4th Engineers Without Borders (EWB) International Conference

1. 4th Engineers Without Borders (EWB)International Conference Dr Ossie Franks Elephant Hills Resort Centre, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Conference Theme “Engineering: Spearheading Investments and Economic Prosperity for Regional Integration.”

2. Presentation Outline • The Vision & Mission of ECSA • Evolution of the engineering profession in South Africa • Mandatory functions of ECSA • Registration • Accreditation of engineering programmes • Setting standards • Regulate professional conduct • ECSA’s Links with Southern African States • Africa’s Infrastructure requirements • New models of Investment and Collaboration

3. VISION STATEMENT ECSA’s vision is to ensure that South Africa enjoys all the benefits of a strong competent, growing, sustainable and representative engineering profession, able to provide all the expertise necessary for the socio-economic needs of the country and to exert a positive influence in South Africa.

4. MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to create the circumstances in which society is confident that the engineering profession in South Africa is able to carry out the functions necessary for socio-economic growth. ECSA achieves this objective through: • Setting and monitoring standards of international norms; • Certifying & ensuring the competence of individuals through registration; • Ensuring quality of engineering education through accreditation; • Regulating professional conduct; and • Growing the profession in quantity and quality in partnership with stakeholders

5. History of ECSA 1960-1968 VAs motivated for a regulatory body for engineering 1968 South African Council for Professional Engineers (SACPE) • Registration of Professional Engineers 1980’s Boards of Control for Technicians, Technologists, Certificated Engineers 1990 Engineering Professions of SA Act (ECSA formed) • Registration of Technologists, Technicians, Certificated Eng. 2000 Engineering Profession Act (No. 46 of 2000) • ECSA continued • Wider registration and education powers

6. Structure of the Engineering Profession • ECSA: A statutory body created by Acts of 1968, 1990, 2000. • Regulates the practice of engineering in South Africa through • Registration • Accreditation of engineering education programmes • Regulating Professional Conduct • Setting standards for education and registration • Act in the interests of the public health and safety • Advise government • ECSA partners with the engineering voluntary associations 6

7. Engineering Voluntary Associations Serve the interests of their members, promote their disciplines • Aeronautical Society of SA (AeSSA) • SA Institute of Agricultural Engineers (SAIAE) • SA Institution of Chemical Engineers (SAIChE) • SA Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) • SA Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) • SA Institute for Industrial Engineers (SAIIE) • SA Institution of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE) • SA Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) • Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) • Institute of Professional Engineering Technologists (IPET) • Chamber of Engineering Technology (COET) • + ….. Others • ECSA Recognizes a total of 43 VAs 7

8. Relationships in the Profession • ECSA • Functions: • Register • Accredit • Regulate Professional Conduct • Set Standards • Act in the interests of the public • Advise government Engineering Voluntary Associations AeSSA SAIAE SAIChE SAICE SAIEE SAIIE SAIMechE SAIMM CESA IPET COET + ….. Recognition Nominate Council and Committee Members Provider Peer Assessors, Accreditors, Investigators Presidents Forum

9. ECSA’s Core Functions Registration of Professionals Candidates Specified categories Renewal of registration and CPD Accreditation of engineering programmes Recognition and evaluation of qualifications Conduct examinations Define and enforce professional conduct Identification of work Define guideline fees for professional services 9

10. Protecting the Public Interest Through Registration • Identify and recognise the competency levels of members of the profession • Ensure acceptable educational standards • Ensure standards of practice in the profession; and • Control the professional conduct of members of the profession. Key Idea: The competence of engineering practitioners is essential to protecting the public interest Policy Document 1999

11. Professional Development Model Practice Observe Code of Conduct and Maintain CPD Professional Registration Meet Standard For Professional Competency Training And Experience Candidate Registration Graduation Meet Standard for Engineering Education Accredited Programme

12. Professional Registration Requirements For registration as a professional in a category, the applicant must satisfy the relevant educational outcomes determined by council demonstrate competence as measured against standards determined by the council Note: (a) is equivalent to the candidate requirements. After graduation, at least 3 years (usually more) of training and experience required for registration 12

13. Categories of Registration • Professionals • Professional Engineers • Professional Engineering Technologists • Professional Engineering Technicians • Professional Certificated Engineer • Specified Categories • Lift Inspector • Lifting Machinery Inspector • Medical Equipment Maintainer 13

14. Candidate Categories of Registration Purpose: A candidate is training and gaining experience and may do engineering work under supervision of a professional Candidate Categories: • Candidate Engineers • Candidate Engineering Technologists • Candidate Engineering Technicians • Candidate Certificated Engineer Requirements: The applicant must satisfy educational outcomes by: • Holding an accredited qualification; or • Holding a qualification recognised under an international agreement; or • Is evaluated as substantially equivalent to an accreditedqualification 14

15. Renewal of Registration Through CPD Engineering Profession Act, 2000 requires Renewal of Registration. Renewal of registration is linked to continuing professional development (CPD) over five year cycles. 5 Credits per annum (25 over 5 year cycle) needed for renewal of registration. CPD Credits awarded for Developmental Activities (1credit required per year) Work-based Activities Individual Activities 15

