Civil Engineering January/February 2021 | Vol 29 No 1

Civil Engineering January/February 2021 19 some way of accessing this practical expe- rience and knowledge in the absence of a senior member of staff who provides good mentorship along with a serious chiding if things are done incorrectly. In 2017, ICE-SA participated in the Royal Academy’s first GCRF Africa Catalyst programme. During this pilot, ICE-SA set up an online learning platform linked to training material for the National Treasury Standard for Infrastructure Procurement and Delivery Management (SIPDM). In conjunction with National Treasury and CESA, online examinations interrogated individuals’ knowledge of the then-new standard to provide a list of individuals who could support the rollout throughout government departments and local authorities. This was successful, with many people who participated in the examinations that were invigilated by CESA branches across the country. At the same time, resources relating to the NEC Contract were sourced and collated to sup- port the use of the NEC as it was promoted by the SIPDM. In late 2019, the Royal Academy of Engineers placed a call for proposals for the third round of the GCRF Africa Catalyst programme. This round built on the experiences of previous projects and offered a longer term for project implementation as well as larger budgets. ICE-SA, together with the Commonwealth Engineers Council (UK), submitted a proposal to extend the previous work done to now include an updated e-learning platform, as well as the development of carefully customised courses for adjudica- tion under NEC, and introductions to framework agreements prepared with the NEC suite of contracts as the engine. The Royal Academy Awards in November 2019 kicked off a year of high energy to prepare and market four online courses for public consumption. Without the contribution from the Royal Academy’s GCRF Africa Catalyst programme, these activities would not have been possible, and ICE-SA is very grateful for this support. ICE-SA ONLINE COURSES The Covid-19 pandemic arrived shortly thereafter, not only placing obstacles in the way of preparing online courses, but also opening the floodgates of opportu- nity to properly engage with the industry to share expertise, knowledge and build skills that can be measured. During 2020, four online courses were prepared, packaged, and published to the ICE-SA website on a professional e-learning platform. This platform has been prepared by professional developers and customised to provide areas where curated online learning courses can be published and enjoyed by learners across the globe. It also provides a platform for marketing, managing, and hosting both online and eventually also physical events for CPD purposes. The four curated online courses that have been published online are: 1. Adjudication under NEC Eleven modules that cover the prin- ciples, concepts, and procedures of adjudication under the NEC3, and the similarities and differences of dispute resolution under NEC4. 2. Introduction to Framework Agreements Three modules that introduce the con- cept of a framework agreement, how it works, and how it is to be put in place. 3. Framework Agreements for Professional Services Five modules that provide detailed guidance, resources, and tools to implement framework agreements for professional services in the construction industry, supported by standardised scope of services, and pricing strategies. 4. Framework Agreements for Construction Works Five modules that give insight into the intricacies of preparing contracts where the scope of work and associ- ated detailed pricing cannot readily be prepared, and how framework agreements can be put in place for repetitive, routine construction works. These four courses were launched in November 2020 on the ICE-SA website, www.ice-sa.org.za . The incredible benefit of this platform has already been seen in the inaugural live event that was hosted in October 2020, where the ICE-SA Annual Lecture was presented by Finlo Paish on Covid-19’s impact on projects in Ghana. This first lecture was presented live from Ghana and was viewed by over 50 people from across South Africa and the African continent. The recording of the lecture has since been published to provide an opportunity to those who missed it to participate and learn from the event. ICE-SA has determined that, with the success of previous live-streamed events matched with the power of the new plat- form, most future events will be presented online. A detailed calendar of events has been drawn up to provide interested persons with the opportunity of viewing and engaging with international experts from around the world in a variety of presentations, lectures, and webinars via the platform. With the linkages of the ICE network across Africa and the globe, ICE-SA an- ticipates that it will be able to host regular online events which will be accessible to all persons with an internet connection across the globe. The variety of events and lectures will spawn more topics of interest and further opportunities to engage with other practitioners, either directly or indirectly, through the facilities offered on the website. The ICE Brunel International Lecture will be hosted online only this year, and ICE-SA is proud to announce that a lecture has been specifically earmarked for the South African time zone, with a specific focus on the needs of the African continent (especially South Africa). This and other events’ details will be published when available. Interested parties can sign up for the ICE-SA newsletter from the ICE-SA website here: www.ice-sa.org.za/news . ICE-SA is also actively seeking to engage with students who are currently studying in the engineering sector at tertiary education facilities across South Africa. They hope to provide interesting events on topics that are relevant and pertinent to those beginning careers in engineering, and to provide networking opportunities with not only experienced practitioners, but also students at other universities. ICE-SA also promotes the establishment of ICE Student Chapters to support students in their pursuit of professional registration, and engagement with the global engineering industry. Practitioners are encouraged to visit the website and taste what the future holds for learning, skills development, networking, and recognition. The future is clear: e-learning is here to stay. Alain Jacquet Chairman ICE-SA ICE Country Representative for South Africa chairman@ice-sa.org.za