The Institution of Certificated Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, South Africa

The year 2011 heralds the centenary of ICMEESA. The obvious debate arising is how do we celebrate this auspicious occasion.
Members are invited to forward any ideas and suggestions to the secretary. We will also need to form an organising committee, so if are keen to assist in implementing your ideas, please do not hesitate to volunteer your services. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Possible considerations already raised are a formal banquet and the publishing of a book on the Institution.
For the latter, we require material and a champion to drive the process. Again we appeal to members, specifically our retired members, to please forward any material they may have available. For example, the copy of the first certificate issued, which appeared in a previous newsletter.
Also, please do not hesitate to put pen to paper and forward that to us, so that we can record and share all those personal, professional, humorous and notorious, events telling what Engineers have done or achieved in the past, which is recorded only in memory and never been documented.
I also request all Past Presidents to please forward a photograph of themselves, electronic or printed photograph, preferably at the time of their Presidency.
We are looking forward to receive your ideas and suggestions.

Farewell to our Secretary, Fiona and welcome to Mariana.

It is with sadness that we bid our long standing secretary farewell. Fiona has been with us since 01 September 2001. Fiona and husband Kian have decided to emigrate to Australia with their two young sons ……………. and ………. aged and .
Fiona formally stopped work at the end of June but will still be assisting until her departure.
Fiona has been an asset to the Institution in the efficient, trustworthy and effective manner she has performed the task of Secretary. Being the only person in office, and operating in a cyber run organisation, we underestimate the task at hand.
Feedback from members on how Fiona has handled their problems has always been positive, as has the feedback from the auditors when doing the annual audits.
We thank Fiona for her contribution and wish her and her family well in their new venture.
Fiona has been replaced by Mrs Mariaan Jacobs. Welcome Mariaan, we trust you will enjoy your association with ICMEESA.

Welcome to New members 2010

ICMEESA welcomes the following new members for 2010. We trust that your membership with result in a long and meaning relationship.

Surname Initials Branch MemGrade Surname Initials Branch MemGrade

Schutte T F Gauteng Member Horsford P A Eastcape Associate

Geldenhuys A Q Gauteng Student Mpanza K I Kwazulu Student

Nene B G Kwazulu Student Nkambule A D Gauteng Student

Ramogale T M Gauteng Student Selima D Gauteng Student

Who is trying to control Engineering?

While compiling the other article in this newsletter, on the New Model for the Certificated Engineer, I was prompted to delve into the archives to summarise the events have occurred over the past years with respect to the changes and formalising of control of the engineering profession. On of my concerns is the apparent lack of coordination that has resulted in various attempts to hijack the processes to, what at times appears to be, to satisfy someone’s personal political ambitions, more than attain the desired result of a sound based engineering profession in South Africa.

