Council for Built Environment (CBE) transformation strategy for Built Environment professionals

Public Works and Infrastructure

21 February 2017
Chairperson: Mr B Martins (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

The Council for the Built Environment briefed the Portfolio Committee on Public Works on transformation of the built environment industry to ensure the improvement of the representation of black graduates and professionals in the six built environment professions.

The success of transformation is dependent upon strengthening of partnerships between government and the built environment private sector. There is a participatory approach towards achieving holistic transformation which is ffocused on the entire Skills Pipeline Strategy and streamlining the process with a specific focus on key areas in need of redress in order to ensure continuous supply of quality and aptly skilled individuals, and maintain co-operation between key role players. The initiatives and programmes to develop the competencies of previously disadvantaged individuals are to be in line with the Skills Education Training Authorities defined core, critical and scarce skills and these programmes must result in tangible outcomes such as degrees, diplomas, and certificates and eventually lead to professional registration.

The proposed approach regarding intervention is to look at the short term where the focus is on increasing the number of registered professionals and providing them with funding. Currently, the focus is to ensure candidates register with their respective councils. Medium term interventions are aimed at feeding the skills pipeline and ensuring a steady supply of potential Built Environment Professionals. Long term interventions are focused on future needs that ensure quality, effectiveness and sustainability.

The definition of transformation for the built environment is “A profound process of change, emanating from a need to redress historical disadvantage with a specific focus on the improvement and provision of equal opportunities and access to quality education, training, mentorship and skills development in an effort to drastically increase the quantity and quality of registered built environment professionals”.

The entity emphasised that at school level there should be career awareness by Built Environment Professionals, and Departments of Basic Education at an early school level. Then there should be continuous mentoring and assistance to students entering tertiary institutions, and financial and social support should be given to students. At workplace, the Council maintained that in-service training under a formal training contract is the final step towards qualification as a professional.

Members asked the Council to furnish the Committee with the true reflection of the numbers of graduates and professionals in the built environment and what transpired after the resolutions that were taken after the 2010 Indaba; wanted to know why numbers are declining in the Landscape Architectural Profession; enquired if the Council has come across fraudulent and fake institutions; asked for the definition of the word “candidate”; wanted to know how the recognition of prior learning is going to be made realistic; enquired what the biggest stumbling blocks in the transformation agenda are; and wanted to find out about the percentage of graduates coming out of universities in terms of getting employment or starting their own businesses.

Meeting report

Briefing by Council for the Built Environment (CBE)
Ms Priscilla Mdlalose, Acting CEO, Council for the Built Environment (CBE), took the Committee through the recommendations of the 2010 Transformation Indaba which dealt with the transformation and skills development and sustainability of the built environment professions.

Ms Mdlalose reminded the Committee that the CBE Skills Pipeline Strategy was received by stakeholders and would be implemented in phases. Voluntary Associations, employers, CBE, Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA), Department of Basic Education and tertiary institutions were identified as key partners for the implementation of the transformation strategy. Inter-sectoral collaboration was identified as an important factor in the implementation of the strategy. Career awareness campaigns were to be undertaken to raise awareness about careers in the built environment. Funding availability was mentioned as a big impediment to the recommendations which were given by the delegates.

In looking at the sustainability of the Built Environment Professions, stakeholders agreed with the CBE report that pointed to a need to review the government tendering processes and that the state should look at a 2-envelope system that first pre-qualifies bidders on technical quality of their proposals and then consider price. There were also strong recommendations that tender specifications and scope of work should be developed by technically competent people (professionals) and government departments, specifically the infrastructure departments and municipalities, should be capacitated with Built Environment Professionals. Mentoring and training for young graduates and small firms should be part of the tender requirements in order to meet transformation objectives.

The definition of transformation for the built environment is “A profound process of change, emanating from a need to redress historical disadvantage with a specific focus on the improvement and provision of equal opportunities and access to quality education, training, mentorship and skills development in an effort to drastically increase the quantity and quality of registered built environment professionals”.

Regarding transformation interventions, there is a participatory approach towards achieving holistic transformation which is ffocused on the entire Skills Pipeline Strategy and streamlining the process with a specific focus on key areas in need of redress in order to ensure continuous supply of quality and aptly skilled individuals and maintain co-operation between key role players. The initiatives and programmes to develop the competencies of previously disadvantaged individuals are to be in line with SETA-defined core, critical and scarce skills and these programmes must result in tangible outcomes such as degrees, diplomas, and certificates and eventually lead to professional registration.

