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Regulation and Registration of Engineering Profession and the
Problem with
the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) Introduction
Kenya is destined to be a medium economy state by the year 2030
as stipulated in vision 2030. This is
through industrialization amongst other strategies stipulated in
vision 2030. In order for
industrialization to be realized, a number of strategies must be
put in place among them being to train
adequate number of engineers and corresponding Engineering
Technologists, Technicians and Craft
persons/Artisans in defined proportions and to offer sustainable
incentives that can sustain them not to
migrate to other professions and/or other countries. The current
challenges amongst others include lack
of interest in the engineering profession due to; poor
remuneration, poor professional body treatment,
gender balance, lack of proper training due to poor facilities
in most academic institutions and poor
policy implementation in various relevant government
departments.
In order for Kenya to make realistic breakthrough in
industrialisation and technological development
it must begin by ensuring that it has a critical mass of well
trained and qualified Scientists, Engineers,
Engineering Technologists, Engineering Technicians and craft
persons/artisans who comprise the
Engineering Team with each team members roles clearly defined.
Kenya critically requires four cadres of staff namely an engineer,
an engineering technologist, an engineering technician and a
craft
person/ artisan (the fifth cadre the engineering scientist
belongs to either engineer or engineering technologist who has
attained a PhD degree). For most developed countries the ideal
ratio for the four
categories of professional is 1:2:4:16, while a typical
developing country like Kenya, the more realistic
ratios would be 1:3:12:60.
The engineering profession in Kenya is regulated by the
Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) under the
Engineers Act, 2011. The Board is responsible for the
registration of Engineers and consulting firms,
regulation of engineering professional services, accrediting
engineering courses in the institutions of
higher learning, setting of standards, development and general
practice of engineering. The act
prescribes very deterrent penalties for offering employment to
persons who are not registered by them.
The functions and powers of the board do not mention anything
about engineering technologists,
engineering technicians and the craft persons/artisans who form
the largest part of the engineering
team and who do more than 98% of the engineering activities in
Kenya.
This paper looks at the various challenges facing engineering
profession and gives suggested strategies
and solutions to the challenges that can enable Kenya to attain
vision 2030 and also to sustain her
Engineering professionals, train and sustain more Engineers,
Engineering Technologists, Engineering
Technicians and Craft persons/Artisans with International
recognition. The paper further analyses
some of the problems with the current EBK Act of 2011.
Institution of Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Profile
1. The Institution of Engineering Technologists and Technicians
(IET) was registered by the Registrar of Societies at the Attorney
Generals chambers on 16th November 2011 under the certificate of
registration number 35998; the Institution to date has over three
hundred members
(300).
2. In January 2012, the authors (who were then the Interim
officials) made media announcements calling on potential members to
register with the interim office housed at Technical University
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of Kenya (TU-K). TU-K was seen to be a more central point and
also the major trainer of these
levels of cadres.
3. The First Annual General Meeting for the Institution of
Engineering Technologists and Technicians was held on 2
nd Feb. 2013 at the Technical University of Kenya
4. The proposed Kenya Engineering Technologists, Technicians and
Craft persons Proposed Bill was published on 31
st August 2013[Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 103 (Bills No.45)].
By the
time the tenth parliament was winding up its business, the bill
had gone through the first
reading in Parliament. It is now awaiting the eleventh
parliament for approval since it is already
a house document. Hon. Dr.Julius Kones, Member for Konoin
Constituency had moved the bill
through Private members motion. Since Hon. Dr. Kones did not
manage to secure a seat in
parliament after the 2013 General Elcetion we have not be able
to get any MP to continue with
Hon. Dr. Kones motion so that this bill can be enacted by
Parliament. We are urgently looking for assistance from any MP who
can present the bill for the second and third reading. The bill
is
available in the internet via
http://www.kenyalaw.org/klr/index.php?id=98, KNA.No.45.
5. A stakeholders meeting of the Institution of Engineering
Technologists and Technicians was held on 10
th September 2013 at the Technical University of Kenya; the
meeting was sponsored
by the National Council of Science and Technology (NCST) and the
Technical University of
Kenya.
6. The second Annual General Meeting for the Institution of
Engineering Technologists and Technicians was held on 22
nd Feb. 2014 at the Technical University of Kenya.
7. Attempts are on the way for the Institution to be recognized
by the following international educational accords for
international membership recognition:
a) WASHINGTON ACCORD 1989 The accord recognizes the equivalence
of accredited engineering education programs leading to the
engineering degree programs.
b) SYDNEY ACCORD The accord recognizes the equivalence of
accredited engineering technology education programs leading to the
engineering technology degree programs.
c) DUBLIN ACCORD- Which recognizes the equivalence of
educational base for engineering technicians.
Why is Regulation and Registration of Engineering Profession
necessary?
Regulation and Registration of any Profession that touch on the
Safety and Health and welfare of the
public is extremely necessary worldwide. The most notable ones
are the Engineering and Medical
Professions. The Engineering Team mentioned above has five
cadres, but only one is being registered
in Kenya by EBK; the Medical team also has five cadres Medical
scientists, Doctors/Dentists, Medical Clinical Officers, Medical
Nurses and Lab. Technologists. Unlike the Engineering Team all
the cadres in the Medical Team are regulated by ACTS of
Parliament and all the personnel are
registered and therefore accountable for their actions.
The Attributes and/or Roles of Engineers, Engineering
Technologists and Engineering
Technicians
a) Attributes of an Engineer Engineers apply their lifelong
learning, critical perception and engineering judgment to the
performance of engineering services. They challenge current
thinking and conceptualize alternative
approaches, often engaging in research and development of new
engineering principles, technologies
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and materials. Engineers apply their analytical skills and well
developed grasp of scientific principles
and engineering theory to design original and novel solutions to
complex problems. Their disciplined
and systematic approach to innovation and creativity,
comprehension of risks and benefits and
informed professional judgment enables them to select optimal
solutions, justify and defend the
selection to colleagues, clients and community.
