SABI Training
New courses in 2016
Professional development
Following an increasing number of enquiries the last few
years SABI will over the next 5 years be introducing a series
of courses on landscape and turf irrigation as a third focus
area. In 2016, the following two courses are planned to take
place:
Irrigation designers who are SABI members can write the SNE
(SABI National Exam) which will qualify them as a “SABI Approved
Designer”. This membership status is an assurance to clients
that the designer will provide an exceptional service and act
according to a recognised code of practice. Approved designers’
names and contact details are published in every issue of the
SABI magazine and on the SABI website. In order to maintain
the status as Approved Designer, these members are expected
to provide proof of their continuous professional development
(CPD) every two years in the form of evidence that they have
attended SABI branch meetings and other events to ensure they
stay at the cutting edge of technology and design practices.
Landscape irrigation installation course (NQF level 3)
Introductory landscape irrigation design course
The implementation of the courses will be done in parallel with the
development of norms and standards for the landscape irrigation
industry, in consultation with companies serving this field.
Accreditation
SABI’s accreditation partner is the College of Sustainable
Agriculture (CSA).
Both parties contribute to on-going
development in South African agriculture, specifically in the field
of irrigation.
By presenting accredited training to learners, SABI makes it
possible for learners to:
(1) Get hands-on training and experience with irrigation,
and
(2) Obtain credits to obtain a recognised qualification.
The accredited courses offered by SABI form part of the national
certificate or national diploma in plant production as recognised
by SAQA. CSA is registered with the AgriSETA (Agricultural Sector
Education and Training Authority) and SABI aligned its courses
with the requirements of the AgriSETA.
In the ever-changing agricultural environment, CSA contributes to
the South African agricultural economy by providing skills-specific
learning, with outcomes such as critical thinking, communication,
and problem solving.
In the field of irrigation, SABI and CSA strive to disseminate
knowledge; to engage with contemporary problems, to cultivate
problem solving; to develop cognitive and communicative skills in
learners, such as the ability to think logically and the motivation
to develop values.
Generic skills (e.g., communication, written, oral, tolerance,
compassion) and dispositions (e.g., attitudes, beliefs, and
curiosity) form part of the curriculum.
In a drive to strengthening careers in the irrigation industry,
SABI members approved at the 2015 AGM a proposal for
the following:
To register “Irrigation Designer” as a recognized
occupation in the Organised Framework of Occupations
(OFO)
To register SABI as a professional body with the South
African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
To register the SABI Approved Designer membership
status as a professional designation.
These actions will pave the way for development of an
occupational qualification in irrigation design with the Quality
Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The OFO is a
coded occupational classification system and is the Department of
Higher Education and Training’s key tool for identifying, reporting
and monitoring skills demand and supply in the South African
labour market. The aim is to provide the irrigation design learners
with a properly registered qualification and the recognition they
deserve.
Looking forward to 2016
SABI will continue its training programme next year – for details,
please consult the 2016 Training brochure, which you will find
with this issue of SABI Magazine. Courses are advertised at
certain locations on certain dates but it is possible to present any
course at different locations as long as a minimum number of
learners are interested at a specific venue.
If you would like more information on any of
the courses mentioned here, require other
courses or customized quotations,
please send an email to [email protected]
or contact the SABI office on 021 850 8220.
SABI | DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016
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