Engineering Council of South Africa(ECSA)

An Overview

Council on Higher Education

28 February 2012

Dr Ossie FranksECSA

www.ecsa.co.za1

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

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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

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

AeSSASAIAE SAIChESAICESAIEESAIIESAIMechESAIMMCESAIPETCOET + …..

Recognition

Nominate Council and Committee Members

Presidents Forum

Provider Peer Assessors, Accreditors, Investigators

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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 services5

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 interestPolicy Document 1999

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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

Candidates

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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 accredited qualification

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Professional Development Model

AccreditedProgramme

Training And

Experience

Practice

Meet Standardfor Engineering

Education

Meet StandardFor Professional

Competency

Candidate Registration

Graduation

Professional Registration

Observe Code of Conduct and Maintain CPD

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Professional Development Process

Attributes of a graduate of

an accredited programme

Attributes for entry to

independent practice

Taking Responsibility

Management in Engineering

Context

Problem Solving In Engineering

Context

Time – Minimum 3 years

Level

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Professional Registration Requirements

For registration as a professional in a category, the applicant must

(a) satisfy the relevant educational outcomes determined by council

(b) 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

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 3801412

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

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Programs Considered for Accreditation

Candidate and Professional Engineer

BEng/BSc(Eng)

Meeting Education Requirement for

Engineering Qualification

Candidate and Professional Engineering Technologist

BTech (after accredited National Diploma)

Candidate and Professional Engineering Technician

National Diploma

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Univ/UoT

10

10

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Prog

100

87

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HEQF Migration

Candidate and Professional Engineer

BEng/BSc(Eng)(No change)

Meeting Education Requirement for Registration as

Engineering Qualification

Candidate and Professional Engineering Technologist

BTech + National Diploma

Candidate and Professional Engineering Technician

National Diploma

Existing HEQF Compliant

360 credit L7 Bachelor or360 credit L6 Diploma + L7 Advanced Diploma

360 credit L6 Diploma or240 credit L6 Diploma + L6 Advanced Certificate

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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

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Washington Accord Professional Engineer

Professional EngineeringTechnologist

Professional EngineeringTechnician

Sydney Accord

Dublin Accord

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 Engineering23

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

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