The Engineering Skills Catastrophe by V Nel, Pr Tech Eng. (Editor).
Figures compiled from ECSA data showed that in the period 1998 to 2004 some 1300 engineers and 2000 technicians and technologists qualified per year. The Governments Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) calls for an increase from 1300 engineers to 2400 per year.
When these figures are combined with the chronic shortages of skilled artisans to complete the engineering team it becomes apparent that the effect of insufficient engineering practitioners is set to be bad for many years yet to come.
Figures bandied about show that there were some 30 000 registered artisan apprentices in 1975. There were only about 3000 in 2006! The average age of many artisans and technicians is now around 50!
Artisan training collapsed and the inability of the respective Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to provide meaningful and sustained training as an alternative to artisan training means that the situation is getting worse by the minute.
The engineering team consists of a triangular structure, like a pyramid. So the ideal would be for one engineer, supported by 4 technologists, supported by 16 technicians, supported by 256 artisans! If we could achieve a ratio of 1: 2: 4; 16 we might even start winning!
At a minimum South Africa requires about 2400 engineers,
4800 technologists, 9600 technicians and 38400 artisans a year for the say the next 5 years!
This means 2400 Engineering BSc's from Universities, 4800 B Techs 9600 National Diplomas from Universities of Technology per year.
Since 1999 when approximately 20 000 engineering students registered for engineering studies the total has increased greatly from 2004 to around 58 000.
This has resulted in tremendous strain on the academic environment
Figures of the vacancies of lecturers existing in the training institutions are not easily available at the time of writing this article, however indications are that some 20% of the posts are vacant! This is due to non-competitive salaries and huge workload.
A Higher Education Qualifications Committee (HEQC) study has shown that only 32% of students entering a four year programme graduate within the minimum time. For three-year science programmes the rate is 22%. National Diplomas some 9% only graduate four years after starting the three-year diploma!
The latest "improvements" in renaming and changing the B Tech and National Diploma are debatable.
The B Tech and National Diploma (ND) will change with the B Tech becoming a 3-year degree with no practical.
This will be called a B. Eng. The ND will be a 2-year qualification, known as an Advanced National Certificate, again with no practical. An even shorter exit point will be a National Certificate, again with no practical.
Many in industry have indicted that they prefer hands on graduates but the academics don't want to be loaded with practical (Work Integrated Learning), as it is not a funded year. They do not have the spare capacity to find placements for students nor quality assure the training by monitoring employers.
The attempt here to increase the throughput that Government wants may result in even weaker graduates in the future!
It seems the new NQF Act of 2008 will change the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) somewhat. The Board will consist of 12 instead of 29 members. Umalusi is named as the QC for General and Further Education and Training and the Council on Higher Education as the QC for Higher Education. SAQA has replaced the learnerships programme by re-introducing apprenticeships and retaining learnerships and internships. All routes have to pass a level 4 test at an accredited test centre. So the start towards the old system with some flexibility should help in the future!
At the specialized scope category of ECSA registration the position is exceedingly disturbing.
While estimates vary it appears that there are at least
42 000 passenger lifts and escalators in South Africa, however there are only some 160 registered Lift Inspectors in the country!
On the lifting equipment side, again estimates vary, but it appears that there are at least 1 250 000 machines out there! Overhead cranes account for at least 100 00 while mobile cranes account for 8000 plus. Chain blocks and lever hoists account for more than a million alone!
There are only approximately 450 Lifting Machinery Inspectors (LMI's) registered at ECSA.
So public and worker safety is definitely in question!
Bursaries for engineering students have not assisted much in the past few years. Many students drop out so this area needs some further investigation.
Importing the skills needed is controversial and fraught with political agendas. Bureaucracy in obtaining work permits etc have, and are, hampering progress. Press reports stated that in 2006 only 194 permits were granted out of the allowed quota of 47600!
The question of language barriers in importing skills is also often overlooked.
The poor quality of the schooling system is largely to blame for the low successful through put (pass rate) at Universities and Universities of Technology. The new "Matric" at school level, which includes Science and Mathematics, as compulsory subjects may actually help.
Early childhood education is the key when it comes too effective learning. The biggest problem, however, is the lack of suitable qualified and competent teachers! Steps to enforce Continuous Professional Development (CPD) have been taken and this should also slowly improve the scene if implemented logically and effectively.
The Skills Development Levy funds collected amounted to some R2.2 Billion in 2007. R714 381 million has been spent, with further commitments of around R100 784 million which gives an overall use of the expected budget of around 81%. This should also contribute to improvements in skills in general, but the funding for engineering is not all that clear!
The Sector Education Training Authorities (SETA's) have proved to be a complete and expensive failure. The results for some R4.6 billion Rand indicate that they should be terminated or very, very drastically changed!
The bringing back of retrenched and older skilled engineering practitioners to assist in mentoring is at last starting to happen but at a very slow pace. There still seems to be a perception out there that one can send a person on a one week training course and he / she will come back with 3 years of experience! Three years of experience takes 3 years under the guidance of experienced mentors! There is no shortcut!!
All the remedies put in place will inevitably take a number of years to show positive results.
When a spade is a spade call it a spade!
_________________________________________________________________