Registered Professional Engineers can be expected to comprehend
complexity, function
independently and display leadership within multi-disciplinary
and cross-cultural teams. Within their
engineering discipline, they will optimize costs and benefits to
clients and community within identified
constraints, while achieving desired outcomes ethically, and
within the context of a safe and
sustainable environment. They accept ultimate responsibility for
the selection and application of design
tools, implementation strategies and overall integration and
functionality of engineering projects and
programs.
b) Attributes of an Engineering Technologist Engineering
Technologists exercise ingenuity, originality and understanding in
adapting and applying
technologies, developing related new technologies or applying
scientific knowledge within their
specialized technical environment. Their education, expertise
and analytical skills equip them with a
robust understanding of the theoretical and practical
application of engineering and technical
principles. Within their branch of technology, they contribute
to the improvement of standards and
codes of practice, and the adaptation of established
technologies to new situations.
Registered Engineering Technologists can be expected to
determine interactions between a
technology and the system, in which it operates, recognize and
take account of its suitability and
manage associated technical risks. Technologists accept
responsibility for the detailed technological
requirements of their engineering services with due regard to
the fundamental properties and
limitations of components and systems involved. They may lead
and manage teams (e.g. engineering
technicians) engaged in inspection, approval and certification
of designs, tests, installations and
reliable operations. They identify problematic circumstances,
take remedial action and keep
colleagues, clients and community informed, while ensuring
performance-based criteria are satisfied
within a safe and sustainable environment.
The Difference in Education and Training between the Engineer
and Technologist Previously there used to be a big difference
between a technologist and engineer in terms of their
education when technologist used to hold a 3 year course
qualification of Higher National Diploma.
But with the replacement of Higher Diploma with a 4 year course
leading to Bachelor of Technology,
the difference between a technologist and engineer in terms of
education and training is extremely
minimal and actually they both have same roles in practice.
In general the engineer is supposed to take the scientist
research findings theories and principles- then conceptualize them
with the aim of coming up with new designs, new materials and
systems to
serve society better (this is normally referred to as Industrial
Research as opposed to Basic or
Theoretical Research that is carried out by Engineering
Scientists). This means that the Engineers work is mainly in the
office and in the labs to test the new designs/materials/systems
developed then
pass over to Engineering Technology personnel for
implementation. In this way the country can be
able to develop.
On the other hand the technologist is supposed to implement
and/or put in practice what the engineer
has developed from the scientist research findings. Besides, the
technologist has the role of interpreting
and modifying designs, systems and materials developed by the
engineer to suit the conditions on the
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ground. This means that the Engineering Technologists work is in
the field where he/she undertakes
the implementation activities.
The expected difference in education and training between the
Engineer and Technologist
Subject Material Expected % for Engineer Expected % for
Technologist
Mathematics If 100% 70 80%
Engineering Sciences If 100% 70 80%
Management courses 70 -80% If 100%
Practical courses e.g.
Computer courses, Lab. and
Workshop Courses, etc.
70 -80% If 100%
Other Courses If 100% 100% i.e. same
The engineer requires more mathematics and engineering sciences
to enable him/her conceptualize and
design, while the technologist requires more management and
practical courses to enable him/her carry
out the implementation of projects. The percentages given are
theoretical as the reality on the ground is
very different as we have never sat down to agree on the actual
subject contents; different Universities
develop their curricula without discussing and agreeing on the
contents of the respective curricula. In
most cases both curricula are similar in contents. The
progression from degree level is to MSc/MEng
and MTech respectively, then to PhD/DSc and PhD/DTech
respectively (see figure for pathways
attached).
c) Attributes of an Engineering Technician Engineering
Technicians apply their detailed knowledge of standards and codes
of practice to
selecting, specifying, and installing, commissioning,
monitoring, maintaining, repairing and modifying
complex assets, such as structures, plant, equipment, components
and systems. Their education,
training and experience equip them with the necessary
theoretical knowledge and analytical skills for
testing, fault diagnosis and understanding the limitations of
complex assets in familiar and well defined
operating situations.
Registered Engineering Technician can be expected to exercise
engineering judgment within the
scope of accepted standards and codes of practice to the design,
inspection, certification, safe operation
and cost-effectiveness of complex assets. They may supervise
tradespeople/crafts persons, lead and
manage teams and utilize advanced software and design aids to
achieve practical and reliable designs,
installations and operations of complex assets.
Why is it that EBK does not want to register other engineering
cadres as in other countries?
Having understood the roles of each cadre in the three cadres of
the engineering team we can now
explain why the EBK officials do not want to recognize the three
cadres that belong to the Engineering
Technology.
Immediately the British who were managing the Engineers
Registration (ERB) left in the 1970s,
Kenyan engineers all graduates of University of Nairobi took
over. The Kenyan officials realized that
ERB was a gold mine and started limiting the number of
membership. They also realized that most
industries were run by the three cadres in Engineering
Technology. Further they realized that the
engineering activities in the Kenyan industries were those that
belonged to implementation and
therefore required only the engineering technology personnel;
there was no industrial research being
conducted in the local industries. Most industries in Kenya were
multinational corporations who
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conducted their research abroad and therefore denying the local
engineers industrial research work.
(This is still the scenario presently).
Our Engineers then turned the ERB/EBK into a private club
unofficially and denied the other three
cadres to register for fear of them becoming irrelevant since
all engineering work will be done by
three cadres. Even now almost all engineering work in Kenya is
being performed by the three cadres
and the engineers get credit; drawing and designs are also
prepared by these three cadres and the
engineers only come sign for them since the three cadres are not
licensed to carry out any engineering
work in the country. This is purely a case of exploitation and
therefore professional corruption.
Once the act to regulate Engineering technology and start
registering Engineering Technologists,
Engineering Technicians and Engineering Crafts persons like in
other countries, the engineers will
have very little work and therefore will not be getting free
money as it is the case presently. Eventually
they will be forced to do what they are supposed to do i.e.
coming up with new designs, new materials,
new systems (which all belong to industrial research). That is
when Kenya will start developing or
industrializing. But for the time being the engineers are
engaged in activities that are mainly meant for
the engineering technology personnel.
Engineering Board of Kenya (EBK)
The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) is a statutory body
established under The Engineers Act, 2011
(No. 43). Its role is the registration of Engineers and Firms,
regulation of engineering professional
services, setting of standards, development and general practice
of Engineering. EBK is supposed to
contribute to the transformation of the Engineering service
which will be expected to function
effectively and innovatively in a results- oriented and
accountable manner.
