Gert Oberholster Consulting provides workshops and training events with accredited CPD points from the following ECSA Voluntary associations:
Our workshops and training events are validated with CPD credits as indicated for each course.
- SAAMA
- CESA
Our workshops and training events are validated with CPD credits as indicated for each course.
The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA)
ECSA is a statutory body established in terms of the Engineering Profession Act (EPA), 46 of 2000. The ECSA's primary role is the regulation of the engineering profession in terms of this Act. Its core functions are the accreditation of engineering programmes, registration of persons as professionals in specified categories, and the regulation of the practice of registered persons.
Consequently, the ECSA is the only body in South Africa that is authorised to register engineering professionals and bestow the use of engineering titles, such as Pr Eng, Pr Tech Eng, Pr Techni Eng, Pr Cert Eng, on persons who have met the requisite professional registration criteria.
ECSA has given approval to voluntary associations, recognised as such in terms of the Engineering Profession Act, 2000 (Act 46 of 2000) (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”), and accredited tertiary educational institutions to run activities which will be acknowledged for obtaining CPD credits. CESA is a recognised voluntary engineering association of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).
Source: https://www.ecsa.co.za/about/SitePages/What%20Is%20ECSA.aspx
The Southern African Asset Management Association (SAAMA)
The purpose of SAAMA is to promote the interests of asset management and maintenance as a whole, as well as to uplift the asset management and maintenance practitioners in Southern Africa.
The purpose of SAAMA is to promote the interests of asset management and maintenance as a whole, as well as to uplift the asset management and maintenance practitioners in Southern Africa.
Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA)
CESA is a voluntary association of Consulting Engineering firms with a member base across the country totaling in excess of 560 companies. CESA is the custodian of the wellbeing of the industry supported by member firms who employ approximately 21 000 people.
CESA is a voluntary association of Consulting Engineering firms with a member base across the country totaling in excess of 560 companies. CESA is the custodian of the wellbeing of the industry supported by member firms who employ approximately 21 000 people.
What is a CPD point, unit or credit?
CPD IS THE HOLISTIC COMMITMENT OF PROFESSIONALS TOWARDS THE ENHANCEMENT OF PERSONAL SKILLS AND PROFICIENCY THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS.
The credibility of a profession is based on the willingness of each professional to embrace new skills, knowledge and experience. Life long learning is a hallmark of committed and competent professionals. Ongoing learning, both formal and informal, is the responsibility of every professional across all industries to maintain competence and acquire new knowledge and skill.
When completing CPD it is important to keep a record of the training completed each year, what learning objectives have been met, and what skills will be put into practice to improve and increase proficiency; you can track these with your CPD points, units or credits. The training record kept by an individual is typically called a CPD portfolio.
What are the benefits of CPD?
Continuing Professional Development is essential in helping individuals, organisations or entire industries to keep skills and knowledge up to date. Providing CPD enables organisations to become a knowledge bank to key stakeholders of your organisation. CPD accredited training courses, workshops and events allow professionals to use the learning time towards individual CPD requirements.
What are the principles of CPD?
- CPD acknowledges varying learning styles and includes a wide range of formal and informal learning activities.
- The key principles of CPD are that it is self-directed; that it is based on learning needs identified by the individual; builds on an individual’s existing knowledge and experience; links an individual’s learning to their practice; and includes an evaluation of the individual’s development.
- CPD requires professionals to identify their learning needs based on an evaluation of their practice against recognised professional standards; develop a learning plan based on the needs identified; participate in CPD activities which meet these learning needs; and reflect on the value of these activities to their practice.
Category One: Developmental activities
These are activities which are presented by:
- an accredit third party activity provider; such as Gert Oberholster Consulting; and
- which have been validated by a recognised Voluntary Association; such as SAAMA and CESA.
Typical Category One activities are conferences, workshops, seminars, training courses (technical or professional).
Credit values are time-based and activities are classified as either non-interactive or interactive and attendance or participation.
Non-interactive Category One activities are valued at 1 credit per 10 hours of attendance.
A full day activity such as a conference is regarded as earning 1 full Category One CPD credit. A 1 hour lecture would carry 0,1 CPD credits. A question and answer session at a conference is not considered to be interactive.
What is a CPD portfolio?
A CPD portfolio helps keep a track of progression from year to year. It is an individual’s evidential documentation of their Continuing Professional Development obligations for their professional body or association. Contained within a CPD portfolio would be the register of activities, such as training courses, workshops and educational events attended, as well as a copy of the delegate CPD certificates for each activity. These act as validation that the learning has been completed.
As a general rule, when recording your Continuing Professional Development in a CPD portfolio, it should contain the following information:- Date of CPD activity, Title of CPD activity, Brief description including learning objectives, the method of learning (i.e. training course, workshop, event, eLearning), number of CPD hours, points or credits and the overall learning outcome.
A free CPD porfolio template is available from ECSA at this link:
https://www.ecsa.co.za/cpd/MaintainReg/ECSA_CPDForm_ECPD1.pdf