Let us start with the Professional Engineers Act which was implemented 1968. This was controlled by the South African Council of Professional Engineers. (SACPE) This Act provided statutory recognition and registration for engineers in South Africa. However, members of the engineering profession who did not hold an acceptable four year university degree and three years of acceptable high level engineering experience were excluded. Certificated Engineers were therefore excluded. In the interests of public safety, regulations were introduced requiring that certain work, consulting for example, could be performed only by registered Professional Engineers. The result of this was that the scene now also changed with the parallel developments of the statutory and the voluntary branches of the engineering with respect to the profession itself. Certificated Engineers were legally required and appointed under the relevant Mines, and Factories statutes, which specified the duties, responsibilities and necessary appointment of Certificated Engineers. The Government Certificate of Competency (GCoC) was the primary requirement for legal appointment, with Professional Engineers also being required to pass the GCoC examination for the holding of legal appointments.
One would have expected the fragmented position to have ended in 1990, with the introduction of the Engineering Professions Act and with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) taking over from the SACPE (SA Council of Professional Engineers) and the three Boards of Control in 1991. This Act now encompassed registration of those previously excluded and included all: Professional Engineers, (as previously defined) Technicians, Technologists and Certificated Engineers.
But being Africa, things are never that simple. Contrary to expectations, it is at this point that the first attempted coup d'état took place. There was with the formation of the South African Engineering Association, or, more commonly known as SAVI, Suid Afrikaanse Vereniging van Ingenieurswese. At the time, SAVI regarded itself, and was considered by some, to be the mouthpiece of the engineering profession in South Africa. The problem was that SAVI’s proposed roles overlapped and at times contradicted those of ECSA, which was a statutory body. Many were of the opinion that Savi lacked capacity and resources to serve as an umbrella body. SAVI also imposed mandatory annual subscriptions from voluntary organisations which, together with the ECSA subscriptions, placed onerous constraints on organisations operating with limited financial resources. It was for this, and many other reasons, that ICMEESA, among others, decided not to support SAVI further.
A policy review of six built environment professions running culminated in the introduction of the Engineering Profession Act (Act 46 of 2000) (EPA). The second coup d’etat attempt came in January 2007. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) issued a draft of the so-called “South African Academy of Engineering Bill” to various voluntary engineering associations and professional institutes for comment and response.
So who is the South African Academy of Engineering (SAEE)? In 1992 the South African Society for Professional Engineers (SASPE) founded the Academy of Engineers under its aegis in terms of the Constitution of SPE, and later changed the name to South African Academy of Engineers in 1995. Needless to say, the names of certain persons were common in both SAVI and SAAE. The South African Academy of Engineering is a young, non-profit, independent institution with some 141 fellows (May 2008). The objectives of the Academy are to promote excellence in the science and application of engineering for the benefit of all members of the public in South Africa. Election to the Academy is by invitation only.
The third attempted coup d’etat was in 2008 with the attempt to rush the proposed Built Environment Professions Bill (BEPB) through parliament. The objective of the Built Environment Professions Bill was to foster the accelerated transformation of professions, such as engineering, architecture, and quantity surveying, and also proposes the establishment of a new South African Council for the Built Environment. In this case, the main supporters of the bill appear to have been the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), as theirs was the only comment I viewed that supported the BEPB. Their disapproval of ECSA is also evident in that the NSBE has recently launched court papers requesting the court to set aside the appointment of the current ECSA council. Their request is informed by the fact that the previous ECSA councils failed to make rules, particularly those relating to the composition of council, as stipulated in section 36 of the Engineering Professions Act of 2000.
I have no doubt that, after reading this, you now share the concern that motivated me to note the above events. I will refrain from boring you, with repeating already well known statistics highlighting the extent of our country’s skills shortage, specifically in the engineering profession.
How can we expect the engineering profession to adequately fill the existing void with competent professionals when we have no shared goal or unity within our ranks? These problems are only exacerbated by a flawed primary education system which has, by recent self admission, failed society. The present situation is far from Ayoba.
We can talk as much as we like of our individual actions to alleviate the skills shortage, but unless we know that there is a uniform goal, it is a bit like kissing your sister.
Having being actively involved for many years, I can confirm that ICMEESA, through certain dedicated members, played an active roll in either supporting, or alternately, raising formal objections where required, to the above mentioned events to determining the outcome desired for our members.
The lack of involvement from ICMEESA’s younger membership base is also a concern. The following article, on “The New Model for the Certificated Engineer” will no doubt have an effect on the future of the young engineer, with very little effect on what remains of my ending career. I urge you to reconsider your involvement in professional issues. Become involved and say your say.

New Model for the Certificated Engineer

It was in 1997 that I attended a meeting, facilitated by ICMEESA, in the Observatory hall for a presentation by the then Government Mining Engineer, Mr Burger. The government departments responsible for the GCC examinations expressed the need to find an alternative method of assessing and certifying the competence of persons to become Certificated Engineers for the purposes of the Acts. The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) was approached to consider using its system of registration to certify the competence of Certificated Engineers.

Much water has passed under the bridge the since that day, which shows the complex nature of what was proposed. The Certificated Engineer was the first type of engineering practitioner to be recognised in law in South Africa. The Certificated Engineer designation was instituted over a century ago and implemented to improve safety, specifically in the mines. Altering a system, proven over 90 years, was obviously not going to be an easy task. Change needs to occur without compromising the desired objective of ensuring minimum standards of competency in the interests of health and safety in the application of machinery.

Currently, the two Acts relevant to this proposal are the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the Mines Health and Safety Act. Their respective regulations call for persons certificated through the Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) examinations to perform specified functions..
Under the Engineering Profession Act, a registration category for Professional Certificated Engineers exists. This category uses the GCC as an entry level qualification. The proposed New Model draws together the ECSA and GCC regulatory threads for engineers in mines and factories.

In common with other professional regulatory systems, the GCC system has requirements for education, practical training, competency assessment, and license to practice. Assessment of the minimum level of competency is performed by means of written examinations. Passing the examination and the award of the GCC makes the holder eligible for appointment by an employer in terms of the applicable Act. This appointment constitutes authorization or license to practice. The authorization-to-practice takes the form of a written letter of appointment by the owner/employer, spelling out the duties, responsibilities and obligations under the relevant legislation.

So what defines a person a competent?