The Kenya Engineers Registration Board (ERB) was a statutory
body established through an Act of
Parliament in 1969. A minor revision was done in 1992, to
accommodate Technician Engineer grade.
However, in 2011 a major revision was done to remove Technician
Engineer grade giving rise to
The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) with a new face and strength
to further its duties. The Board
has been given the responsibility of regulating the activities
and conduct of Practicing Engineers in the
Republic of Kenya in accordance with the functions and powers
conferred upon it by the Act. Under
Part VI of the Engineers Act (according to articles 48(1) and
49), a person shall not engage in the
practice of engineering unless that person has been issued with
a license and has complied with the
requirements of the Act. Registration with the Board is thus a
license to practice engineering in Kenya.
Object and purpose of the Board
The Board is responsible for the registration of engineers and
firms, regulation of engineering professional
services, setting of standards, development, and general
practice of engineering.
The following articles need to be examined carefully as they
affect the industrial development of this
country:
Article 16. Subject to the provisions of this Act, a person
shall be eligible for registration under this
Act as a professional or consulting engineer if (a) For a
professional engineer, that person
(i) is registered as a graduate engineer and has obtained
practical experience as prescribed under this Act;
(ii) has passed professional assessment examination conducted by
the Board; and
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(iii) is a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers of
Kenya; (This article contravenes Chapter 4 of the Bill of Rights
article 36 (2) of the Constitution of Kenya)
(b) For a consulting engineer, that person (i) has practiced in
a specialized engineering field as a professional engineer for a
period
determined by the Board; and
(ii) has achieved a standard of competence to enable him to
practise as a consulting engineer in that particular
specialization.
Qualifications for registration as graduate engineer Article 18.
Subject to provisions of this Act, a person shall be eligible for
registration under this Act as
a graduate engineer if that person (a) Is a holder of a degree,
diploma or its equivalent from a university, college or school
of
engineering or any other institution recognized by the Board;
and
NB: Although a diploma is also a requirement for registration,
the EBK officials do not accept
Diplomas from Kenya for the purpose of registration. Worse still
the officials do not accept
Masters and PhD degrees for registration; they only consider a
first degree, BSc for registration. In all other countries
worldwide any postgraduate degree automatically qualifies for
registration
since to qualify for any postgraduate degree one has to do a
research project that is properly
supervised by doctorates.
(b) Is a citizen or a permanent resident of Kenya
Article 45. A person who, being in charge of a training
institution which is not recognized by the
Board as an institution registered or seeking registration under
this Act (a) admits to the institution under his charge any person
for purposes of training in the engineering
profession;
(b) purports to be conducting a course of training or examining
persons seeking registration under this Act; or
(c) issues any document, statement, certificate or seal implying
that (i) the holder thereof has undergone a course of instruction
or has passed an examination
recognized by the Board; and
(ii) the institution under his charge is recognized by the Board
as an institution for training of person seeking registration,
commits an offence and is liable on conviction
to a fine of five million shillings or to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding five
years, or both.
Prohibition for the use of the term engineer by unregistered or
unlicensed persons 1. Article 46. (1) The terms engineer and
engineers are protected under this Act and shall
only be applied to persons or bodies fulfilling the requirements
of this Act. (This article
contravenes Chapter 4 of the Bill of Rights article 24 (1) of
the Constitution of Kenya) (2) A person who, being not registered
or licensed under this Act (a) willfully and falsely takes or uses
in any way the style or form or title of engineer or
engineers in describing his occupation or his business or any
other name, style, title, addition or description implying whether
in itself or in the circumstances in which it is used, that
such
person or body or persons is an engineer or engineers; or (b)
Displays any sign, board, card or other device or uses a prescribed
stamp representing or
implying that he is an engineer, commits an offence.
(3) The Board may grant exemptions upon application to any
person or group of persons for the use of
the description or use of the term engineer or engineers and
such exemptions shall be in accordance with any written
International Convention or Treaty ratified by Kenya.
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Prohibition on provision of professional engineering services by
body of persons Article 47. (1) A body of persons shall not carry
on the business of engineering unless one of its
partners or directors, as the case may be, is a professional
engineer.
(2) Where a partner or director of a body of persons mentioned
under subsection (1), dies, that body of
persons may, despite the provision of subsection (1), continue
to carry on the business of engineering
until such time as the administration of the estate of the
deceased is completed as if the legal
representatives were professional engineers.
(3) Any person who contravenes the provisions of this section
commits an offence.
Prohibition of employment of unregistered persons Article 48.
(1) A person shall not employ or continue to employ any person to
offer professional
engineering services or works if that person is not registered
under this Act.
(2) A person shall not take up or continue in any employment as
a professional engineer or consulting
engineer unless that person is registered as a professional
engineer or consulting engineer. (Where
does the line divide professional engineering service or works,
and other engineering services or
works?) (3) An employer shall not employ or engage a graduate
engineer in any work or professional
engineering services or works unless that graduate engineer is
under the supervision of a professional
or consulting engineer. (Where does the line divide professional
engineering service or works, and
other engineering services or works?)
(4) A person who contravenes any provision of this section
commits an offence.
General penalty: Article 55. A person who commits an offence
under this Act for which no specific penalty is provided
for is liable to a fine of two hundred thousand shillings or to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding
one year, or both.
Under Part VI of the Engineers Act (according to articles 48(1)
and 49), a person shall not engage in
the practice of engineering unless that person has been issued
with a license and has complied with the
requirements of the Act. Registration with the Board is thus a
license to practice engineering in Kenya.
Engineering and Engineering Technology
In broad the Engineering Profession is divided into Engineering
and Engineering Technology. The
Engineering team consists of five (5) cadres Engineering
Scientists, Engineers, Engineering Technologists, Engineering
Technicians and engineering Crafts persons. The Engineering
Scientists
are usually PhD holders, and belong to either Engineers or
Engineering Technologists. That leaves
only four cadres (i.e. Engineers, Engineering Technologists,
Engineering Technicians and engineering
Crafts persons) who require registration.
