SAICE YMP and CESA YPF

ECSA Registration for the

Millennial Generation

19 July 2017

Viola MilnerMilnerV@jgafrika.com

Improve effectiveness of mentee-mentor relationship towards ECSA Registration

1. Importance of mentors in training & development of candidates, especially in the New ECSA Registration System

2. Outline of the ECSA Registration System, requirements & FAQs

3. Ways/tips to improve mentoring culture in your offices

Objective tonight

There is a lot going on…

• Court case with ECSA and Voluntary Associations

• ECSA’s “new” New Registration System

• Western Cape Pr Eng interview process halted

• Washington Accord renewal

Before I start

“…With the introduction of our revised registration system, we will not only deliver a more streamlined registration process for applicants, but also eliminate the delays that were previously experienced.

This new process which has already been implemented... The key element of this system is the introduction of a virtual panel of assessors, moderators and reviewers who are held accountable through fixed deadlines.

The projected turnaround times…2 months….”

Cyril Gamede Pr. Eng

President, ECSA

Before I start

The principles of this presentation are still applicable

Millennials or just “young” adults

These are all characteristics of being “young” –perceptions change with maturity and time.

Generational Differences?

Differing experiences…

There are generational differences in the way we operate and our views: • Interact, communicate• Learn, work• Technologies• Expectations of time /work-life balance• Timeframes…to learn, gather info, feedback,

progress…• Feel the need for constant progression (very

irritating for managers)

These different experiences & expectations cause a disconnect between YPs and mentors,

A source of disillusionment and frustration on both sides.

DISCLAIMER

Mentors, Supervisors, Managers & Referees have different roles, but in many cases the same person will perform a number of these roles.

Mentoring in the NRS

1. Take responsibility for understanding the NRS & requirements - variety of experience & complexity required, outcomes, responsibility.

2. Quarterly formal engagement (reflect & prepare)

3. Support and use influence to facilitate gain of required exposure/experience – move departments, site experience opportunities, exposure to Contracts and financial matters

Mentoring in the NRS

4. Reviews & feedback on reports (understand outcomes & requirements)

5. Complete referee report

6. Ensure readiness of candidate

NRS vs Legacy System

Legacy/ Old Registration system New Registration System (NRS)

Certain aspects were vague with respect to ECSA’s evaluation &review process.

Evaluation criteria more clearly defined• Greater description of the required level of complexity of the engineering

problems and work activities at various degrees of responsibility • 11 Outcomes are clearly defined at various stages of responsibility and

professional development

Training reports (TERs) one or multiple project, bullet point form acceptable.

• TERs per ‘period’ which can consist of multiple projects or one project can span more than one period.

• Content must directly refer to the 11 Outcomes and levels of responsibility.• Full sentences and paragraph format required (except for TEO)• Organograms required per project discussed

Engineering Report on one project to demonstrate complex engineering experience & competence.

Engineering report involves demonstrating that all 11 Outcomes have been achieved (across multiple projects) regarding engineering problems/activities at the required level of complexity and responsibility. Make reference to TERs, CEP, CEA, LoR

All Pr Eng had interview and presentation on a single project. Civil Pr Eng. applicants required to write 2 essays.

Civil Pr Eng. – no essays! All Pr. Eng candidates still do presentation and interview.Technologists and technicians only do interviews if more information required.

Detailed Discipline Specific Guidelines

The discipline specific guidelines have not yet been updated for the NRS, while still relevant/useful, they make no reference to the outcomes etc.

Advantages of the NRS

• Period required to obtain level of required competence is more clearly defined:

– Eg - Site work: exposure to H&S, environmental aspect, contracts

– Either longer time or mentors/supervisors assist with this exposure earlier in process

• More specific requirements, consistency with evaluation and maintains good standard of industry professionals

• ECSA evaluators are more confident in their decisions

• Candidates confidence – what is expected, direction, more easily identify gaps/shortcomings and address them.

BUT…

Role of mentors, supervisors & referees assumes a higher importance! Why???Essays can’t be used by reviewers to

extract further info

Role of Candidate

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going." Earl Nightingale

1. Set goals (towards Pr Reg or other) & keep yourself on track

2. Find a mentor/mentors for aspects of your career & develop the relationships (if not assigned one)

3. Drive it yourself, peer support initiatives

4. Paperwork

• Professional registration is required but the

Engineering Profession Act (No. 46 of 2000)

• Professional ethics & industry self-governance

• Public safety

• Peer recognition

• Self-esteem & personal growth

• Salary increases

• Marketability

WHY REGISTERIN

DU

STR

YFO

R Y

OU

!

Company’s perspective:

• Commitment & Undertaking (C&U) signed with ECSA

• Required for bids

• Required for all projects

• Provides support, but requires the registration process

to be self-driven

WHY REGISTERC

OM

PAN

Y

• Application form (2 pgs)• Training and Experience Reports (TER) (+/- 10 pages)• Summary of Training and Experience Reports (1 page)• Engineering Report (+/- 10 pages)• Pre-registration CPD-Type Activity Report (+/- 2 pages)• Referee Reports

SIMPLIFYING THE REG PROCESS

Entire Pr submission is 25

pages!!