16. Some Registration Statistics (as at 31 August 2010) • Professional Engineers: 14759 • Professional Engineering Technologists 3606 • Professional Engineering Technicians 3507 • Professional Certificated Engineers 1056 • Specified Categories 938 • Candidate Engineers: 5449 • Candidate Engineering Technologists 1896 • Candidate Engineering Technicians 2618 • Candidate Certificated Engineers 213 Total 34042

17. ECSA’s Education Functions • Accreditation of qualifications • Engineering qualifications: • BEng-type: 8 universities offering 51 programmes • Technology Qualifications: • BTech: 10 providers offering 95 programmes • National Diploma: 11 providers offering 103 programmes • Evaluation of qualifications • Policy advice on engineering education

18. Educational Accords International educational agreements provide for: • Mutual recognition • Benchmarking of programmes providing the educational foundation for practice in each category Washington Accord Professional Engineer Sydney Accord Professional Engineering Technologist Dublin Accord Professional Engineering Technician

19. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS ECSA is a signatory to 5 International Agreements: • Washington Accord • Sydney Accord • Dublin Accord • Engineers Mobility Forum • Engineering Technologist Mobility Forum

20. ECSA’s MUTUAL RECOGNTION /EXEMPTION AGREEMENTS • Institute of Civil Engineers (London) • Engineers Ireland • Civil • Electrical • Mechanical

21. The Engineering Standards Generating Body Roles & Responsibilities • Developing generic engineering qualifications, • Ensuring that the standards developed are internationally comparable • Ensuring that standards conform to principles of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) • Ensuring that qualifications developed provide access into the profession and provide articulation and progression within the profession

22. Regulation of Professional Conduct • ECSA is required by the Act to: • Have a code of professional conduct • Investigate complaints of misconduct against registered persons • Conduct tribunals • Alternate processes: guilty plea, …. • Impose sanctions on persons found guilty

23. Code of Professional Conduct Rule of Conduct for Registered Persons requires observance of The interests of humanity and environment Accepted norms of professional conduct Work only within limits of own competency Honouring the standing of the profession Improvement of skills Encouraging excellence within the profession Act Ethically 23

24. ECSA’s LINKAGES IN SADEC ECSA is keen to collaborate with SADEC countries • Promoting the engineering profession • Sharing expertise, exchange of technical, scientific and professional knowledge • Developing a SADEC regional group of collaborating countries to promote the advances in the profession

25. ECSA’s LINKAGE WITH CEZ ECSA & CEZ in February 2010 committed to cooperating on: • Promoting the development of a closer working relationship • Enlarging the exchange of technical, scientific and professional knowledge to the mutual benefit of their members, the engineering profession, and the public in South Africa and Zimbabwe • Working on international issues whenever deemed possible

26. ECSA’s linkage with the Eng Council Namibia ECSA’s collaboration with the Engineering Council of Namibia • On request by ECN has conducted interim accreditation • Accreditation of BSc. Eng (4 year) degree programmes • University of Namibia and Polytechnic of Namibia • Lack of critical numbers of engineers • Increasing Namibia’s engineering profession’s capacity • Formalization of the relationship necessary

27. ECSA’s linkage with the Council of Engineers Zimbabwe ECSA & CEZ in February 2010 committed to cooperating on: • Promoting the development of a closer working relationship • Enlarging the exchange of technical, scientific and professional knowledge to the mutual benefit of their members, the engineering profession, and the public in South Africa and Zimbabwe • Working on international issues whenever deemed possible

28. AFRICAN INFRASTRUCTURE OPPORTUNITIES • Huge opportunity in Africa, in particular Zimbabwe, to contribute to infrastructure provision and development • Infrastructure deficit in Africa currently amounts to $1.5 trillion (Source: African Development Bank VP: Professor Mthuli Ncube)

29. AFRICA’s INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS • Development of Roads • Airline Industry • Railway Networks • Affordable housing and townships • Telecommunication • Water and Sewerage treatment plans • Dams • Hospitals • Schools

30. NEW APPROACH TO INVESTING IN AFRICA NEEDED • Bill Clinton called for a “new approach” to investment practices for opportunities in Africa at the Fortune Global Conference on 27 June 2010: • “the huge opportunities in Africa for non –Africans, but the only way to make it work, and the only ethically appropriate way to make it work, is to create opportunities for Africans.” • “the only way to make it work is to create opportunities for Africans”

31. MODELS OF COLLABORATION • Partnership between African and non African companies • Development of local capacity by international companies • Formation of joint ventures with local companies

32. LEGACY FROM INFRASTRUCTURE BUILD Completed infrastructure projects should leave a lasting legacy which could include: • Benefits to and advancement of local communities • Development of people via knowledge and skills transfer • Sustainability of the projects must be planned • Future investment and development opportunities

33. CONCLUDING REMARKS • The Engineering Council of South Africa and indeed the Engineering Community in Southern Africa welcome the role that all can play in the Reconstruction of the SADEC region and beyond • The key difference is that having learnt the hard lessons of not leaving a sustainable legacy of skills and capacity building, we urge that these key ingredients are not once more ignored; and

34. CONCLUDING REMARKS • ECSA would like to express its full commitment to working collaboratively with all interested regional Engineering Councils to • develop the Engineering Profession’s processes and practices in a manner which will ensure that the citizen’s of our region enjoy the quality of engineering practice that secures their expectations in the arena of infrastructure provision, health, safety and ethical engineering practice. • The European model of the “Euro card” for engineers should be reviewed as a possible option for SADC.