At school level, there should be career awareness by Built Environment Professionals (BEPs), and the Departments of Basic Education (DBE) at an early school level. Interventions that are aimed at improving maths and science skills, competencies/skills should start at early childhood development stages. The DBE should start to increase monitoring on the implementation of these interventions with more focus on the previously disadvantaged schools.

There should be continuous mentoring and assistance to students entering tertiary institutions and financial and social support should be given to students. Government infrastructure departments and BEPs have to explore the ‘Adopt a Student’/vacation work to motivate and expose students to the industry. Bursary expenditure must ensure a quality return on investment and this must be aligned with the Skills Development Act and Skills Development Levies Act. There should be a monitoring system to focus on the entire pool of applicants and the reasons for non-acceptance into a tertiary course/programme. The built environment has to adopt the Thuthuka model for Chartered Accountants by SA Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) to support funding to students.

Concerning workplace training level, in-service training under a formal training contract is the final step towards qualification as a professional. The government needs to standardise the Structured Candidacy Workplace Framework to ensure equity in allocating quality work to all candidates and to ensure adequate interaction and counselling by professionally registered mentors/managers. Occupationally directed instructional and work-based Learning Programmes that require a formal contract and those that do not require formal contracts must be formally assessed by an accredited body.

On professional level, Ms Mdlalose emphasised that the key deliverable at this level is keeping the registered professionals within the industry and keeping professional registration status as an attractive ideal to be reached. This could only be done in collaboration with each BEPC respectively and through awareness creation. Clear targets have to be formulated to increase the number of professionals (specifically Black professionals) in the built environment industry. Senior people need to offer effective mentoring and coaching or put effective and sustainable mentoring of candidates in place. Mentoring must also carry substantial CPD points. Skills development initiatives must be formulated for built environment professionals in municipalities, provincial departments, national departments and state owned enterprises.

The proposed approach regarding intervention is to look at the short term where the focus is on increasing the number of registered professionals and providing them with funding. Currently, the focus is to ensure candidates register with their respective councils. Medium term interventions are aimed at feeding the skills pipeline and ensuring a steady supply of potential BEPs. Long term interventions are focused on future needs that ensure quality, effectiveness and sustainability.

The success of transformation is dependent upon strengthening of partnerships between government and the built environment private sector. This would facilitate the resourcing of the transformation initiatives, easy access to skills development for students and candidates; a unified approach in producing skills for infrastructure delivery for the country and for neighbouring African states. Continuous oversight by the political heads is appreciated to increase accountability of the CBE and the six BEPCs who are entrusted with the registration of professions and human resource development in the sector.

(Tables of figures were shown to illustrate the status of transformation by the Built Environment Professional Councils (BEPC), race, and gender)

Discussion
Ms E Masehela (ANC) asked the CBE to furnish the Committee with the true reflection of the numbers of graduates and professionals in the built environment and what transpired after the resolutions that were taken after the 2010 Indaba: the achievements and challenges for not meeting certain targets.

Ms Mdlalose said the CBE and DPW have taken the resolutions of the indaba seriously and tried to mobilise the industry to implement the skills pipeline strategy. It is important for stakeholders to work together in order to make an impact. It is also important that professionals not only get registered, but the focus should also be on school systems because this could not be done by DPW and councils only. The Department of Basic Education should play a role and look at the quality of mathematics given to Grade 12 learners. That is what the Push Strategy is all about.

Mr Ehrard Visser, Transformation Manager: CBE, added that the figures are a reflection of the trends that happened from 2010 to 2015. The decline of numbers in SACAP is due to the cancellation of the registration fees, which are too high. Candidates are now encouraged to pay in dribs and drabs instead of paying a lump sum. Funding remains a critical issue and councils are struggling with the system of reporting to make it similar to the PFMA, and the tracking of candidates from universities to registration with councils is another challenge because there are gaps in the reporting of information.

Ms D Kohler-Banard (DA), first, wanted to know why the CBE is using the calendar year instead of the financial year. Second, she asked why numbers are declining in the Landscape Architectural Profession. Third, she enquired if the CBE has come across fraudulent and fake institutions. Fourth, she wanted to establish what the CBE is doing with the problem of accredited institutions or colleges discontinuing diplomas.