*For technologists limit is

50 pgs

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• Drive it yourself• Use performance reviews and

planning tools• Tools to track activities, time,

responsibilities towards professional registration

• Identify missing experience

Review, evaluate and plan aheadRepeat process every 4-6months

Discipline Specific Document is the most important!

SIMPLIFYING THE REG PROCESS

* Note that this document is still in the format of the Legacy Registration system (no outcomes)

• Find a mentor & peer support• Commit • Your CV!• TER Summary template

HOW TO START??!

• Divide your career into logical periods (based on the type of work and level of experience)

– Responsibilities / job position– Type of work / department– Company– Studies?

• Periods cannot overlap and must cover all time periods since graduation! Including travels, home responsibilities, unemployed, studying further..

• Projects can span across periods or multiple projects in one period/TER

• Approximately +/- 5 periods in total

DETERMINE TER PERIODS

TER ORGANOGRAM

• Show your responsibility and the progression of increasing

responsibility

• The person signing your report needs to be shown

• 2 levels above and below you (as relevant)

Project Director

Project Managerxxxxx

Senior Pipeline Engineer xxxx

Engineer responsible for Reservoirs(& all civil work on site)

xxxx

Engineer responsible for Pump stations (& all

civil work on site)V Milner

Pipeline Design teamxxxx, V Milner

Draughting support

Senior Process Engineer

xxxxx

Process Design Team for WTW

MATURE CANDIDATES

What’s the difference between TER and TEO forms (almost identical)?• TER is for(<10 yrs experience)• Training Experience Outline (TEO) is for candidates with more

than 10 years experience (a summary)

TEO = Training Experience Outline• Bullet points and point form acceptable• Multiple TEO’s allowed, but max. 12 bullet points per TEO• Choose 3 most recent periods to write up as TERs

TER

TER

11 OUTCOMES

Increasing Levels of

responsibility

Varied work experience

(Project lifecycle)

Complexity of problems

solved

Keep all these at hand when writing your TERs

11 OUTCOMES

I: Engineering Problem Solving (Essential Activities of Professional Engineers)

II: Managing Engineering Activities

III: Taking Account of Impacts and Consequences

IV: Exercising Personal Attributes

V: Maintaining and Extending Competence

1) Define, investigate and analyse complex engineering problems.

4) manage part or all of one or more complex engineering problems

6) Recognise and address the reasonably foreseeable social, cultural, environmental effects of complex engineering activities

8) Conduct engineering activities ethically

11) Undertake professional development activities sufficient to maintain and extend the Candidates competence

2) Design and develop solutions to complex engineering problems

5) Communicate clearly with others in the course of engineering activities

7) Meet all legal and regulatory requirements and protect the health and safety of persons during complex engineering activities.

9) Exercise sound judgement in the course of complex engineering activities

3) Comprehend and apply advanced knowledge of the principles underpinning good engineering practice, specialist knowledge and jurisdictional and local knowledge.

10) Be responsible for decision making on complex engineering activities

LEVELS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Level Nature of WorkResponsibility of

CandidateLevel of Supervisor/ Pr Mentor Support

Typical

time

A. Being Exposedundergoes induction, observes processes, work of competent

practitioners.No responsibility

Supervisor/ Pr Mentor explains challenges and forms a solution 6-12

months

B. Assistingperforms specific process under

close supervisionLimited for work

output Supervisor/ Pr mentor coaches

and offers feedback

C. Participatingperforms specific processes ass

directed with limited supervision

Full responsibility for supervised work

Supervisor progressively reduces support but monitors outputs

12-18

months

D. Contributingperforms specific work with detailed approval of work

outputs

Full responsibility to supervisor for quality

of work

Candidate articulates own reasoning and compare it with

those of supervisor

E. Performing (responsible but not accountable)

works in teams without supervision, recommends work

outputs, responsible but not accountable.

Level of responsibility to supervisor is appropriate to a

registered person.

Candidate takes on problem solving without support, at most

limited guidance12 months

ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES - DEFINITIONS

TER

TER

Source: A Gorgens presentation to CESA YPF 2015

TER EXAMPLE

• Factual and no waffling!• No need to address all outcomes in all periods• All your TERs combined must be approx. 2000 words• Write in the first person “I did…” ; “I was responsible for…”• Use correct construction language that shows you

understand the industry, standards and guidelines, methods, programmes

– Eg. ‘construction phase’, according to SANS 1200…, I used Civil 3D to model Bulk Earthworks etc

• Use diaries, timesheets, close-out reports as records of work• Refer to Show limits to your responsibility• Show progression of increasing responsibility

TER WRITING TIPS

ENGINEERING REPORT

Technologists and technicians have a more prescribed form of report divided into questions of when each outcome was achieved.

This is where the definition and understanding of complex /

broadly-defined engineering problems comes in!!

▪ Structure? Either divide into heading of each outcome or divide into the

“achievements/goals of complex engineering problems in the ECSA

document…

▪ Must cross reference to outcomes and the TERs!

