The SAIMC Secunda branch hosted an ECSA workshop on 1 November 2023 at the Proconics, Secunda office in Secunda. It was facilitated by Johan Maartens, CEO of SAIMC, who has been with the organisation since 1985. The main purpose of the workshop was to guide candidates on the latest ECSA registration requirements for technicians, technologists and engineers.
Johan conducted the workshop from an assessor’s viewpoint, so that the candidates could better understand the requirements, and learn how to document their experience in a way that is easy to read and understand by following the 11 outcomes stipulated by ECSA.
He started by explaining that candidates can register as professional engineers, professional technologists, or professional technicians, depending on the candidate’s qualifications and corresponding work experience.
To register as a professional engineer, candidates need to prove they can solve problems at a complex level, Technologists need to prove they can solve broadly defined problems, and technicians need to prove they have the right experience at the right level. Candidates are responsible for their own development, and also for ensuring they get the right experience, as required by ECSA for professional registration.
Before the development of the Mechatronics discipline, control and instrumentation (and automation) engineers registered under the Electrical discipline, and thus were assessed by electrical professionals, which often made the review and interview process challenging. The Mechatronics discipline was developed to overcome this. It is extremely important for candidates to indicate the correct sub-division under Mechatronics when submitting their application documents to ECSA for professional registration. This will ensure that ECSA allocates suitable assessors for the candidate’s interview. The Mechatronics discipline has three sub-divisions: Mechatronic Devices, Process Automation, and Factory Automation.
Johan advised the candidates to be calm and patient in interviews. Contrary to popular belief, the assessor’s intention is not to trick the candidate with questions, but rather to assess whether a candidate is ready to take on the responsibilities of a professionally registered technician, technologist or engineer.
The SAIMC Secunda branch committee would like to thank Johan for sharing his wealth of knowledge, and SAIMC administrator, Ina Maartens for her time and welcome presence; time spent with Johan and Ina is always enjoyable. We would also like to thank Proconics for hosting the monthly technology evenings.
| Tel: | +27 11 312 2445 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.saimc.co.za |
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