Advice on training towards registration with ECSA
We can offer advice on how to develop training programmes, challenge your candidates, monitor progress and prepare for registration and we can provide mentoring services.
The use of mentors in the process of developing candidates is fully endorsed by ECSA as part of its training model.
The ideal training team should be composed of:
- A Mentor: A trusted advisor who is responsible for guiding the career development of candidates
- Coaches: Line managers who are responsible for supervision and ongoing skills transfer
- Management: Responsible/Required? Who shouldto sign a Commitment & Undertaking (C&U) with ECSA committing to offer structured training and a mentorship programme as per the ECSA guidelines
- Candidates: Who although being offered support are required to participate in and take full responsibility for their development.
We can offer input on the ECSA process or formal training courses on the Road to Registration for candidates and mentors alike.
Candidate Development
To develop the outcomes required by ECSA, graduates need to be exposed to a range of activities in the engineering life cycle, appropriate to their organisation and discipline.
Training plans: We can help you develop structured workplace training plans to ensure that candidates are exposed to relevant activities in the cycle to meet the requirements of ECSA and to satisfy your organisations skills needs. The need for the work to become increasingly complex and for the candidate to take increasing responsibility must be factored into the plan.
Reviewing progress: Candidates are expected to write up training and experience reports and participate in regular reviews with their mentors and supervisors, to ensure that progress is being made.
Let us help you put a system in place to manage the process!
Mentoring & Coaching
ECSA requires that graduates are supervised by experienced professionals who are able to transfer skills and ensure that they receive adequate and relevant experience.
A mentor, who may also be the supervisor, is required to plan and oversee the training to ensure the long-term development of competence.
Mentors and supervisors may be experienced internal staff or may be external staff seconded to those organisations with insufficient capacity to develop their own candidates.
Mentoring services
- Supervisors and coaches: Experienced professionals may be sourced to act as supervisors or coaches to ensure that day-to-day tasks are adequately performed, and candidates are coached. They may be appointed full-time or may visit weekly or monthly as required.
- Mentors: Experienced professionals may be sourced to plan and oversee the training process for the duration of the candidacy phase.
Mentors may play a key role in championing an entire candidate programme within an organisation or may visit monthly or quarterly to review individual progress and plan further activities. Mentors can also serve as referees once candidates are ready for registration.
Mentor oversight and advice
To ensure consistency in programmes and to give organisations comfort that their mentoring efforts are in line with statutory requirements, experienced professionals may be sourced to monitor training programmes and offer advice on whether the type of work is adequately complex and varied in accordance with the ECSA Outcomes.