Question NW1272 to the Minister of Water and Sanitation

Reply:

a) As a response to the specific skills shortage challenge affecting both the Department and the national water sector, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) established the Learning Academy in 2007 which is a technical and scarce skills development programme. It represents an investment in sustaining quality in DWS entry level human resources, thereby ensuring that in the long term, the DWS will remain competitive and be able to deliver on its mandate.The Learning Academy is designed to meet specific organisational requirements, lead a sustained campaign to secure a steady supply of high-level skills in water-related science, engineering, and technical disciplines in order to meet projected demands within DWS and the water sector as a whole.

The Learning Academy responds to the imperatives mentioned with a dual focus by addressing both the academic and professional development components that will provide aspiring engineers, scientists and technicians with the opportunity to be exposed to real-time professional experiences and valuable work experience in order for them to register with relevant professional bodies such as the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the South African Council for Natural Science Professions (SACNSP) and the Geomatics Council for Surveyors (ex PLATO).

The Learning Academy has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with strategically selected Institutions of Higher Learning. The Institutions of Higher Learning serve as administrators of the bursaries and administer the funds on behalf of DWS. As the bursary scheme feeds the Professional Development Component, bursaries are granted pre-graduate to post-graduate levels within a wide variety of scarce, critical and technical skills that can address the needs of DWS and the water sector. The DWS has allocated 1050 comprehensive bursaries to deserving students since 2007.

The Work Integrated Learners are defined in the context of the Learning Academy as individuals who must successfully undertake a period of Experiential Training in order to obtain their academic qualifications. There are 358 Work Integrated Learners that have completed the work since 2007.

The Professional Development Component deals with the development of Graduate Trainees. The Graduate Trainees are predominantly bursars of DWS who, on completion of their qualifications, are appointed and placed in the workplace for a minimum period of four years, where they are exposed to real-time service delivery aspects, skills development and Departmental projects (on-the-job training) under the guidance of a mentor. The trainees are thus guaranteed practical, instructional and hands-on experiences which will allow them to acquire relevant professional knowledge and skills and attain formal professional registration and recognition through the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), the Geomatic Council or the South African Council for Natural Science Professionals (SACNASP). All Learner Interns and Graduate Interns are appointed as per Directive on Developmental Programme in the Public Service (18 May 2018). In total the Learning Academy has contracted 855 Graduate Interns since April 2007.

b) With regard to the integration of young and established professionals in the water sector, the Water Institute of South Africa (WISA) has an established board of Young Water Professionals that have created a community of Young Water Professionals all over South Africa. The Department has recently established a branch for Young Water Professionals to integrate our newly registered Young Water Professionals into this community and by doing this, empowering them with the latest and best information in the Sector.

In addition to this, the Department has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Wetskills (a Netherland organisation) which will give South African Young Water Professionals the opportunity to participate in international competitions to expose and integrate them into the international water community.

 

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