PROFESSIONAL CPD STRUCTURE

CPD for Professional Engineering Practitioners registered in the four professional categories provided for in the Engineering Profession Act, 2000 (Act 46 of 2000).

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a process implemented by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) whereby all professionally registered engineering practitioners have to systematically improve and broaden their knowledge and skills. Section 22(1) of the Engineering Profession Act, 2000 (Act 46 of 2000) requires that a registered engineering professional has to renew his or her registration and has to “apply in the prescribed manner, to the Council for the renewal of his or her registration.”

The most appropriate way for the ECSA to give effect to this legal requirement, was to link renewal of registration with CPD. International accords in engineering and mutual exemption agreements which ECSA has entered into, require CPD as a prerequisite for mutual recognition of professional registration. Furthermore, registration of South African professional engineers and professional engineering technologists on the International Register of Engineers and International Register of Professional Engineering Technologists are provided by the International Engineering Alliance (IEA), to which ECSA is a signatory, visa viz. the International Professional Engineers Agreement (IPEA), the International Technologist Agreement (IETA), respectively, enhances the mobility of engineers in IEA countries and Technologists in IETA countries. CPD is regarded as one of the requirements applicants have to comply with in order to be considered for registration on these international registers.

How CPD Works

All professionally registered engineers must accumulate a total of 25 CPD credits over a five-year period in order to maintain their professional status. CPD credits can be collected over 3 CPD categories through a number of activities that include attending educational conferences and workshops, work experience and belonging to a Voluntary Association (VA).

These 3 categories are:

• Developmental Activities
• Work-based Activities
• Individual Activities

Registered engineering practitioners have to accumulate a minimum of 3 credits per year in at least two of the above mentioned categories. Any additional credits (in excess to the maximum per category per year) may be carried forward between years within the same cycle, but not between cycles. The annual maximum of credits are applied to the sum of credits earned in the year, together with any credits carried over from previous years within the same cycle.

Random audits will be conducted on an annual basis by ECSA to ensure that registered engineering practitioners are CPD compliant.

Category 1: Developmental Activities

Registered engineering practitioners should obtain a minimum of 1 credit in category 1 (activity lasting 10 hours or one day) annually or 5 credits over a 5-year cycle for this category. Additional credits earned within a 5-year cycle are not transferable to the following cycle.

Activities within the Developmental Category are compulsory and include:

• Attending industry related conferences, congresses, seminars, workshops, online learning, lectures, refresher and training courses and colloquiums
• Activities attended in foreign countries pending the correct ECSA application process followed and necessary information provided.
• e-learning
• Relevant additional completed accredited qualifications at benchmark level or above = (five (5) credits
• Relevant additional qualifications (these are exceptional qualifications) A completed post graduate qualification = (five (5) credits)

Candidates, retired engineers and engineers over the age of 70 are exempt from this category.

Category 2: Work-based Activities

Registered engineers will receive CPD credits for work done as a professional within this category. Activities within the Work-based Category are:

• Engineering work in a practitioner’s field of practice (A maximum of 2 credits for 600 hours of work may be earned annually)
• Mentoring of candidate engineering practitioners within the work place and providing career guidance (a maximum of 1 credit for 50 hours of mentoring annually)

Category 3: Individual Activities

Registered engineers can choose for a range of individual activities in order to receive CPD credits within this category. Activities within the Individual Category are:

• Membership of an ECSA recognized voluntary association (a maximum of 1 credit received annually)
• Part-time lecturing to undergraduate and postgraduate students (1 credit for every 10 notional hours of lecturing)
• Supervision of students undertaking postgraduate studies (2 credits per year)
• Oral examination of final year and postgraduate students (1 credit for every 10 notional hours of active involvement)
• Evaluation of Masters dissertations and PhD theses by an external examiner (2 credits per year)
• Publication of engineering research in peer reviewed journals (Single author: 2 credits per publication; Multiple authors: 1 credit per publication per author)
• Publication of technical articles (1 credit per article published)
• Papers presented at engineering conferences/congresses or poster presentations (1 credit per paper or poster)
• Participation in statutory, professional, institutional, technical or non-technical committees or task groups (1 credit for every 10 notional hours of active participation)
• Evaluation of educational programmes at universities and Universities of Technology for accreditation purposes (1 credit for every 10 notional hours of active involvement)
• Evaluation of educational qualifications for ECSA’s Qualifications Examination Committees (1 credit for every 10 notional hours of active involvement)
• Evaluation of competence and applications for registration for ECSA’s Registration Committees and Professional Advisory Committees (1 credit for every 10 notional hours of active involvement)
• These last two bullet points should be deleted as they moved to category 1 activities in terms of the new Rules: (Self-study which includes but is not restricted to studying of journals or electronic or computerised materials. All activities under this item must be verified by ECSA. (1 Point for every 10 hours of study)
• Relevant additional qualifications (5 points per qualification)

Recording your CPD

Registered engineering practitioners have the responsibility to continuously record or document all the relevant professional development activities that they have undertaken each year. Professionals must keep these CPD records containing the documentary evidence of all your CPD activities undertaken each 5-year cycle and be able to present such evidence to ECSA when audited.

When Audited

ECSA will assess whether registered professionals meet the set out CPD requirements by conducting random audits. These audits will be conducted at ECSA’s own discretion in the form of an audit cycle of the CPD records of all registered engineers across the different categories.

When selected for an audit, the registered engineer will be required to submit their CPD records within four weeks of initial notification to ECSA.

Non-compliance

When a registered engineer is found non-complaint with the requirements of the CPD system, ECSA will inform the individual on the deficiency and the remedial steps to be taken in order to rectify the deficiency and will be re-audited during the following year.

Should the individual be found non-compliant during the re-audit, the matter will be referred to ECSA’s Central Registration Committee to determine whether the professional registration of the individual should be refused.