Fifty-six per cent of engineering professionals surveyed in PPS’s latest survey indicate that there are not enough job opportunities for young engineers in the local sector. A year ago, 46% of respondents said there were not enough opportunities for young engineers.
An Engineering Council of South Africa report indicated that South Africa currently had one engineer per 2 600 people, while international standards required one engineer for every 40 people. This figure, once again, highlighted that there was a dire shortage of engineers in the country, PPS professional associations manager Macy Seperepere noted.
Further, she highlighted that 94% of respondents were concerned about the lack of mathematics and science graduates in the country.
Asked about their confidence in government to effectively deliver on its promise regarding infrastructure spend, survey respondents revealed a confidence level of only 33%. This figure dropped one percentage point from the previous quarter.
South African Institution of Civil Engineering CEO Manglin Pillay said the survey also highlighted the dire need for university and university of technology students to obtain experiential learning.
“Many companies simply do not have the funding to employ or even mentor these young engineers anymore.
“Following the ‘feesmustfall’ protests across the country, it is vital that funding models for student training are revisited. When it comes to the engineering profession, there is certainly a lack of financial support for education and training of engineering graduates.
Pillay believed tertiary institutions needed to increase the entry requirements for students applying for an engineering degree, and possibly needed include a minimum B-symbol pass mark for matric maths and science.