The GMR define a competent person in relation to machinery, in terms of various combinations of education, apprenticeship and experience, or as one who holds a certificate of competency.
The Minerals Act, defines a competent person in general terms as a person who is qualified by virtue of his/her knowledge, training skills and experience to organize the work and its performance.

The definition of competent person is open to interpretation, as it does not link specific competencies to the purpose of the appointment. It is at this point that one needs to consider the next step in the process, which is for the Acts to make provision for and identify engineering work and the requirement that a person registered with ECSA to perform such work. Regulations on IDoEW have been drafted by ECSA and await the Council for the Built Environment which is charged with their publication. When the Regulations for Identification of Engineering Work are promulgated by the CBE, they will have the following effects for Certificated Engineers. The normal work of holders of Government Certificates of Competency falls within the scope of identified work. Such persons must therefore be registered in terms of the EPA. This is true whether or not the person holds an appointment under the OHS or MHS Acts. A transition period of 24 months is provided for holders of GCCs to become registered with ECSA. Thus, a person holding a GCC and practicing as a Certificated Engineer will, within two years of the regulations coming into force, have to register as a Professional Certificated Engineer (PCE) if not already so registered.

The proposed New Model is to create a system for education, training, competency certification and licensing of Certificated Engineers using ECSA registration to assess and maintain the competency of practitioners. ECSA’s current criteria and practices for registering Professional Certificated Engineers must change in the process. Implementing the proposal involves changes to the requirements and process for registration as a Professional Certificated Engineer. . Once a person meets the educational requirements he or she may apply for registration as a Candidate Certificate Engineer.

Once a prescribed period of training has elapsed and the candidate and his mentor/supervisor are satisfied that the level of competency for registration has been developed, an application for registration as a PCE may be submitted. Evidence of competency as defined by standards is submitted and is assessed. If the minimum standard is demonstrated, the person is registered. The person is eligible for appointment by the employer in terms of the relevant Act. Practice in an appointment takes place within the general requirements for professional practice by registered persons, including performing identified engineering work. The proposed method of competency assessment is described in section 5.2.

Fears need to be allayed in the thinking that the level of competency will be compromised. In replacing the GCC by a new system for registration as a PCE with ECSA, the level of competency will be no lower than at present for two reasons:

The standard of education will be defined and registered on the NQF. Standards will meet a minimum baseline that is not lower than the level required for entry to the GCC examination. Programmes offered by education providers will be accredited by ECSA as meeting this standard.
The standard of competence required at the entry level to practice as a Certificated Engineer, which is for registration as a PCE, has been defined and will not be lower than the GCC. This standard will be used to assess applicants for registration as a PCE.

The subject matter present examination requirements published for the GCC examination has, in fact, been transferred to standards that will apply under the new model. The theoretical and plant and legal knowledge part has been transferred to the educational standard while the application-oriented requirements appear in the competency standard for registration.

On of the important features is being able to maintain a range of pathways that exist for persons to attain the GCC. At one end of the range a person could serve an apprenticeship in a specified trade, attain a N6 Diploma, gain further experience and then be admitted to the GCC examination. At the other end of the range, a person could obtain a BEng or BTech degree in an appropriate field and, after training and experience, write the GCC examination. Intermediate paths via the National Diploma are also available. This proposal retains a multiplicity of paths to meeting the educational requirement for PCE.

As with all change, there is always apprehension, specifically with respect to those in the process of studying towards a GCC. Present candidates should note the following transition provisions under both the MHSA and OHSA. Transitional provisions are required for the registration of persons who are GCC holders, or, have progressed significantly toward the GCC. These rely on the existence of dual licensing mechanisms for a period of 3-4 years. The present GCC Examination will be phased out in the first year of this period. During this period a PCE may be appointed as provided for in the amended regulations. The amended regulations must also allow the holder of a GCC who is not yet registered as a PCE to be appointed during a defined period of 3 or 4 years after the regulations come into force. Holders of the GCC will, in any event, be required to register when the Identification of Engineering Work Regulations are promulgated by the Council for the Built Environment.

Registration with ECSA is the responsibility of the Registration Committee for Certificated Engineers (RCCE). Government departments responsible for the MHSA and the OHSA will be given seats on the RCCE. Accreditation of education programmes for Certificated Engineers is the responsibility of the Certificated Engineers Accreditation Committee (CERTAC). Government departments responsible for the MHSA and the OHSA will be given seats on the CERTAC. As a recognised Voluntary organisation, ICMEESA has for many years had, and still has active representation on CERTAC.

The full document of the proposed New Model is available on our website. If members have any concerns or suggestions on the above, please communicate them to the secretary.