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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