ENGINEERING COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA

KIMBERLEY ROADSHOW

16 OCTOBER 2014

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PROCEDURE TO REGISTER WITH ECSA

Step 1:“Candidate” Registration in order to have qualifications evaluated.

o All applicants with non-accredited and non South African qualifications have to apply for “Qualification Evaluation” which is done by ECSA’s Qualification Examinations Committee(QEC).

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Candidate Engineer BSc(Eng)/BEng

Candidate Eng Techno BTech

Candidate Cert Eng Cert of Competency

Candidate Eng Techni NDip

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 Competence through CPD

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Experience standards characterised by:

• Activities that are essentially intellectual• Analysing and solving complex problems • Developing and applying new technologies creatively and

innovatively• Exercising Professional judgement• Managing resources• (Dreamers)

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER (Pr Eng)

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGISTS (Pr Tech Eng)

Experience standards characterised by:

• Solving broadly defined problems through application of proven techniques and procedures

• Developing, maintaining and managing today’s technologies• Exercising Professional judgement • Managing resources• (Doers)

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PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN (Pr Techni Eng)

Experience standards characterised by:

• Solving well defined problems using proven techniques and procedures• Supervision and technical responsibility• Contributing to implementation, operation and maintenance of

products, equipment, processes and services • (Fixers)

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HOW AND WHEN TO REGISTER

Step 2: Training and Professional Development while employed

(Current system in place for the engineer and technologist categories only)

Commitment and Undertaking (CU)• Employer CEO/Chief Engineer registers CU

• Undertakes to train “candidate” persons in accordance with ECSA’s policy and discipline specific guidelines

• Ensures internal training programme is in place and being implemented

• So far 573 C&Us signed by employers of engineers countrywide and 3 773 mentors listed doing training.

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REGISTRATION PROCESS RE-ENGINEERING

New Registration System

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Role Players Related to Registration

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Experience Appraiser

Professional Reviewer

Assessing Committee Member

Assessing Committee Chair

Registration Committee Chair

Central Registration Committee Chair

QualificationsEvaluator

Qualifications Validator

Applicant

Referee

Mentor

Supervisor

ApplicationAdvisor

Education Officer

Call Centre Agent

Registration Manager/Asst

Registration Officer

Staff

Volunteers(VA and ECSA)

External: Industry

VA Staff

Employers

Finance Staff

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What Policy Changes?

Prior to the NRS Under the NRS

• Embedded in Document R2/1A: Acceptable Work for Candidate Engineers;

• Does not consider other classes of applicants explicitly.

• Single, integrated policy R-01-P, defining • registration and education

policy, • links with standards (R-02-

PE) • links with processes (R-03-

PE), • applies to all applicants. • Accredited or recognized

qualification or • prior evaluation of

qualification(s) as meeting educational requirements.

• No change to accredited or recognized qualifications.

• Accelerated evaluation of listed qualifications.

• .Evaluation criteria defined in document E-17-P for qualifications and assessed learning.

Aspect

Registration Policy

Education Requirements

Policy

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What Changes in Standards?

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Prior to the NRS Under the NRSAspect

• Only the Engineer “alternate route” available • ND or equivalent plus 10

years working at level of Pr Eng: (Experience Appraisal, then write prescribed final year exams).

• Criterion-based method of meeting education requirements by evaluation and assessment defined in E-17-P.

• When educational requirements are complete, apply for registration in normal way.

• No additional time limits.• Identified methods of further

learning and assessment.

SeekingRegistration

WithoutAccredited or RecognisedQualification

Standards of Competency

for Registration

• Training requirements for Candidate Engineers, in R2/1A Section 5

Competency Standard for registration as a Professional Engineer in document R-02-PE.

