining the profession. Through programmes like Engenius and SakhimfundoTrust, ECSA inspires young scientific and mathematical minds to strive for the required grades in pure maths and science, to ensure acceptance into institutions of higher learning, and girls are particularly encouraged

during these outreaches. Involvement in the profession is important to the bulk of the respondents, with 68 % of the group playing an active role in the different Voluntary Associations (VAs). The ongoing stakeholder engagement strategy being undertaken by ECSA has paid off, with the study demonstrating that registered engineers had a positive perception and experience with ECSA. The majority of the respondents who participated in the engineering skills survey are registered with the Council and value the recognition of expertise, professional designation and statutory requirements that form part of the benefits that come with registering with ECSA. “Although we still have considerable work to do, we are encour- aged by the responses from the industry about ECSA’s efforts raising the profile of the profession, and we will continue to ensure we are aligned with the needs and requirements of the profession through more aggressive public engagement in 2015,” concludes Madonsela. The full report on the results of the engineering skills survey can be ac- cessed by visiting https://www.ecsa.co.za/news/SitePages/Surveys.aspx. Enquiries: Edgar Sabela, Executive: Strategic Services Engineering Council of South Africa. Tel. 011 607 9500 or email edgar@ecsa.co.za

Electricity+Control March ‘15

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