College of Science, Engineering & Technology

Unisa Engineering programmes recommended for ECSA accreditation

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The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is a statutory body responsible for the standards of work done by professional engineers, technologists, technicians, certified engineers and people registered in specialised categories such as clinical inspectors. For an entity to be granted ECSA accreditation for its qualification offerings, its qualifications design is aligned to the standards for engineering technologists in South Africa. "It is essential that institutions seek an accreditation such as this to ensure industry preparedness of graduates from the engineering programmes. When they enter the industry, they will have an accredited qualification and can then qualify to register as professional technologists," said Prof Hugh Jeffery, ECSA accreditation panel leader.

Prof Hugh Jeffery addressing CSET and ECSA attendees

In a process that started a year ago when the College of Science, Engineering and Technology’s School of Engineering first invited ECSA to evaluate their programmes, it was a sigh of relief from the school and college at large when a positive outcome was announced by the accreditation panel on 15 July 2022, stating that all seven Advanced Diplomas in engineering programmes have been recommended for accreditation until the next accreditation cycle (the cycle last for five years). These include the following: 

  • Advanced Diploma: Chemical Engineering
  • Advanced Diploma: Civil Engineering
  • Advanced Diploma: Electrical Engineering: Power
  • Advanced Diploma: Electrical Engineering: Telecoms
  • Advanced Diploma: Industrial Engineering
  • Advanced Diploma: Mechanical Engineering
  • Advanced Diploma: Mining Engineering

Once the regular accreditation concludes in five years, the engineering programmes will then be considered ECSA accredited programmes that comply with the International Engineering Alliance regulations. The outcome also included minor areas of improvement from each qualification that needed to be addressed.

Prof Simiso Dube, Unisa CSET Acting Executive Dean, and Prof Fulufhelo Nemavhola, Director of Unisa School of Engineering

In her vote of thanks, the Acting Executive Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Prof Simiso Dube, said: "It has been a journey for the school and college to come to this point. Our qualifications are new as we started offering them in 2020. So, to have ECSA reflect on our programmes and deliver what we had promised to do and then receive such feedback today is crucial for us and our improvements." She concluded: "Colleagues, let us reflect on the things that have been highlighted in the panel recommendation report and have the heart to improve all the time because I believe there is still a lot of room for improvement."

The accreditation panel further stated that this outcome would go as a recommendation to the high impact committee, which is the education committee at ECSA, which will consider the work done by the accreditation panel teams and their recommendations and then present their final decision. The final decision will then be communicated to the university and the council of Higher Education in South Africa.

* Compiled by Dr Nozipho N Gumbi, Acting Communication and Marketing Specialist, College of Science, Engineering and Technology

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Publish date: 2022/07/28

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