ECSA engages the Voluntary Associations on the VA and CPD Frameworks
The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) on Thursday, 02 August 2018 met with Voluntary Associations at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre with the aim to discuss the revised Voluntary Associations (VA`s) Recognition and Continued Professional Development (CPD) Frameworks.
The workshop which was attended by a great number of VA`s sought to engage, apprise and foster better working relationships with all members of the associations.
Addressing the members of VA`s the CEO of ECSA Mr Sipho Madonsela said the purpose of this workshop goes beyond sharing with members the implementation of the gazetted frameworks; as to ensure that Voluntary Associations understand the newly refined processes, but the workshop is also to solicit inputs from the VA members and to applaud them for their ability to keep the VA`s sustainable.
Presenting the revised CPD rules and framework Mr Nxumalo, Executive of Policy and Standards at ECSA, said the revised and approved rules and framework stipulates that the ECSA Council will be the sole authority in the accreditation, monitoring, and validating the CPD activities and providers.
Mr Nxumalo added that this will result in ECSA developing an accreditation policy framework that will be followed by universities and VA`s to verify CPD providers and validate activities. Furthermore, ECSA will also develop a policy for auditing and monitoring of VA`s and universities.
Mr Christopher Tsatsawane, Strategic Services Executive at ECSA presented the new framework for VA`s that provided the rules and processes to follow towards recognition. This framework requires that all the VA`s apply in accordance with the prescriptions of the new framework.
Mr Tsatsawane said under the new framework ECSA commits to equipping the VA`s to enable them to positively contribute to the achievement of the set objectives, partner with them in the development of alternatives and identification of preferred solutions, work directly with them throughout the process to ensure that their concerns and needs are considered as well as to obtain feedback from the VA`s on all relevant issues relating to them.
Concluding the workshop, Mr Cyril Gamede President of ECSA said “one of the key themes that came out strongly today was we need to ensure that there is equity in participation without the loss of the quality and in so doing improving the sector in which we operate in”.
Issued by the Engineering Council of South Africa and Institute of Engineers Australia
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