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    Ecsa Overview

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    The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) regulates the engineering profession in South Africa through registration of professionals and candidates, accreditation of engineering education programs, regulating professional conduct, and setting standards. ECSA works with voluntary engineering associations and has key responsibilities like ensuring engineering practitioners are competent to protect public interest. ECSA faces challenges like a shortage of assessors for registration and transitioning engineering qualifications to align with the Higher Education Qualifications Framework.

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    Ecsa Overview

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    143 views23 pages
    The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) regulates the engineering profession in South Africa through registration of professionals and candidates, accreditation of engineering education programs, regulating professional conduct, and setting standards. ECSA works with voluntary engineering associations and has key responsibilities like ensuring engineering practitioners are competent to protect public interest. ECSA faces challenges like a shortage of assessors for registration and transitioning engineering qualifications to align with the Higher Education Qualifications Framework.

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    20120228 Ecsa Overview

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    The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) regulates the engineering profession in South Africa through registration of professionals and candidates, accreditation of engineering education programs, regulating professional conduct, and setting standards. ECSA works with voluntary engineering associations and has key responsibilities like ensuring engineering practitioners are competent to protect public interest. ECSA faces challenges like a shortage of assessors for registration and transitioning engineering qualifications to align with the Higher Education Qualifications Framework.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPS, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pps, pdf, or txt
    143 views23 pages

    Ecsa Overview

    Uploaded by

    Eric
    The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) regulates the engineering profession in South Africa through registration of professionals and candidates, accreditation of engineering education programs, regulating professional conduct, and setting standards. ECSA works with voluntary engineering associations and has key responsibilities like ensuring engineering practitioners are competent to protect public interest. ECSA faces challenges like a shortage of assessors for registration and transitioning engineering qualifications to align with the Higher Education Qualifications Framework.

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    of 23

    Engineering Council of South Africa

    (ECSA)
    An Overview
    Council on Higher Education
    28 February 2012

    Dr Ossie Franks
    ECSA
    www.ecsa.co.za

    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

    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

    Relationships in the Profession

    ECSA
    Functions:
    Register
    Accredit
    Regulate Professional
    Conduct
    Set Standards
    Act in the interests of
    the public
    Advise government

    Recognition

    Nominate Council and


    Committee Members

    Provider Peer Assessors,


    Accreditors, Investigators

    Presidents Forum

    Engineering
    Voluntary
    Associations
    AeSSA
    SAIAE
    SAIChE
    SAICE
    SAIEE
    SAIIE
    SAIMechE
    SAIMM
    CESA
    IPET
    COET
    + ..

    ECSAs 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

    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

    Categories of Registration
    Professionals

    Candidates

    Professional Engineers
    Professional Engineering Technologists
    Professional Engineering Technicians
    Professional Certificated Engineer

    Specified Categories
    Lift Inspector
    Lifting Machinery Inspector
    Medical Equipment Maintainer
    7

    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

    Professional Development Model

    Practice

    Professional Registration

    Candidate Registration

    Training
    And
    Experience

    Graduation
    Accredited
    Programme

    Observe Code of
    Conduct and
    Maintain CPD

    Meet Standard
    For Professional
    Competency

    Meet Standard
    for Engineering
    Education

    Professional Development Process


    Level

    Problem Solving
    In Engineering
    Context

    Attributes for
    entry to
    independent
    practice

    Taking
    Responsibility

    Attributes of a
    graduate of
    an accredited
    programme

    Management in
    Engineering
    Context

    Time Minimum 3 years


    10

    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
    11

    Some Registration Statistics (as at 30 November 2011)


    Professional Engineers
    Professional Engineering Technologists

    15115
    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


    Total

    257
    38014

    12

    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
    13

    Programs Considered for Accreditation


    Meeting Education
    Requirement for

    Engineering
    Qualification

    Univ/
    UoT

    Prog

    52

    Candidate and Professional BTech (after accredited


    Engineering Technologist
    National Diploma)

    10

    100

    Candidate and Professional National Diploma


    Engineering Technician

    10

    87

    Candidate and Professional BEng/BSc(Eng)


    Engineer

    15

    HEQF Migration
    Meeting Education
    Requirement for
    Registration as
    Candidate and
    Professional Engineer
    Candidate and
    Professional
    Engineering
    Technologist
    Candidate and
    Professional
    Engineering
    Technician

    Engineering Qualification
    Existing

    HEQF Compliant
    BEng/BSc(Eng)
    (No change)

    BTech + National
    Diploma

    National Diploma

    360 credit L7 Bachelor


    or
    360 credit L6 Diploma +
    L7 Advanced 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

    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

    ECSAs 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 WFEOs Eng. Capacity Building Committee

    Accreditation work with Southern African countries


    24

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