Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) An Overview

1. Engineering Council of South Africa(ECSA)An Overview Council on Higher Education 28 February 2012 Dr Ossie Franks ECSA www.ecsa.co.za

2. Presentation Outline • History & mandate of the engineering profession in SA • Registration and challenges • Education functions • Accreditation of eng. Programmes and challenges • Regulation of professional conduct • Setting standards • Non statutory or strategic functions

3. 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 • Acts in the interests of the public, advises government, undertakes strategic initiatives • ECSA partners with the engineering voluntary associations, e.g. • SA Institution of Chemical Engineers (SAIChE) • SA Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) • SA Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) • SA Institution of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE) • More … 3

4. 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

5. 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 5

6. 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

7. Categories of Registration • Professionals • Professional Engineers • Professional Engineering Technologists • Professional Engineering Technicians • Professional Certificated Engineer Candidates • Specified Categories • Lift Inspector • Lifting Machinery Inspector • Medical Equipment Maintainer 7

8. 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 8

9. 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

10. Professional Development Process Level Attributes for entry to independent practice Problem Solving In Engineering Context Taking Responsibility Management in Engineering Context Attributes of a graduate of an accredited programme Time – Minimum 3 years

11. 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 much more) of training and experience required for registration 11

12. Some Registration Statistics (as at 30 November 2011) • Professional Engineers 15115 • Professional Engineering Technologists 3998 • Professional Engineering/Other Technicians 3792 • Professional Certificated Engineers 1066 • Specified Categories 1048 • Candidate Engineers 6480 • Candidate Engineering Technologists 2421 • Candidate Engineering Technicians 3771 • Candidate Certificated Engineers 257 Total 38014

13. Registration Challenges • Peer assessment relies on scarce volunteer engineering practitioners as assessors • In throes of major revision to registration system: • Policy review and revision completed • Migrating from training standards (inputs) to competency standards (outputs) • Moving from paper-based system to IT-based system with workflow and document management • Training in industry toward registration (candidacy programme) is not delivering • Countering the misperception that ECSA “gate keeps” entry to the profession

14. Programs Considered for Accreditation Meeting Education Requirement for Engineering Qualification Univ/ UoT Prog Candidate and Professional Engineer BEng/BSc(Eng) 8 52 Candidate and Professional Engineering Technologist BTech (after accredited National Diploma) 10 100 Candidate and Professional Engineering Technician National Diploma 10 87

15. HEQF Migration Meeting Education Requirement for Registration as Engineering Qualification Existing HEQF Compliant Candidate and Professional Engineer BEng/BSc(Eng) (No change) Candidate and Professional Engineering Technologist BTech + National Diploma 360 credit L7 Bachelor or 360 credit L6 Diploma + L7 Advanced Diploma Candidate and Professional Engineering Technician National Diploma 360 credit L6 Diploma or 240 credit L6 Diploma + L6 Advanced Certificate

16. ECSA Accreditation Criteria (E-03-P) Criterion 1: Programme objectives, structure, content, balance, coherent core • Detailed programme type criteria in standard E-02-Px Criterion 2: The specified exit level outcomes are assessed • Outcomes for programme type criteria in E-02-Px Criterion 3: Quality of teaching and learning • Incorporates agreed CHE criteria Criterion 4: Resources for and sustainability of the programme • Incorporates agreed CHE criteria

17. Educational Accords International educational agreements provide for: • Mutual recognition • involving periodic monitoring of signatories’ processes • Benchmarking, • via consensus graduate attributes and gap analysis 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

18. Accreditation Challenges • Engineering academic community is overextended • Aggravates burden of quality and quality assurance • Participation of academics as ECSA accreditation evaluators could be curtailed • HEQF migration for technology qualifications • Uncertainty about end date of revision of HEQF • Different providers moving at different rates • Regional Dimension • Already engaged with Namibia, Botswana interested, … • Could soon have 50% increase in programmes to evaluate

19. 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

20. 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 21

21. The Engineering Standards Generating Body Roles & Responsibilities of the ESGB • 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. Standards in Existence Candidate and Professional Engineer: Bachelor of Engineering-type programmes Candidate and Professional Engineering Technologist: Bachelor of Engineering Technology Advanced Diploma in Engineering Candidate and Professional Engineering Technician Diploma in xxxxx Engineering Advanced Certificate in xxxxx Engineering

23. ECSA’s Strategic or Non Statutory Functions • Research into key aspects of the profession • Funded candidacy phase training programme • National dialogue on stakeholder training responsibilities • Registration of foreign engineering practitioners • Registration value proposition (Why register with ECSA?) • Promotion of SET careers to attract diversity • Strategy for transforming ECSA & Engineering Profession • Hosting WFEO’s Eng. Capacity Building Committee • Accreditation work with Southern African countries