• Eleven generic outcomes, with definitions for the level of problem

solving and engineering activities. (No DSG’s in Standard)• Professional Attributes included in

standard • Level descriptors differentiate

categories

• Further requirements in the Discipline Specific Guidelines (Professional Attributes in section 5 for seven disciplines)

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What Changes in Application: 3

Prior to the NRS Under the NRSAspect

Evidence of Training/

Competency

• For all disciplines:• Training and Experience

Summary• Training and Experience

Reports• Varying requirements across

disciplines:• Project Report• Essay Test• Claim to Competency• Presentation• Prof Development report

• Uniform requirements across disciplines:• Training and Experience

Summary (TES)• Training and Experience

Reports (TER)• Training and Experience

Outlines (TEO)• Engineering Report• Presentation• Pre-registration CPD-type

activity (IPD)

What Changes in Assessment: 4Prior to the NRS Under the NRS

• Delegation to the PAC of: •decision to register or •defer, • Reserve refusal to Central

Registration Committee

• No change to delegation or refusal• Two-deferment practice

regularised• Credit given for outcomes fulfilled

Aspect

DecisionMaking

Process Definition

• Embedded in part in other documents (or not documented)

• High level process definition (R-03-P)

• Detailed IT system specification. Application

Processing• Manual • On-line

• Workflow-enabled

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• Different assessment instruments used in professional reviews.

• Civil (incl essay) and • Electrical. Other disciplines.

• Policy (R-01-P) defines main stages and permitted decisions in the assessment process.

• Common assessment instruments addressing the outcomes and an integrative judgement,

• provide consistent trails through all stages

Assessment of

Competency

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What Changes in Guidance: 5

Prior to the NRS Under the NRSAspect

• Discipline Specific guidelines having force of standards/policy.

Variants:• Chemical• Civil• Remaining seven

• Differing definitions of Professional Attributes to be demonstrated

• Layered set of guidelines:• Training and mentoring (all

categories) (R-04-P) with defined responsibility levels.

• Guide to competency standards for Professional Engineers (R-08-PE)

• Discipline-specific Training Guidelines (R-05-ddd-PE)

Training And

MentoringGuidelines

The NRS and its Phases at a Glance …

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Category

Candidate and Professional Engineer

Candidate and Professional Engineering TechnologistCandidate and Professional Engineering TechnicianCandidate and Professional Certificated Engineer

Specified Categories

Registration under International Agreements

Policy

R-01-P

To Follow

No Change

Standards

R-02-PE

To Follow

No Change

Process

R-03-PE(EA & PR)

On-lineSystem

R-03-PT(EEA)

No Change

Application & AssessmentProcess 1

AssessmentProcess 2(variant of Process 1)

AssessmentProcess 3

(P1simplified)

R-02-PT

R-02-PN

No Change

*

R-01-P

R-03-PN(EEA)

R-03-CE(EEA)

To Follow

R-01-P

Fully Developed

Documents at final dev W-I-P

* Assumes no change to Cert Eng Model

Status:

AssessmentProcess 2

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Registration Process: Logging in

Enter Essential DetailsAssign User ID,

Generate PasswordLog In

Log InOr

Forgot User ID/PW

Select:Continue my applicationApply for Candidate EngineerApply for Professional EngineerApply for Educational Evaluationmore …

EducationalEvaluation

CE/PE Application

New User Existing User

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TRANSITION TO NEW REGISTRATION SYSTEM

The new system for the engineer category will be phased in over a period of two years, commencing as from April 2013. 

Candidate engineers who trained  under the current (legacy) registration system will be allowed to apply in terms of the current  requirements/ documentation. However, the current requirements for civil candidates of  writing two essays at the professional review and mechanical candidates to hand in a design report and for electrical/electronic engineers to hand in forms AD7, AD8 and AD9, would then still apply.

               

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TRANSITION PHASE continued…

•  The two systems would therefore be run concurrently for a period of two years to phase out all “previous system” applicants.

• All applicants submitting after 1 April 2015 would therefore also have to provide New Registration System evidence of competence and will be assessed against Competency Standard R-02-PE.     

•  Alternatively, candidates who trained under the current system  would have to apply in terms of the  new  system requirements/documentation, but they would have to supply the New Registration System evidence of competence to be assessed against competency standard R-02-PE.        

