Civil Engineering October 2022 | Vol 30 No 9

28 October 2022 Civil Engineering H aving commenced support to local government after Numbers and Needs research highlighted skills gaps in 2005, SAICE-PDP has endeavoured to contribute wherever possible over the years. This has included implementing mentoring programmes, funded by the LGSETA and CETA, and working with national and provincial departments to offer technical sup- port and capacity building as part of various initiatives. MENTORING Mentoring is aimed at developing the competence required for professional registration with a statutory council, the most significant group of candidates being engineers, technologists and technicians aspiring to register with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). The ECSA 11 Outcomes, which include identifying problems, developing solutions, and implementing projects, are difficult to achieve in many municipalities due to limited budgets and the fact that projects are generally outsourced. Many candidates have struggled to complete work of appropriate complexity for their category of registration which is exacer- bated by the lack of design opportunities in municipalities. SAICE-PDP’s mentoring efforts focus on identifying gaps in candidates’ experi- ence and creating opportunities for them to take on projects which they can plan, design, and follow to site (or follow the process in parallel with the appointed consulting engineers). By gaining experi- ence in investigating and developing solutions, candidates are better equipped to plan and manage service providers on future projects, which is an imperative of the programme. Where candidates do not have access to design software, the Civil Designer stu- dent version is provided, and design work- shops are held after which assignments are completed so that the candidates can practically apply the theory presented. Once they are more au fait with the design process, candidates can attempt designs on their own, and work towards developing ECSA’s problem-solving and design outcomes. Mentors engage with candidates online and face to face and participate in site visits where necessary to provide advice and coaching. With the gradual return to normality, mentors and candidates are excited to resume contact sessions. SAICE-PDP’s online mentoring success story is Peter Coetzee, who emigrated to Ireland and continues to mentor. Candidates are also invited to attend the range of technical courses delivered by SAICE-PDP, including topical webinars and workshops pertaining to their discipline or current type of work. The new online norm has improved attendance at courses and webinars due to the reduced logistics and associated budget constraints. Since commencing with candidacy programmes, SAICE-PDP has established a national footprint in local government and has extended support to construction project managers wanting to register with SACPCMP. Mentors are generally retired engineers or younger engineering profes- sionals with small practices. SAICE-PDP is always looking for new mentors in order to consider new fields of specialisation and offer support in remote localities that have not previously been supported. Developing the competence required for registration in local government is challenging due to the environment, lack of suitable projects to design and develop, and the excessive workload due to staff short- ages. This makes secondments and rota- tions to consultants impossible. Despite the challenges, many have registered over the years and have continued to grow in local government, with some even becoming technical directors in municipalities which previously had non-technical personnel at the helm. Providing support to local government SAICE Professional Development and Projects (SAICE-PDP) has been extensively involved in local government in the past year, contributing to training, development and capacity building. Online mentoring with Philip du Plessis and candidate Frank Phahlamohlaka Mentor Ken Bromfield with mentee Nosipho Lubisi visiting the Kome internal road construction project at Jane Furse in the Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality