On Thursday 12 May, the Secunda branch had the privilege of hosting Du Toit Grobler from ECSA. He explained the new ECSA professional registration process and the process of re-registration every five years. One of the important things that he highlighted is that registration should not be taken lightly and that all registered members should be aware of the code of conduct as compiled by ECSA. For more information on the new process, contact Du Toit Grobler on [email protected].
Johan Maritz (left) Marita van den Bergh and Du Toit Grobler.
All instrumentation and control related individuals are welcome to attend our Technology Evenings, the planned dates for this year are as follows:
• 7 Jul
• 4 August
• 1 September
• 6 October
• 3 November
All presentations earn CPD points for ECSA registered persons who attend. Enquiries can be directed to Johan Maritz at [email protected] or 082 856 3865.
Secunda branch visits high school
Hoogenhout High School has a great history and tradition and over the years, it has become known for excellent academic and sporting achievements. Our visit to the grade 12 scholars was well received and although the majority are encouraged to pursue post-secondary education, very few of the pupils had any knowledge of the C&I career paths.
Various career possibilities within the C&I sphere were introduced to the students and the following disciplines were discussed:
• Plant maintenance.
• Engineering and design.
• Control systems.
• Sales and marketing.
• Services.
• R&D.
• Teaching.
The students were enlightened on the various programmes that can be followed at different institutions and/or corporations, should they want to enter into or pursue any of these professions.
Great interest was shown in the presentation and, as is the norm, we were overwhelmed with questions afterwards. The branch plans to visit other schools in the Secunda vicinity to endorse this great career of ours among the youth.
If we can take anything away from this first school visit, it is that we still have quite a way to go to improve the visibility of automation as a career choice for high school graduates. There is a gap in the awareness of the tertiary course and subject selection required for the various careers available in C&I. We hope to improve this in our area and encourage the other SAIMC branches to do the same.
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