E B Ngineering Council Of South Africa Acceptable

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ngineering Council of South Africa
Acceptable Training for Candidate Engineering Technologists
to Register as Professional Engineering Technologists
Discipline Specific Guidelines:
Metallurgical Engineering
1. Introduction
These guidelines are aimed at providing more information about the
requirements for registration through the Engineering Council of South
Africa (ECSA) in addition to the broader requirements set out in
Policy Statement R2/1B.
1.1 Candidates wishing to become registered as professional
engineering technologists with ECSA must:-
(i) hold a relevant academic qualification recognized by ECSA through
accreditation or evaluation, or pass any examination which ECSA may
prescribe; and
(ii) demonstrate that they have been trained to an acceptable level of
competence in specific elements, in so far as it relates to
metallurgical engineering, for at least three years, and
(iii) display attributes of a professional person.
1.2 Immediately upon graduation, candidates are encouraged to apply to
ECSA for registration as candidate engineering technologists (CETs),
where after they will be provided with all relevant documents needed
for the complete training period.
1.3 The recommended way of achieving the requisite levels of
competence in all the training elements is through a focused and
collaborative process of acceptable training, where the CETs’, their
employers and mentors plan and execute the actual training on the
basis of ECSA’s Policy Statement R2/1B, as well as the training
objectives listed in these Discipline Specific Guidelines.
1.4 In addition to the training described in this document CETs will
be expected to gain practical experience in a position of
responsibility. Candidates would be expected to prove that their
education, training, experience and professional development have
enabled them to discharge, in full, the responsibilities of a
professional engineering technologist in metallurgical engineering.
2. Academic Qualifications
2.1 The minimum academic qualification required for registration as a
CET is an accredited Bachelor of Technology degree in Metallurgical
engineering obtained from a South African Technikon, or equivalent.
The list of South African Bachelor of Technology degrees in
Metallurgical Engineering, accredited by ECSA, may be obtained from
the Education Department of ECSA, either telephonically at:
Tel: (011) 607-9500 or in writing at: Private Bag X 691
Fax: (011) 622-9295 BRUMA
E-mail: [email protected] 2026
Website: www.ecsa.co.za
2.2 Persons who have graduated from a technikon, university or any
other institution not specifically accredited by ECSA, and who wish to
apply for registration as CETs, must apply to ECSA for evaluation of
their qualifications. If their qualifications are evaluated to be at
least equivalent to an accredited South African qualification,
candidates will be eligible for registration as CETs and could then
follow the normal route to registration as professional engineering
technologists.
2.3 Persons whose qualifications are not accredited or recognized by
ECSA may follow an alternative route to meet the academic requirements
for registration as CETs. Candidates must apply to ECSA and obtain the
necessary information on the procedure to be followed.
2.4 Those who meet ECSA’s academic requirements should register as
CETs without delay. Application forms can be obtained from ECSA. CETs
must, from the outset, also obtain copies of the application form for
registration as professional engineering technologists.
3. Training and Professional Development under a Commitment and
Undertaking (CU), and Mentorship
Commitment and Undertaking (CU)
3.1 CETs must persuade their employers to register a Commitment and
Undertaking with ECSA, namely that they will structure the training
of, and actually train, their CETs, in accordance with the
requirements of ECSA’s Policy Statement R2/1B as well as the
requirements set out in these Discipline Specific Guidelines. Each CU
will be allocated a permanent registration number, which should be
quoted by all CETs when applying for registration as professional
engineering technologists
3.2 Employers must, at the same time, submit the name(s) of a
mentor(s) from within the organization (see § 3.4 below) or, if an
internal mentor is not available, the name of an external mentor (see
§ 3.5 below) to guide CETs through the required process of training. A
CU will not be registered by ECSA unless the name of at least one
mentor (internal or external) is provided.
Mentorship and Supervision
3.3 ECSA, the South African Institution of Mining and Metallurgical
Engineers (SAIMM) and the Institute of Professional Engineering
Technologist (IPET) will maintain a list of internal and external
mentors. A mentor must be registered as a professional engineer or a
professional engineering technologist. Council will only in
exceptional cases consider the listing of experienced and mature
professional certificated engineers, or professional engineering
technicians, upon application and motivation by the
organization/mentor concerned. These mentors will be deemed not only
to be capable of fulfilling their functions in a professional manner
but also as being committed to advising and guiding their CETs in
their professional development.
3.4 It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that all CETs should have a mentor who
is working in the same organization as the CETs i.e. an internal
mentor
3.5 It will be expected of employers who make use of the services of
external mentors to create an environment in which such mentors can
feel free to make recommendations in the reasonable knowledge that
their recommendations will be given sympathetic consideration.