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(1 -2 years Course) (2 years Diploma) (4 years degree) (4-5years
degree)
What is the implication of Part VI of the EBK ACT, and the
removal of Technician Engineer
Grade from the ACT?
The removal of the Technician Engineer grade meant that EBK has
no role on the regulation of
Engineering Technology in Kenya. The three cadres of the
Engineering team i.e. Engineering
Technologist, Engineering Technician and Engineering
Craftsperson are not catered for in the EBK
Act and, therefore, are NOT are allowed to engage in any
engineering activities in Kenya as they
cannot be licensed by EBK as per the requirement of Part VI of
the ACT.
The Difference between Engineering and Engineering
Technology
Engineering Engineering is a profession in which knowledge of
advanced mathematical
and natural sciences gained by higher education, experience, and
practice is
devoted to the creation of new technology for the benefit of
humanity.
Engineering education for the professional focuses primarily on
the
conceptual and theoretical aspects of science and engineering
aimed
at preparing graduates for the practice of engineering closest
to the
research, development, and conceptual design functions.
Engineering
Technology
Engineering technology is the profession in which a knowledge of
the
applied mathematical and natural science gained by higher
education,
experience, and practice is devoted to application of
engineering principles
and the implementation of technological advances for the benefit
of
humanity. Engineering technology education for the professional
focuses
primarily on analyzing, applying, implementing, and improving
existing
technologies and is aimed at preparing graduates for the
practice of
engineering closest to the product improvement, manufacturing,
and
engineering operational functions.
In USA the Engineering Technology Commission (ETC) views
engineering technology as
an integral part of the engineering enterprise and holds that
baccalaureate (degree) engineering
technologists appropriately function as professional
practitioners, rather than supporting Para-
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professionals, in this enterprise. It is further held that an
appropriate accreditation activity is necessary
to support the uniqueness of this component. The Technology
Accreditation Commission (TAC) of the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) serves
this function.
The ETC believes that professional registration is important,
especially as it relates to those activities
that directly affect the health, safety, and welfare of the
public. Further, it supports the
continuance of the industrial exemption, while recognizing the
importance of registration in industry
for some disciplines. The ETC further supports and encourages
registration for all eligible
engineering technology faculties, since they typically are
engineering practitioners.
The Engineering Team In today's modern high-tech industry, many
of the complex technical problems, including the
development of new products, require a team effort. Individuals
on the team may include scientists,
engineers, engineering technologists, engineering technicians,
and Vocational Technicians or
Craftsperson*. Each of these individuals contributes different
knowledge and skills gained from their
educational preparation and experience. Most people are familiar
with the term scientist and associate
it with individuals with advanced degrees and research or
theoretical interests. Similarly the term
craftsperson is normally recognized and associated with an
individual with a highly specialized skill.
However, the distinction between engineer, engineering
technologist, and engineering technician may
not be as clear. An engineer is typically a graduate from a
four-year engineering degree program,
whereas the technologists or technician is typically a graduate
of a four-year or a two-year degree
program in engineering technology respectively from Universities
or Technical Institutes/Polytechnics.
Scientists are the most theoretical of the team members. They
typically seek ways to apply new
discoveries to advance technology for mankind. Most engineering
scientists have an earned doctorate
in engineering or a closely related discipline.
*In most developed and newly industrialized countries the cadre
of Craftsperson is being phased out
and therefore there is no registration for it; the existing
craftsperson are encouraged to upgrade
themselves to the grade of engineering technician by acquiring a
diploma.
International Agreements Governing Mutual Recognition of
Engineering
There are six international agreements governing mutual
recognition of engineering qualifications and
professional competence. In each of these agreements
countries/economies who wish to participate
may apply for membership, and if accepted become members or
signatories to the agreement.
1) Agreements covering tertiary qualifications in engineering
There are three agreements covering mutual recognition in respect
of tertiary-level qualifications in
engineering:
a) Washington Accord: This accord was signed in 1989; it
recognizes substantial equivalence in the accreditation of
qualifications in professional engineering education leading to
the
Engineering Degree, normally of four to five years duration
b) Sydney Accord: Flowing from the Washington Accord, a similar
Agreement was developed for Engineering Technologists or
Incorporated Engineers, called the Sydney Accord (SA),
which was signed in June 2001. It recognizes substantial
equivalence in the accreditation of
qualifications in engineering technology, normally of three to
four years duration.
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c) Dublin Accord: The Dublin Accord (DA) is an Agreement for
substantial equivalence in the typifying tertiary qualifications
for technician engineering education, normally of two years
duration. It commenced in 2002.
Note: There is no Accord for the Crafts persons cadre as this
cadre is being phased out and replaced by the Engineering
Technician cadre. Besides, the skills required by the crafts person
are unique to a
particular country/economy and is not universal.
Note: The EBK officials would not like the EBK to be members of
the three international accords as
they fear those Kenyans they deny registration will apply for
registration in other member countries
and then EBK will be forced to register them.
2) Agreements covering competence standards for practicing
engineers
The other three agreements cover recognition of equivalence at
the practising engineer level i.e. it is
individual people, not qualifications that are seen to meet the
benchmark standard. The concept of
these agreements is that a person recognized in one country as
reaching the agreed international
standard of competence should only be minimally assessed
(primarily for local knowledge) prior to
obtaining registration in another country that is party to the
agreement.
a) APEC Engineer agreement: The oldest such agreement is the
APEC Engineer agreement which commenced in 1999. This has
Government support in the participating APEC
economies. The representative organization in each economy
creates a "register" of those
engineers wishing to be recognized as meeting the generic
international standard. Other
economies should give credit when such an engineer seeks to have
his or her competence
recognized. The Agreement is largely administered between
engineering bodies.
(APEC - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)
b) International Professional Engineers agreement: The
International Professional Engineers agreement commenced in 2001:
It operates the same competence standard as the APEC
Engineer agreement but any country/economy may join. The parties
to the agreement are
largely engineering bodies. There are intentions to draw IPEA
and APEC closer together.
c) International Engineering Technologist agreement: The
International Engineering Technologist agreement was signed by
participating economies/countries in 2003. The parties
to the Agreement have agreed to commence establishing a mutual
recognition scheme for
engineering technologists.
