With the year drawing to a close, and while we pride ourselves on our efforts enacted across the past 12 months, there is still much to dream about. As the current leader of the SAIMC, the most satisfying experience was to witness the broad cross-sector (SAIMC, educational institutions, ECSA, automation business etc.) collaboration in a quest to grapple with issues that could enable the automation industry to stimulate the South African economy and change lives of many Africans. This culminated at a meeting on 19 October, when the SAIMC presented its case for the registration of Automation as the 10th engineering discipline.
What was even more satisfying was to see all the institutions that were present agreeing to work together as a way to leverage the differentiated capabilities of our organisations. This has always been the SAIMC’s leadership dream i.e. to foster the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving complex problems that cuts across multiple dimensions of the engineering fraternity and South African society at large.
The following contextualises the outcomes of the convention that took place on 19 October (Automation as the 10th discipline):
1. The SAIMC will form part of ECSA strategy group for the 2017 financial year. The Automation discipline matter will be further crystallised as multiple stakeholders continue to collaborate.
2. Professor Collier-Reed, a former director of the Centre for Research in Engineering Education (CREE), will lead a task team that will be assigned to address the matter of Automation as the 10th discipline.
3. The overall impression of the stakeholders that were present was that the application made by the SAIMC was insightful and involved future orientated thinking. What also transpired was that a collaborative effort is required to investigate newly emerging engineering disciplines (other than automation).
Beyond the horizon
While we are looking forward to the holiday break, 2017 is set to be a fantastic year with several exciting and impactful initiatives.
But now is the time to rest, recuperate and energise ourselves for the challenges that lie ahead. With that said, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the SAIMC council, business partners and to our individual members. I would also like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to ECSA, Reed Exhibitions and Technews for their outstanding contribution to the many successes the SAIMC experienced this year. To our patrons, you are the reason behind our endurance and achievements. Thank you!
To all our members, enjoy your well-deserved vacation, and to all our Christian members, Merry Christmas.
Yours Sincerely,
Oratile Sematle
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