Ms Mdlalose, pertaining to the calendar year, explained that when the Council does their work they end up developing their annual plans, which talk to the financial years. In compiling their information they use the financial year. Regarding declining numbers in the Landscape Architectural Profession, the University of Pretoria is the only institution offering the course and has only 26 seats. The Tshwane University of Technology and CPUT are considering developing the programme.

Mr Visser added that the major reason for the decline is that there is no awareness about the programme or field, which is why Pretoria University has only 26 seats. Small steps have been taken but they (CBE) still need to increase their part of work and devise ways of multiplying themselves and this could be done through partnerships.

Ms Mdlalose, on fraudulent and fake institutions, said the CBE has not yet encountered such schools. That is why the CBE is participating in accreditation matters so that it could know the existence of fraudulent schools. The CBE also works with the Council for Higher Education in matters related to accreditation. With regard to colleges discontinuing diplomas, they are aware of these cases from all the coastal colleges and are working with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) regarding this matter because there is a big outcry on this.

Ms P Adams (ANC) asked when the Acting CEO will be permanent. She also asked for the definition of the word “candidate”; and further remarked that she expected the practical steps required to address built environment to be stated clearly in bullet points instead of being buried in a narrative.

The Chairperson, on the permanent appointment of CEO, indicated it is the Ministry that has to give an answer on that because the Acting CEO could not respond as she has been put in that position by the Ministry.

Ms Mdlalose explained that a candidate is someone who has gone through the academic training and when one has completed one’s studies, one registers with the council that is relevant with one’s field of study. One then write exams, and becomes a professional. Regarding the steps buried in the narrative, the reports would be circulated to the Committee and the action plans highlighted so that the Committee could look at them.

Ms Masehela asked what could be the cause for professionals not to register. She also wanted to know how the recognition of prior learning is going to be made realistic.

Mr Visser, regarding deregistration, indicated the lack of awareness about the benefits of registration is the major cause. It is no use paying high fees when you do not know the benefits for that. The councils are focused on registered people and do not keep database of those deregistered. The professionals do not feel the need to register if there is no work set aside for them even if they are registered. Concerning the recognition of prior learning, the professional councils have started with the programmes. The CBE is planning to have a stakeholder indaba where this programme would be on the agenda.

Mr L Filtane (UDM) remarked that credit should be given to those who conceptualised the existence of this entity. Without the entity, Members are not going to see transformation in this industry. He asked how the entity is engaging with the private sector because there is going to be a lot of graduates not employed. He enquired what the biggest stumbling blocks in the transformation agenda are so that the Committee could assist if there is a need. He further wanted to establish how the CBE is relating to the CIDB; and lastly wanted to know what the percentage of graduates coming out of universities is in terms of getting employed or starting their own businesses.

Ms Mdlalose, on private sector engagement, said CBE have not engaged with the private sector that well but have started working with it in terms of internship programmes. The private sector plays a key role when it comes to creating awareness and providing bursaries though there are few companies that are committed to that.
Regarding transformation stumbling blocks, there is a lack of awareness by individuals throughout the pipeline or value chain. There is no collaboration on interventions. Interventions are scattered and, as a result, transformation gets interpreted differently. Transformation could be achieved through carefully thought collaboration.
Concerning relations with CIDB, the CBE and CIDB participate in the transformation steering committee. Both entities report to the DPW, but the entities still need to establish a forum that deals with the built environment matters.
Pertaining to the percentage of self-employed graduates, she said they have a database of those who are self-employed, though concrete results would come out in the next six months.

Ms D Mathebe (ANC) asked if the CBE has offices in rural areas.

Ms Mdlalose said the footprint of CBE is only in Pretoria. They have engaged with DPW about increasing the CBE footprint and this would be done through their regional and provincial offices to create visibility of CBE. The possibility of collaborating with the metro municipalities is on the cards in order to attract the smaller municipalities around the metros.

Mr Filtane remarked there is a need to do critical analysis of why CBE is not seeing so much professionalism in the industry and the entity needs to come up with amendments to the current legislation if it affects its space. The CBE has to go through the PFMA, identify stumbling blocks, and then propose relevant amendments.

The meeting was adjourned.

 

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