The Registration of Engineering and Technology Cadres in other
Countries As mentioned above most countries, and more especially
the industrialized and newly industrialized
countries have enacted laws that govern the Engineering
profession (i.e. bothe engineering and
engineering technology). Some of the countries are as
follows:
1. United Kingdom: Engineering Council The engineering
profession in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Engineering
Council through
engineering institutions that are licensed to put suitably
qualified persons on the Engineering Council's
Register of Engineers. The Register has three sections or
cadres:
Chartered Engineer (CEng),
Incorporated Engineer (Engineering Technologist) (IEng), and
Engineering Technician (EngTech).
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Applicants for registration are required to satisfy the
competence standards set by Engineering Council
and laid down in UK-SPEC (UK Standard for Professional
Engineering Competence). Benefits of
Membership and Engineering Council Registration:
It identifies you as having competences that employers
value;
It indicates that your competence, and your commitment to
professionalism, have been assessed
by other engineering professionals;
It demonstrates that your competence may be compared with
standards applicable in other parts
of the world;
It confirms that your commitment to professionalism is
underwritten by the support of a
national engineering institution licensed by the Engineering
Council.
2. Nigeria: Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria
(COREN) Establishment of the Council for the Regulation of
Engineering in Nigeria - There shall be established
on the coming into force of this Act, a body to be known as the
Council for the Regulation of
Engineering in Nigeria (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
Council) which shall be a body corporate by the name aforesaid and
be charged with the general duty of [1992 No. 27]
(a) Determining who are engineers for the purposes of this Act;
(b) Determining what standards of knowledge and skill are to be
attained by persons seeking to
become registered as engineers and raising those standards from
time to time as circumstances
may permit;
(c) securing, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, the
establishment and maintenance of a register of persons entitled to
practice as registered engineers and the publication from time
to time of lists of those persons;
(d) regulating and controlling the practice of the engineering
profession in all its aspects and ramifications;
(e) Performing the other functions conferred on the Council by
this Act.
The registers of engineering personnel (in this Act referred to
as the registers) shall consist of four registers, one each
for:
(a) Registered engineers (Engr);
(b) registered engineering technologists (Engn. Tech);
(c) registered engineering technicians (Tech); and
(d) registered engineering craftsmen (A registered engineering
craftsmen shall use his full title with his
trade in bracket under his name).
Registration as Engineers
(1) Subject to section 16 and to rules made under section 4 (4)
of this Act, a person shall be entitled to
be fully registered under this Act if (a) he has attended a
course of training approved by the Council under the next following
section; (b) the course was conducted at an institution so
approved, or partly at one such institution and
partly at another or others;
(c) he holds a qualification so approved; and (d) he holds a
certificate of experience issued in pursuance of section 9 of this
Act; and (e) he has completed a minimum of two years approved
post-graduate training and has passed or
is exempted from professional interview;
(f) in the case of a craftsman, he has completed a minimum of
two years working experience in his trade and submits an acceptable
certificate of experience;
(g) He has completed his second year of industrial pupilage in
an approved establishment.
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Page 12 of 20
Transfer from one register to the other
1. An engineering craftsman may apply to transfer to the
register of engineering technicians if he obtains the Ordinary
National Diploma Certificate or an approved equivalent
educational
qualification and the required working experience.
2. An engineering technician may apply to transfer to the
register of engineering technologists if he obtains the Higher
National Diploma Certificate or he has successfully completed
an
equivalent course of study in a polytechnic or college of
technology or any other approved
institution.
3. An engineering technologist may apply to transfer to the
register of engineers if he passes the examination accredited by
the Council, the academic content of which shall
meet the requirement for registration as an engineer; or
attends a post-Higher National Diploma course approved by the
Council and run by a
polytechnic or university and passes an examination accredited
by the Council; or
passes a university degree programme or any examination
conducted by any other
body authorized by Council
3. South Africa: Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA)
Establishment of the Engineering Council of South Africa: There
is hereby established a juristic person
to be known as the Engineering Council of South Africa. The
Engineering Council of South Africa
(ECSA) is a statutory body established in terms of the
Engineering Profession Act, 2000 (Act 46 of
2000), and derives its powers and responsibilities from the Act.
The main focus of the Act is the
promotion of public safety, health and interests in relation to
actions of persons registered with ECSA.
In Order to Achieve its Main Focus ECSA Performs the Following
Functions: Academic Standards Professional Development Standards
and Registration Government Liaison International Recognition
Registration: Candidates Application for registration as a
candidate engineer will require certified proof that the applicant
has
a recognized or accredited academic qualification. If an
applicant has a foreign qualification, a
copy of the qualification certificate as well as an academic
record reflecting all subjects taken and
passed during the years of study should be submitted with the
application. Other benefits of
registering first as a candidate engineer are:
It demonstrates the candidates identification with the ideals of
the profession, namely the maintenance of a high level of standards
and of professionalism in the interest of the
public and the country as a whole.
As the industry is increasingly in need of registered persons,
candidates are therefore in an advantageous position over
non-registered practitioners.
Candidate registration is also an indication of the persons
aspiration to become registered as a professional in the
future.
Employers commitment to candidates regarding their professional
development is in many cases more apparent when they are
registered.
Persons registered as candidates are normally subjected to a
formally structured training program, which will prepare them for
professional registration.
Categories of registration
18. (1) After obtaining the required qualification and
experience, ECSA registers engineering
practitioners in the following professional registration
categories:
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Page 13 of 20
The categories in which a person may register in the engineering
profession are (a) professional, which is divided into
Professional Engineer (Pr Eng), Professional Engineering
Technologist (Pr Tech Eng), Professional Engineering Technician (Pr
Techni Eng), and Professional Certificated Engineer (Pr Cert
Eng).
In each of these categories, provision is made for candidate
registration. The academic and
experience requirements for professional registration are as
follows:
Category Academic Qualification Minimum Experience
Professional Engineer BSc(Eng)/ B Eng (4yrs) 3 years
Professional Engineering
Technologist
BTech (Eng) 3 years
Professional Engineering
Technician
National Diploma 3 years
Professional Certificated
Engineer
Government Certificate of
Competency for Engineers, Mine
Managers, Marine, Electrical and
Mechanical Engineers
3 years in responsible
position - 1 year must be as
the engineer appointed in
terms of an applicable Act
(b) candidate, which is divided into (i) Candidate Engineer;
(ii) Candidate Engineering Technologist;
(iii) Candidate Engineering Technician; or
(iv) Candidate Certificated Engineer
(c) Specified categories prescribed by the council.