3.6 It will be expected of all mentors to become fully conversant with
their functions and responsibilities referred to in Policy Statement
R2/1B and guidelines issued by ECSA from time to time, to conduct
regular discussions with their CETs and to assess their progress in
accordance with the guidelines set out in Policy Statement R2/1B and
these Discipline Specific Guidelines. Since the effectiveness of
mentors will continuously be monitored, Council will attach much value
to the opinion of “the conscientious mentor” as to the registrability
(or otherwise) of their CETs.
3.7 It is not expected of mentors to take responsibility for the
day-to-day supervision and training of CETs. Mentors/employers should
do everything in their power to ensure that competent persons,
preferably registered with ECSA, are available to oversee this
function as supervisors.
4. General
4.1 Training reports, together with project summary reports, form an
essential part of the monitoring process and must be updated regularly
and be submitted at the time of application as a professional
engineering technologist. These forms are part of the application
form, which should be obtained from ECSA as soon as the CET’s start
their training.
4.2 It is a requirement that CETs who are aspiring to become
professional engineering technologists should, with the assistance of
their mentors, achieve their training objectives by structuring their
training in such a way as to cover the various elements of training
referred to in Policy Statement R2/1B and these Discipline Specific
Guidelines.
4.3 The rate at which CETs progress through their training is
determined by themselves, their mentors and other factors, such as the
state of the economy and availability of training opportunities.
During the nominal three-year training period the CET must from time
to time self evaluate his/her progress in achieving planned objectives
and goals if enhanced levels of engineering practice and increased
levels of responsibility in the workplace are to be achieved. Any lack
of impedance of such progress should be disclosed with an internal or
external mentor.
4.4 Where CETs, training under a CU to decide to change employers,
they should ensure that they continue their training under another CU
registered by their new employers. CETs should also ensure that their
new employers provide mentors to guide them through the remainder of
their training period and to take over where the previous mentor
ended. It may even be advisable to retain the previous mentor, if this
is at all practicable.
4.5 Once all the objectives have been achieved to the satisfaction of
the mentor, CETs should, in principle be registerable, and could then
apply for registration as professional engineering technologists.
Depending on the circumstances, CETs may expect to take a minimum of
three years to achieve acceptable competence in all the prescribed
elements. However, Council has found that it invariably takes longer
than the minimum of three years training to obtain the appropriate
level of experience and engineering responsibility hence candidates
are advised to only apply when they are comfortable with their
engineering experience and responsibility to function as a
professional engineering technologist.
4.6 Regardless of whether or not CETs train under a CU, it is
recommended that they strive to participate in a process of continuing
learning. This concept includes continuing education and professional
development.
4.7 Continuing learning may include attending courses, technical
conferences, seminars, symposia, organized site visits, and meetings
of professional bodies, and self-study. The process of continuing
learning should achieve a balance between engineering and
managerial/professional aspects. In this respect the CETs should take
a basic course in economics and cost and works accountancy, which will
assist the CET to assume a managerial position.
4.8 The mentors of CETs should, on a consultative basis, suggest
suitable continuing learning programmes.
4.9 SAIMM, IPET and educational institutions may be able to assist in
advising on courses, which are available.
4.10 It will be to the advantage of CETs when applying for
registration as professional engineering technologists if they can
demonstrate their participation in a process of continuing learning.
5. Professional Attributes
The following attributes are considered common to all professional
engineering technologists and the requirements for these attributes
are designed to ensure that CETs acquire competence with respect to
professional responsibility in decision making, engineering judgement,
communication and an appreciation of their own professional and
working environments.
5.1 Professional Responsibility
CETs must ensure that their work reaches a level of responsibility
commensurate with that which ECSA would normally expect of an
engineering technologist with a period post graduate experience, both
in terms of the type and level of work being performed. This means
that responsibility for directing personnel, money and materials must
be taken during the execution of a project or part of a project. When
applying for registration as a professional engineering technologist,
CETs must demonstrate their ability to work satisfactorily on their
own, that they have taken responsibility and, in having done so,
achieved a satisfactory outcome.
However, the CET must always take cognizance of the fact that the
safety of the public is paramount. It is, therefore, obligatory for
the CET not to undertake the design, directing, or supervision of any
project that entails work that extends beyond the scope of the
experience and knowledge that the CET has acquired during his/her
training, particularly if such work may be a threat to the public’s
safety.
In such a case the CET should call on the services of a registered
practitioner who has the necessary experience to supervise such work.
5.2 Engineering Judgement displayed in Practical Application
When applying for registration as a professional engineering
technologist, CETs must demonstrate that their engineering work
required them to –
*
exercise independent engineering judgement, combining their
experience and application of engineering principles;
*
accept responsibility for such decisions; and
*
understand and take into account financial, economic, commercial
and statutory considerations.
