The Civil Engineering Contractor January 2019 | Page 38

THOUGHT LEADERS
The changing demographics
of engineering
By Eamonn Ryan
The burning issue of
diversity in the engineering
sector is one at which the
South African Institution of
Civil Engineering (SAICE)
is taking a critical look.
Recent SAICE research
unpacks its progress.
Steven Kaplan, acting CEO of SAICE.
36 | CEC January 2019
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ransformation and diversity
are bywords in almost every
sector in South Africa,
and few sectors more so than civil
engineering. Lack of diversity has
been a traditional problem in South
Africa — one it shares with many
other countries around the world.
In recognition of the fact that the
profession itself cannot change its
own diversity — only schools can
really influence the careers scholars
select — SAICE has a number of
initiatives among schools to open
youthful eyes to the breadth of
careers that engineering offers. “We
can’t control diversity. Not even
universities can. The decision to
become an engineer is taken at an
earlier stage. But we can, and do,
try to influence them while still at
school, and to especially encourage
more children to take maths and
science,” says Steven Kaplan, acting
CEO of SAICE.
These initiatives are paying off, says
Kaplan, if one inspects the current
university intakes for engineering as
opposed to the total demographic
composition of the profession. Fifty
years ago, intakes were 99% male
and overwhelming white. Research
by SAICE suggests that today, the
average university intake is 40%
black and 25% female. The fact that
this is only making a gradual dent
in the overall demographics of the
profession is due to the length of
time it takes to train a civil engineer
— a challenge in common with all
other professions.
There is broad recognition of the
value diversity brings to business.
Research from late last year indicated
that diversity helps businesses to
become more innovative and more
successful. According to Kaplan,
while the research was conducted
in the US, there are parallels of
which South African companies
should be cognisant. He says the
study showed that teams with a
broader range of people have a wider
range of interests, experiences, and
backgrounds upon which to draw.
They understand potential users of
products better than less diverse
teams and they tend to be better
problem-solvers, coming up with
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