(2)A person may not practice in any of the categories
contemplated in subsection (1), unless he or she
is registered in that category.
(3) A person may practice in a consulting capacity in the
category in which he or she is registered.
(4) A person who is registered in the category of candidate must
perform work in the engineering
profession only under the supervision and control of a
professional of a category as prescribed.
4. Canada: Engineering Technology ACT of 1973
The act registers two categories: Engineering technician and
Engineering technologist. Canada has a
separate Act for professional engineers.
5. Australia: Engineers Australia
Engineers Australia administers three National Engineering
Registers on advice from a board
established to ensure the registers operate with integrity and
in the public interest. Registration on the
National Engineering Registers is available in three
occupational categories:
National Professional Engineers Register (NPER),
National Engineering Technologists Register (NETR),and
National Engineering Associates Register (NEAR)
The following titles are used by members of Engineers
Australia:
NPER recognized as MIEAust CPEng NETR recognized as TMIEAust
CEngT NEAR recognized as OMIEAust CEngO
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Page 14 of 20
The National Professional Engineers Register (NPER) and the
National Engineering Technologists
Register (NETR) and the National Engineering Associates
(Engineering Technician) Register
(NEAR) are administered to safeguard the community at no cost to
government.
Engineers Australia administers the national engineering
registers with input from the National
Engineering Registration Board to ensure that the registers
operate in the public interest.
Admission to the registers is not restricted to members of
Engineers Australia or any other professional
association. However, the registers currently are aligned to
occupational categories - Professional
Engineers, Engineering Technologists and Engineering Associates.
The occupational category a
member belongs to is determined on the basis of his or her
original qualification, normally a BEng (4
years), a BTech (3 years) or a TAFE Advanced Diploma / Associate
Degree or Engineering Technician
Course (2 years), respectively.
All registered engineering practitioners observe a common Code
of Ethics; undertake to accept
responsibility for outcomes only within their area of competence
and specifically commit to keeping
up-to-date through continuing professional development to
sustain their engagement in delivering
engineering services. They deliver engineering outcomes that
minimize adverse social, economic and
environmental consequences, with due regard for the safety,
health and welfare of the community.
Public safety is assured when only competent practitioners are
registered and provide engineering
services in critical areas. Registered practitioners will be
engaged to provide services in such areas
only if stipulated by regulation or demanded by the market.
There are three occupational categories in the engineering
workforce - engineers, technologists and
associates. Practitioners in these categories cooperate in
various ways to perform engineering services.
Their activities and competencies are often closely
inter-related and it is difficult and sometimes
artificial to say where the responsibilities of one occupational
category end and those of another begin.
There are activities that could be undertaken in different
circumstances by any member of the
engineering team. Other activities are clearly the province of
one occupational category but not of
another - for example, the province of a Professional Engineer
but not an Engineering Associate, or
vice versa. This distinction will often be determined by the
standard to which competency has been
demonstrated against the Australian Engineering Competency
Standards Stage 2.
6. New Zealand: Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand
Act of 2002
IPENZ is the Registration Authority under the Chartered
Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act
of 2002. IPENZ also operates registers of current competence for
Professional Engineers, Engineering
Technologists and Engineering Technicians. IPENZ operates the
national registers of current
competence-based registers for:
a) Professional Engineers, b) Engineering Technologists, and c)
Engineering Technicians.
Professional Engineer: Capable of dealing with
complex engineering
problems and activities
Engineering
Technologist:
Capable of dealing
with broadly- defined
engineering problems
and activities
Engineering
Technician: Capable
of dealing with well-
defined engineering
problems and activities
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Page 15 of 20
Qualification: New
Zealand qualification
for entry to
occupational group
Four-year Bachelor of
Engineering (Honours)
Three-year Bachelor
of Engineering
Technology
Two-year New Zealand
Diploma in
Engineering
National current-
competence register
International
Professional Engineer
(IntPE)
Engineering
Technology
Practitioner (ETPract)
International
Engineering
Technologist (IntET)
Certified Engineering
Technician (CertETn)
Associated IPENZ
Competence-based
Membership Class
Professional Member
(MIPENZ)
Technical Member
(TIPENZ)
Associate Member
(AIPENZ)
And Others
Reasons for the Enactment of the Engineering Technologists and
Technician Bill No., 45 of 2012
1. The ERB/EBK as it is cannot be implemented because of the
following reasons: a. ERB/EBK Act implies that the engineer is the
only person to do everything concerning
any engineering project in Kenya.
b. The number of registered engineers presently is less than
1800; more than 70% of these engineers are working as civil
servants and some parastatals, leaving less than 600 who
are working in private companies and very few as consultants.
{Kenyan engineers
registered and working in South Africa are more than 1800; they
went to register in
South Africa when they were denied registration by ERB}
c. In Kenya there are more than 700 students pursuing degree
course in engineering, and all of them are each supposed to go for
industrial attachment at least twice. The
ERB/EBK requires that each of these student should be supervised
in industry by a
registered engineer!!!. More than 90% of the industries do not
have registered
engineers, meaning that we should not take our students for
industrial attachment.
d. The Act does not want any employer to employ a person not
registered by ERB/EBK to carry out engineering work. Such a person
is reliable for a fine of not less than KES
5,000,000/- or 5 years imprisonment or both. If this were to be
adhered to Kenya
Government will close all industries in Kenya.
e. There are more than 15 Universities offering various
engineering degree courses presently in Kenya with more than 300
engineering lecturers; out of these less than 5%
are registered with ERB/EBK. If the act is to be adhered to all
the CEOs of these
Universities should be in jail and actually no University should
offer engineering
courses in Kenya.
2. A thorough examination of the ERB/EBK as it is leads to the
conclusion that the drafters intended to discourage the training of
engineers in Kenya and cease engineering activities in
Kenya!!!. How then is Kenya going to develop???