▪ Max length 6000 words + 2 pgs of diagrams

Specific notation CEP, CEA, LoR

SELF EVAULATION

Self-evaluation of 200

words on why you think

you are sufficiently

competent to be Pr Eng

1 sentence for each

outcome.

CPD LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Record ALL continuous learning activities – courses, workshops,

seminars etc engineering related or not - (finance / engineering /

environmental / software / programmes / health & safety)

Includes

presentations,

papers, serving

on committees

REFEREES

• Two Referees (Pr Eng) - must have personal knowledge of Candidate’s professional performance and engineering experience

• ECSA-Registered: Professional Engineer or Professional Technologist – for Candidate Engineers at least one must be a PrEng

• Chosen from:

– Prof. Mentor

– Immediate supervisor

– Indirect supervisor

– Senior Colleague involved with Candidate’s work

• Referees are asked to Rate the Candidate on Competence in each of the 11 Outcomes

REFEREE RATING TEMPLATE

• In my field, I don’t get site work (or design work), will that affect my registration? YES

– Site related experience includes: management of materials, programmes, work with contracts, payment certificates, claims, BoQ and measurement, site inspections, quality assurance, etc.

– These activities demonstrate design capabilities: design of temporary works on site, coursework, method statements, etc.

But at the level of complexity and responsibility!

• Can I include previous work experience (internships, pre-Btech etc)?

• Should the person signing my TER be registered?

• Does my mentor need to be registered as a mentor with ECSA?

• Does being part of a professional institution count towards my registration?

OTHER QUESTIONS

• Peer support groups in office.

• CESA YPF Online Q&A platform

• ECSA Workshops (like this & more)

SUPPORT NETWORKS

You’re not in it alone, but you need to put in the hard work,

Push through the paperwork!!

ONLINE ECSA REG. Q&A

PLATFORM

Set-up by CESA YPF Committee

Peer support platform to share tips and advice between YPs…

CESA YPF WC ONLINE Q&A PLATFORM

What is it & how does it work?

• Google Groups platform• Post questions and answers in

categories

Google “google groups” and then search for “ECSA” or “CESA”. And request to join

How to join the platform?

Logging in…

https://accounts.google.com/SignUpWithoutGmail?hl=en

You will receive an email with a link, to log in you will need a Google Account

2 options: 1. Use your gmail address (if you have one) 2. Create Google Account with another non-gmail address

You can set your notification settings when you join the platform or amending your personal settings here

OPTIONS1. No notifications2. Daily Summary3. Condensed (25messages)4. Notify for every message

Notification vs Spam?

You can set your name here

Only the managers of the site can see your name and email address

Who can see my personal information?

CESA YPF Committee will be the link between YPs and all Candidates

a) Fellow YPs and/or Candidates that have asked the same question and have the answers/advice

b) Contacts at ECSA

c) Senior Mentors

d) ECSA Reviewers

Who will answer my questions?

Disclaimer

• We will need your help!

– Suggestions to improve the platform

– Please answer other people’s questions if you can, by sharing advice that you were given

• Responses won’t be immediate

• Contributors are not ECSA - read critically and ask respected mentors if unsure and then add to the conversation.

• Hope to compile and send feedback to ECSA (at some point) on key issues/FAQs that emerge

Disclaimer

Building a culture of mentoring

Improving mentoring culture

1. Formalise a mentoring programme in the office

– Work together (YPs and management/ decision-makers)

– sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between

mentors and mentees, defining the roles and expectations

(time and scope)

– Assign mentors

– Display on notice boards

Improving mentoring culture

2. Think, talk, work mentoring

– Talk about mentoring

– Reminders of importance of mentorship (top down and

bottom down) – agenda item, appraisals etc.

– Recognise good mentors

– Encourage multiple mentors

– Emphasise mentoring opportunities through Quality

Assurance system of checking work

Improving mentoring culture

3. Be the mentor you wish you had! (or do have?)

– identify your mentors

– identify the people who might be looking to you

for guidance/mentoring.

Mentoring for transformation in the industry…and it begins in the office at a human level.

Improving mentoring culture

4. Broaden the definition of mentoring

MentoringOnline videos, articles

Talks and presentations (online,

internal, external)

Share networks

Invite to meetings for

exposure

Engage, show an interest and make time

for mentoring

Group mentoring, Peer mentoring,

two-way mentoring

Multiple mentors

Improving mentoring culture

5. Training for managers and mentors on soft skills and expectations for their roles.

Improving mentoring culture

6. Rethink internal company processes towards mentoring

– performance reviews/appraisals to align with the ECSA Registration focus on mentoring/guidance/coaching.

– consider alternative ways for skills development(secondment, rotation)

– Performance reviews for mentors/managers

Improving mentoring culture

7. Make time to reflect!

As an individual, as a mentee, as a mentor, as an office, as a company.

Reflection of office culture, cultural diversity management…

Acknowledgements

• My mentors

• John Coetzee

• Colleagues/peer-mentors

• All of you, particularly the mentors

Any questions?

Thank You!

Viola MilnerMilnerV@jgafrika.com