5.3 Communication Skills
CETs must develop the ability to communicate lucidly, accurately and
with confidence. ECSA will base its assessment of a CET’s
communication skills on the quality of the application presented.
5.4 Professional Environment
5.4.1 CETs must, when reporting to their mentors on a regular basis,
and in discussions with them, demonstrate that they have:
*
a general understanding of engineering procedures applicable to
their engineering discipline;
*
a general knowledge of legislation which has a bearing on the
practice of engineering in South Africa, with a detailed knowledge
of the important sections of the Engineering Profession Act, 2000
(Act No 46 of 2000) and the Acts and Regulations applicable to
their specific engineering discipline;
*
and understanding of the Code of Conduct applicable to registered
persons;
*
an understanding of the purpose of and relationship between the
various organisations involved in their engineering discipline and
*
full familiarity with the requirements for registration set out in
Policy Statement R2/1B as well as these Discipline Specific
Guidelines.
2.
Membership of a Professional Engineering Society will be
advantageous to the candidate and credit will be awarded at
the time of application for registration as a professional
engineering technologist.
6. Discipline Specific Elements
Metallurgical engineering is a specialized engineering discipline,
itself containing many areas of specialization. The following sections
cover the technical fields to which CETs should be exposed when
training for registration as professional engineering technologists.
6.1 Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is completed as an integral part of the
requirements for the issue of the National Diploma. The requirement
stems from the need for learners to strengthen their knowledge and
skills in preparation for a career in metallurgical engineering. The
duration is two semesters of a minimum of 18 weeks each. This training
can be carried out in a physical or extractive metallurgy environment
under the supervision of a suitably qualified mentor and should have
covered most but not necessarily all of the following aspects:
*
Metallography
*
Use of equipment e.g. furnace, spectrometer
*
Mechanical testing of materials
*
Non-destructive testing of materials
*
Failure investigations
*
Chemical analysis
*
Powder metallurgy
*
Heat treatment
*
Laboratory training
*
Plant operation
*
Process control
*
Quality control
*
Production
*
Research and development
*
Industrial exposure
*
Organizational structure of the company where the experiential
learning was completed.
6.2 Report Writing
Good communication by means of a report on an aspect of metallurgical
engineering is essential. The CET must be capable of carrying out an
investigation (e.g. failure, R & D work, process control) and using
metallurgical principles to solve the problem. The CET must be capable
of developing experimental work and procedures so that the solution is
clearly defined. The report must be presented in such a way that the
discussion, conclusions and recommendations are all clearly
communicated.
6.3 Plant Operation
One of the most useful ways in which the CET can gain experience is to
be a member of a team responsible for the commissioning of a new or
modified plant. However, routine operation of existing plants will be
considered as sufficient training. Areas to be covered include safety,
measurement and analysis of performance data, quality control, process
plant operation, especially with direct and increasing responsibility
for certain areas, inter-relationships between personnel and
management, and involvement in sound financial business matters such
as budgeting, feasibility studies, operating costs etc.
6.4 Research and Development
In a country endowed with such a variety and quantity of mineral
resources, it is inevitable that many CETs will be employed in
research and development. This may include theoretical or paper
investigations, laboratory work, or investigations on a plant. The
results must be obtained according to scientific principles and
particular attention must be given to the interpretation of the
results. Safety and environmental aspects must be attended to.
6.5 Failure Investigation
When a product fails, the investigative metallurgist will select and
apply a range of equipment to identify possible causes of failure. The
reports must be definitive and conclusive when stating the cause of
failure.
6.6 Foundry Technology
The CET must work in accordance with accepted foundry principles and
techniques. He must have the ability to recognize incorrect procedures
and take the necessary steps to rectify problems. He should have sound
training in either ferrous or non-ferrous production and insight in
the other.
6.7 Continuous Casting of Plates and Sections in Rolling Mills
The CET must be capable of controlling precisely the quantities of
elements added to the base metal and monitoring the quality of
material being processed.
6.8 Refractory Materials
The CET should be capable of selecting suitable refractory bricks to
suit specific furnace requirements.
6.9 Welding/Fabrication Techniques
This aspect requires a sound working knowledge of working, cutting,
shaping, machining and joining of metals. Selection of optimum
materials for manufacture or construction, including surface treatment
specifications should be evidenced.
6.10 Management
The work of an engineering technologist includes the integration of
engineering knowledge with control of manpower, finances and time
management. CETs must demonstrate that they have increasingly applied
management principles throughout their training period. As they
progress, candidates must be given increasing responsibility for the
independent execution of engineering work. Applicants must satisfy
ECSA that they have been able to deal adequately with such increased
responsibility.
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Technologists – Discipline Specific Guidelines: Metallurgical
Engineering - 9/11/2006 Page 6