SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
easier by the poor quality of schoollevel teaching in maths and science in the average South African school ; this has weakened the overall preparedness of university entrants for the demands of engineering courses – as I have witnessed in my role as an external examiner .” Manglin Pillay , CEO of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering ( SAICE ) points out that to develop a civil engineer , it starts at primary school , where the first seeds are sown . “ The system and process of professional engineering development starts at basic education and continues until professional registration ( and beyond ) – this is some 20 years ,” he says . In her research , Masondo-Mkhize spoke with several engineering students and asked what opportunities the consulting engineering industry offered them . According to the students , while there are hundreds of graduates , jobs advertised can only accommodate a minute fraction of the stream of graduates . “ From the pool of graduates that are leaving university , versus job opportunities , there is a significant imbalance ,” she adds . This is exacerbated by many consultancy firms requiring at least a couple of years ’ experience from their applicants . “ So where do you get this experience , when holiday work or in-house training are often viewed as insufficient experience ?” she asks .
Millennials now constitute an average of one third ( 30 %) of the South African workforces and Gen Z is starting to emerge in the workplace . While the multigenerational workforce has become a very real challenge , it brings with it potential assets for the peopledriving element of business . For both these new entrants to the workplace there is a common drive to learn and develop along with a will to grow into new roles within the business . Something that applies to all young graduates however , is mentorship , or the lack of it . It is mentorship that could best develop skills . What better way to get on-the-job training than by learning alongside an experienced professional ? Companies need to focus on the critical succession path within their business by ensuring the transfer of organisational skills and the empowerment of new leaders . However , there is a marked paucity of available mentors . Howell observes , “ Our skills shortage can be described as a ‘ missing middle ’ in the ranks of our civil engineering professionals – where there are not enough practitioners with 20 to 25 years of experience , who should be running our large and important projects . Ideally , their older and more experienced colleagues – many of whom are now approaching retirement – could be on hand with specialised input if necessary .
“ Instead , we are dealing with a situation where this crucial middle level of principal engineers is thin on the ground , and the weight of responsibility is often falling on the older echelons of the sector – or even on the younger ones who don ’ t really have enough experience . In theory , these more mature , retirement-age professionals should now mentor and train the newly registered professional engineers into their work roles ,” he adds . He continues , “ The skills shortage is threatening to erode one of the core elements of what civil engineering stands for in modern society , making it more vital than ever that all stakeholders commit themselves to the highest possible standards of professional excellence .”
Maintaining a standard
Howell reiterates the importance of standards and adds that , “ there is no short cut to becoming a civil engineer . The nature of what we do leaves no room for half-measures or underachievement ; physical structures that are not designed and built to the highest standard will potentially fail and can cost lives . That is why the professional is so closely scrutinised and regulated . It has therefore been with dismay – and frankly , some dread – that the engineering fraternity has witnessed the disruptions at the Engineering Council of South Africa ( ECSA ), the recruitni . com
A shortage of mentors within civil engineering remains a concern in South Africa
22 - CEC January 2018