3. Technology is changing all the time and the people,
especially professionals, working should attend for Professional
Development courses that are normally offered by the respective
professional bodies like ERB/EBK. In Kenya only engineers are
luck to attend for such courses
and yet the engineers role in any engineering work in Kenya is
less than 2%; this, coupled with lack of registration, is the main
reason why buildings keep on collapsing in Kenya without
anybody being taken to court to answer charges.
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Page 16 of 20
4. Engineering technologists, engineering technicians and Crafts
persons are not presently registered and therefore are not
accountable for the work they do concerning engineering
activities. Almost all engineering activities worldwide are
carried out by these people. [cf. in
the medical profession in Kenya all cadres of personnel doctors/
dentists, nurses, clinical officers and lab. technologists- are
registered and therefore are accountable for the work
they do]
5. While degree courses have to be approved by ERB/EBK, the
technical courses have no professional body to oversee its approval
and implementation. In almost all countries
worldwide more so the most developed countries (UK, USA,
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, South Korea,
South Africa, Nigeria, etc.,) - all cadres are registered
and governed by acts of parliament as shown above. Why not in
Kenya? What is so special
about Kenya when it comes to Engineering Profession? 6. Almost
all engineering activities require the input of all the engineering
team (the scientist, the
engineer, the technologists, the technician and the crafts
person) i.e. they all have a role to play
and therefore each must be accountable through an act of
parliament.
7. At any moment there are over a million engineering projects
going on in Kenya, can the less than 600 registered engineers be
able to handle all of them? It will be interesting to hear what
the ERB/EBK officials say about this. This brings the question
whether The National
Construction Authority Bill, 2011 can be implemented. In
practice what is going on is that the
Engineering Technology persons do the work, including designs,
and the registered engineer
merely signs the drawings and takes the credit and paid very
heavily for just signing ( even
though he/she may not even know where the project is situated).
This is exploitation of the
Engineering Technology persons. This is one of the main reason
why the EBK officials would
not like the other cadres to be registered; the engineers have
become very rich out of this
corrupt practice)
8. All the above will be solved by enacting the Engineering
Technologists and Technician Bill No. 45.
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Page 17 of 20
How EBK Officials are killing Engineering Profession in
Kenya
2. The Engineering Profession is broadly divided into two
categories: Engineering and Engineering Technology (see figure
below). EBK Act does not recognize the engineering technology arm
of the
engineering profession, and yet this is the most important arm
of Engineering as far as development of the
country is concerned. Most countries, especially the
Industrialized as well as the Newly Industrialized
Countries have included the Engineering Technology in the Acts
that regulated engineering and therefore,
they register all the cadres that belong to the Engineering
technology i.e. Engineering Technologists,
Engineering Technicians, and Engineering Crafts persons. As
examples check the following countries:
South Africa - Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA);
Nigeria Council for the regulation of Engineering in Nigeria
(COREN); UK Engineering Council; Australia Engineers Australia; New
Zealand IPENZ; etc. among others.
3. The EBK registrar, from time to time, has place a paid-up
advertisement in the newspapers advising
employers not to employ any engineer not registered with
EBK.
4. The EBK registrar, from time to time, has placed a paid-up
advertisement in the newspapers advising
parents and sponsors not to sponsor students to engineering
courses in most public Universities, saying that
those courses have not been approved by EBK, and yet those
courses have been approved by the various
University senates according to their respective acts. In fact
the officials recognize only UoN where the
EBK officials graduated from.
5. When Masinde Muliro University and Egerton University
students took the ERB to court in 2012 for not
recognizing their qualifications; they were defeated and the
court ordered ERB to register all of them and
pay each of them KES 200,000/-. However, to date the formers
graduates have never been registered nor
paid, instead the ERB officials applied to change the name from
ERB to EBK and included a clause in the
act to be allowed to accredit engineering courses in Kenya. The
question is what happens to those who had
graduated before 2012 when ERB was not allowed to accredit the
courses. According to the EBK officials
those graduates will never be allowed to register, and further
more they will never be allowed to engage in
any engineering activities i.e. they are considered to have not
been trained at all; they are just form IV
holders, and yet the Government of Kenya the owner of EBK has
spent a colossal amount of money training
these graduates who are denied registration by a body that is
owned by the same Government!!!!!!!.
6. EBK officials have advised Commission for University
Education (CUE) to make engineering courses to
take a long time to complete with too many subjects; BSc/BEng
courses take seven (7) academic years to
complete while other courses take only four (4) years to
complete. In other countries similar engineering
degree courses take a maximum of five (5) academic years to
complete. The result of courses taking too
long is not conducive for students to be creative and innovative
brain drain. Courses with too many
subjects leave no time for self-study and therefore, students
cannot be creative and/or innovative. In the
Kenyan public (not private) universities the minimum number of
subjects/units per week is eight (8) while
in other countries the maximum number of subjects/units per week
is six (6), but most of them have only
five (5) subjects per week, thus leaving enough time for
self-study by students. Why do we want to be
different? The EBK registrar will always answer this question by
saying that our standards are very high.
But I wonder what these high standards bring to Kenya when our
so called engineers build or supervise
roads that last for less than three years. The Chinese with low
standards (this is according to the EBK
officials; in fact EBK would not like to register an engineer
trained in China because the Chinese standards
are too low) make roads that can last for a very long time. So
Kenyan standards are very high but can bring
bread on to the table; we even import tooth picks from China and
yet our standards are too high!!!!!!!!!!. It
is a shame.
7. As if the duration of seven years is not enough the EBK is
presently lobbying too extend the duration by
adding an extra four and half (4) academic years for internship
before the engineering graduates can be
considered for registration as engineers and start practicing.
This effectively means that for one to qualify as
an engineer one has to take at least eleven and half (11)
academic years; those who study for non-
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Page 18 of 20
engineering courses four (for Bachelor degree) plus two (for
Masters degree) plus three (for PhD degree),
totaling nine (9) academic years. In there a parent who can
allow this scenario. This is total discouragement
from studying for engineering course and therefore a recipe for
killing the Engineering profession in Kenya;
this simply means that Kenya is not ready to develop. This is
been done by the EBK officials with only one
motive to safeguard engineering consultancy jobs for the chosen
few and to exploit the other three cadres
from the Engineering Technology arm of Engineering
Profession.
