N Pandor: Civil Engineering Curriculum Workshop

29 June 2006

�Educating civil engineers in South Africa to-day�

Representatives of industry, colleagues, academic, ladies and gentlemen.

It is very encouraging to see the different stakeholders in the engineering
industry gathered together to discuss modernising the engineering curriculum.
Industry, labour, government and academics must work together to respond
effectively to the skills challenge confronting South Africa.

Your presence here today and the subject themes of the sessions indicate
positive action on our challenges. I hope out of this meeting you will give
guidance on modernising the curriculum and on our drive to expand and
accelerate skills development in South Africa.

Recently there has been much debate about our lack of civil engineers. The
organised profession itself has drawn government attention to the potential
negative consequences of inadequate action.

For example, SA Institution of Civil Engineering stated the following in a
recent report �we face a crisis of capacity with possibly between 3 000 and 6
000 additional civil engineers, technologists and technicians required in the
next few years. Even with increased national diploma graduations, there would
only be a net gain of 627 professionals entering the marketplace from 2005 to
2009� (Business Report, 25 October 2005).

Whatever your discussions during this workshop you have to say something to
the education department about what can be done to ameliorate the terrible
effects of these gaps.
Government is extremely concerned about the consequences for our growth
strategy, if we continue to have inadequate numbers of competent well trained
engineers.

It is this concern among others that has led government to initiate ASGISA
and its flagship skills task team Joint Initiative on Priority Skills
Acquisition (JIPSA). We have agreed that quality programmes, improved funding
and the development of infrastructure in training establishments are key
priorities. Further, we have also attempted to align programme development with
visible growth sectors in the economy and with the need to develop scarce
skills effectively.

As you are aware Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa
(AsgiSA) seeks to support accelerated and shared growth. To promote national
development and continue the considerable progress we have made in economic
growth.

Development clearly implies infrastructure investment, promotion of new
technologies, more road networks, functioning efficient municipal services,
innovation in energy sources and energy use development of new technologies
etc. This is in a sense the agenda for the engineering student you will be
planning for. So you have to think of programme development in new ways and new
terms with underserved or never served constituencies in mind.

You face too the fact that engineers do not come in large numbers and do not
all remain in the sector. So, retraining, development of artisans who can
return to our institutions and interface with business sector training sites
are also parts of the agenda you must address. Many companies have not
maintained or modernised their training sections, you may need to consider how
you assist there.

Beyond this the profession along with all others that are key to our
socio-economic priorities has to consider the curriculum in far more eclectic
terms. The issue of language and multi-lingual professionals is just one.
Negotiating skills and community facilitation is another skills area.

We have agreed through JIPSA that key programmes will be our focus in the
first instance. These are the following five scarce skills:

* High level, world class engineering and planning skills for the �network
industries� � transport, communications, energy.
* City, urban and regional planning and engineering skills
* Artisan and technical skills, with priority attention to infrastructure
development, housing and energy; and in other areas of FET provision identified
as being in strong demand in the labour market
* Management and planning skills in education and health
* Mathematics, science, ICT and language competence in public schooling.

The distinguishing feature of JIPSA is that it represents a specific joint
venture by government, business and labour to make a critical difference to the
provision of skills. JIPSA focuses the attention of key government departments
and public education and training providers on the achievement of core national
objectives.
�
The nation�s economy and the quality of life of our citizens depend heavily on
the building of infrastructure of all kinds. Despite the positive aspects that
investment in infrastructure brings to the country as a whole, the civil
engineering industry faces unprecedented challenges in attracting, recruiting
and retaining the staff needed to design, manage and build this
infrastructure.

Tertiary institutions have a central role to play in ensuring that
engineers, technologists and technicians are appropriately trained.

This workshop facilitated by the South African Institution of Civil
Engineering provides a unique opportunity to examine closely the graduates that
you as Universities of Technology produce, and where necessary to make
adjustments.

You are putting the foundations and building blocks in place to produce
technicians and technologists for the future. It is important to note that
resources are limited, and care should therefore be taken to channel those
resources to the best advantage of your profession and the country. Your
workshop program, and to-days proceedings in particular, includes all the role
players from the built environment.

I applaud the efforts of the universities of technology to ensure the
development of a qualification that will ensure mobility and transferability of
knowledge, despite the opportunity to submit stand alone institutional
qualifications to SAQA. I have also been advised that the preliminary work
undertaken has also acknowledged the requirements of your statutory
Council.
�
For consistent development, and hence for spending to take place, a number of
factors must be in place. These include;

* growth
* availability of finance
* policy conducive to sound development
* favourable interest, exchange rates and low inflation
* institutional capacity

At present we are fortunate that most of these factors are all in place and
positive, with perhaps the exception of institutional capacity.

A growing economy will encourage investment in infrastructure, but as
already mentioned this is where the biggest challenges face your
profession.

I would therefore encourage you to not only look at the content of your
curriculum, but also how you can improve the throughput rates.

I acknowledge this is a challenge that the civil engineering industry is
well able to meet, but also accept that you cannot do this on your own, and
that Government and industry need to assist with this process.

The very fact that you have gathered such a wide representative group from
your profession is sufficient evidence that your industry is right behind you
and will give you the direction and support you seek.

The Department of Education is also watching the outcome of this workshop
with a great deal of interest, as it could serve as a useful prototype for
other programmes undergoing a curriculum review.

I wish you well with your deliberations and the implementation of your
revised curriculum in the years ahead.

Issued by: Department of Education
29 June 2006