 

ECSA Professional Competencies – where training must lead

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CEA-Level

1: Use Engineering and

ContextualKnowledge

3: Synthesize Solutions

2: Analyse Engineering

Problems

CEP-Level

A

7: Meet regulatory

requirements6: Address Impacts on People and

Environment

C

10: Be Responsible

9:Exercise

Judgement

8:Act Ethically

DoR

D

11: Life-long Learning

E

A Outcome GroupCEP = Complex Engineering ProblemCEA = Complex Engineering ActivityDoR = Degree of Responsibility

4: Manage Engineering Activities

5: Communicate Effectively

B

PLANNING PRINCIPLES :TRAINING PROGRAMMES

Two principles must be followed by supervisors and mentors when planning training programmes for candidates :

1. A variety of work activities is necessary for the proper development of a candidate.

Variety may be obtained at the various stages in the lifecycle of an engineering activity : conception, planning, design, construction, implementation, operation and closure.

Associated with this lifecycle are specific functions, including commissioning, testing, improving, trouble-shooting. Candidate should experience several stages in the lifecycle of a

project or projects.

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PLANNING PRINCIPLES :TRAINING PROGRAMMES (cont…)

2. Increasing responsibility and accountability within the organization must be imposed on and accepted by the candidate until he/she is capable of accepting professional responsibility in making and executing engineering decisions at the full professional level.

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Progression throughout the candidacy period

Level Nature of work: the candidate

Responsibility of Candidate Level of Supervisor/Mentor Support

1. Exposure …undergoes induction, observes processes, work of competent practitioners

No responsibility Mentor explains challenges and forms of solution

2. Assist …performs specific processes under close supervision

Limited responsibility for work output

Supervisor/Mentor coaches, offers feed back

3. Participate …performs specific processes as directed with limited supervision

Full responsibility for supervised work

Supervisor progressively reduces support, but monitors outputs

4. Contribute …performs specific work with detailed approval of work outputs

Full responsibility to supervisor for immediate quality of work

Candidate articulates own reasoning and compares it with those of supervisor

5. Perform … works in team without supervision, recommends work outputs

Level of responsibility to supervisor is appropriate to a registered person

Candidate takes on problem solving without support, at most limited guidance

PROGRESSION OF TRAINING• At each of the 5 levels of responsibility, the table

shows the nature of the candidate’s work, ranging from being oriented at level A to working at the degree of responsibility required for registration, namely level E or Performing

• By the end of the training period, the candidate must have performed individually and as a team member at the level of problem solving and engineering activity required for registration and performed at responsibility level E for at least twelve months.

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REGISTRATION PROCESS

• Registration process for all categories of registration basically the same and will become even more uniform when the new system is implemented.

• Exception: Pr Eng category which has a compulsory professional review.

• Other categories have the discretion to call applicants in for an interview.

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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS (EXISTING SYSTEM)

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• Personal details (Forms A1.1 & 1.2 engineers and B.1& B.2 technologists and C.1 & C.2 technicians)

• Summary of Training Periods (A2.2, B2.2 & C2.2 respectively)

• Training/Experience Reports(approx 2000 words)(A 2.1, B2.1, C2.1)

• Confidential Referee Reports

• Project Report/Design Report

• Certified copies of qualification documents (and transcripts of subjects take for technologist category)

• Proof of membership of Voluntary Association (if applicable)

• Application fee

TIPS ON EXPERIENTIAL REPORTS

• SELL YOURSELF• WRITE in the FIRST PERSON• DETAIL what YOU have DONE• DETAIL YOUR level of RESPONSIBILITY• DO NOT GENERALISE• ALL PERIODS must be COVERED

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THANK YOU!www.ecsa.co.za

Email : engineer@ecsa.co.za

Tel No : (011) 607 9500

Offices : Waterview Corner,

Building 2 Ernest

Oppenheimer Avenue,

Bruma