8. The EBK officials have managed to convince the Government to
allow them approve engineering courses
for all Universities at a very cost of KES 600,000/- per course.
This is a very controversial affair where the
officials are exploiting Universities; they can reject courses
several times before passing them and every
time the course is not passed it is returned with an extra KES
600,00/-. Sometimes courses can be retained at
the EBK offices for more than two years before they look at
them. This is the case with the Multimedia
University of Kenya engineering courses which have been lying at
the EBK offices since 2012; this year
(2014) will be the third year Multimedia University will not
have an intake in engineering courses. One of
the main reasons is that EBK does not have the capacity to
approve degree courses which have been drafted
by professors as most of their members are first degree holders.
The officials do not care how long they take
to approve the courses they do not care whether Multimedia has
an engineering intake, after all their aim is
to discourage engineering in Kenya without saying so. I strongly
suggest that the approval be taken back to
CUE where the unit in charge of accreditation can deal with this
issue; the unit can always co-opt qualified
people from Universities, industry and EBK to look at the
courses. In this way the EBK will not get a
chance to blackmail universities.
9. EBK Act if implemented as it is will automatically stop any
engineering activities in Kenya, and the
officials know it very well. This explains why the officials
have never taken a step to implement the Act as
required i.e. arrest all those unregistered engineers engaged in
engineering activities, otherwise all
manufacturing and engineering service industries where more than
99% unregistered engineers are
working will be forced to wind up; even all engineering
university faculties where more than 85%
unregistered engineers are lecturing will be forced to close
down, thus killing the Engineering Profession in
Kenya and bring development in Kenya to a stop. This Act should
be thoroughly be analyzed with all
stakeholders present. Some sections of the EBK Act {article 16 a
(iii), and article 46 (1)} are contrary to
Chapter four of the Constitution on the Bill of Rights; check on
Chapter Four on the Bill of Rights article 36
(2) and article 24 (1) respectively.
10. EBK officials are actually barriers to Engineering
Development and hence barriers to Industrial and
Technological development which is the heart of Economic
Development for this country.
11. The most important resource any country has is her human
resource, and if not nurtured properly we should
forget about economic development and growth. But what EBK
officials are doing is to discourage students
from studying for engineering course, and therefore, passing a
message to Kenyans that we are not ready for
development. This is pure economic sabotage and we all concerned
(President, Deputy President, Cabinet
Secretaries and all senior administrators, MPs and all
politicians and other leaders) to urgently take the
necessary actions to stop this heinous acts. This message is
particularly addressed to the two Parliamentary
Committees on Infrastructure & Transport and Education to
urgently invite the EBK officials and ask them
to answer all these allegations in the presence of other
stakeholders.
12. Because of the aforementioned points parents fear to sponsor
their children to study for Engineering
Courses, and instead opt to sponsor them to study for other
non-engineering courses. This means that
eventually Engineering will die in Kenya.
13. The only solution to saving the Engineering Profession in
Kenya is to enact the Engineering Technologists
and Technicians Bill, No 45 of 2012 which already has gone
through the first reading in parliament. The bill
was sponsored by Hon. Dr. Kones. The bill is available in the
internet via
http://www.kenyalaw.org/klr/index.php?id=98, KNA.No.45.
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Page 19 of 20
Engineering Crafts person: A person who practices or is highly
skilled in a craft; artisan.Capable of dealing with specific and
well-
defined engineering problems and
activities
Engineering
Technician: Capable
of dealing with well-
defined engineering
problems and
activities
Engineering
Technologist:
Capable of dealing with
broadly- defined
engineering problems
and activities
Professional
Engineer: Capable of
dealing with complex
engineering problems
and activities
If enacted the Engineering Technologists and Technicians Bill
will deal with these
three cadres
Presently EBK only
deals with this cadre
In general the engineer is supposed to take the scientist
research findings theories and principles- then conceptualize them
with the aim of coming up with new designs, new materials and
systems to serve society
better (this is normally referred to as Industrial Research as
opposed to Basic or Theoretical Research that is
carried out by Engineering Scientists). This means that the
Engineers work is mainly in the office and in the labs to test the
new designs/materials/systems developed then pass over to
Engineering Technology personnel
for implementation. In this way the country can be able to
develop and move forward technologically.
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Page 20 of 20
Relationship among the Five Categories/Cadres of the Engineering
Profession
a) The thick lines show the normal route from the Engineering
Scientist to the Engineering Crafts Person. The basic/theoretical
research findings (mainly theories and principles) are passed over
the Engineer who
conceptualizes them and come out with new designs, new
materials, new systems, etc., tests them in labs
(i.e. deals with Industrial Research) and pass them over to the
Engineering Technologist for interpretation
and implementation. The implementation is carried out by the
Engineering Technicians who deal with well-
defined engineering areas. The Engineering Technicians supervise
Engineering Crafts Persons who are
skilled in specific areas of engineering. Example in a Building
there various engineering sections with
specific trades e.g. Refrigeration and air-conditioning section
can headed by Engineering Technician with
two Engineering Crafts persons one dealing with refrigeration
and the other dealing with air-conditioning. The Engineering
Technologist will be in-charge of the entire project i.e. the
Building.
b) The thin lines show the alternative routes from the
Engineering Scientist to the Engineering Crafts Persons. The
basic/theoretical research findings (mainly theories and
principles) can be passed over to the
Engineering Technologist who conceptualizes them and come out
with new designs, new materials, new
systems, etc., tests them in labs and interprets them for
implementation. The implementation can also be
passed over directly to the Engineering Crafts Persons who will
be supervised directly by the Engineering
Technologist. The Engineer can also interpret his/her industrial
research findings and pass over directly to
either the Engineering Technician or the Engineering Crafts
Persons for implementation. In this case the
Engineer can directly supervise the project activities. The
alternatives routes are possible when the project
activities are not complex. It should also be borne in mind that
there is very little difference in education
and training between the Engineer and the Engineering
Technologist. When the project is not big the
Engineer or Engineering Technologist can directly supervise
Engineering Crafts Persons.
By Dr. Charles M.M. Ondieki
Tel: 0722705609/0772968753;
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
[email protected]