A subcommittee under the SADC Technical Committee on Certification and Accreditation (TCCA), composed of registering bodies, those aspiring to introduce registration, a representative from the Southern African Federation of Engineering Organisations (SAFEO) and, when required, advisers from the International Engineering Alliance (IEA), should be set up to interrogate all Acts and best practice in registration, and to ensure that all adopt one set of outcomes per category and similar assessment processes to achieve a standard on which the region can rely.
Harmonisation of approaches
To harmonise registration processes, many issues will need to be considered, including:
- Categories of registration, qualifications required and attributes for professional registration
- Methods of assessment
- Approaches to be adopted for recognition of prior learning (RPL)
- Approaches for assessing foreign qualifications
- Appropriate workplace experience and minimum duration before graduates may apply for professional registration
- CPD requirements for retaining registration and initial development expected of graduates
- Recognition, membership and roles of Voluntary Associations (VAs)
- Types of engineering work that can only be carried out by registered professionals
- The criteria for registration of academics and public sector engineering practitioners
- Methods of appointing registration councils, assessors and reviewers to ensure impartiality
- Licensing versus registration
- Handling of malpractice
- The development of a SADC Register modelled along the lines of the International Register.