The new Critical Skills list, which was gazetted in February 2022, includes numerous Engineering occupations such as Electrical, Chemical and Mining Engineers, which were left off of the draft list.
Jo-Lene Da Silva-Vergottini
Expatriate Solutions Advisor
Inclusion in the list
The Xpatweb annual critical skills survey in 2021 confirmed that engineering skills are of the most sought-after skills in South Africa and employers are looking for highly qualified engineers with many years’ experience. It is not surprising then that engineers were included in the new list, as the demand for their professional skills and experience outweighs the current availability in South Africa.
Also included on the list are technologists and technicians in certain fields of Engineering, however these professions will be required to be registered as professionals in their field with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), which is the statutory professional body regulating this industry.
Qualifications of paramount importance
As with all other occupations on the new list, the qualification requirements for those in the Engineering field are of paramount importance. Those wishing to apply for any of the occupations under the Engineering section will need to have obtained formal qualifications as high as an honour’s degree, comparable to a NQF Level 8 South African qualification.
This can be a difficult endeavour as an NQF 8 honour’s degree is a uniquely South African qualification, which refers to a 1 year post graduate study. Whereas most institutions globally view it as a form of merit in a class system, for example passing your bachelor’s degree with honours. The requirements for this specific level of qualification thus causes a hindrance for those who wish to apply for a Critical Skills Work Visa.
Skills exodus
As we continue to see South African engineers recruited globally including places like the Netherlands, the shortage of experienced engineers in South Africa will continue to rise. Whilst the new list seeks to assist with the shortage, more should be done to ensure that South Africa produces more engineers in the fields that are so sorely lacking.
It stands to reason then that the South African government should prioritise skills development at the grassroots level to stimulate education in these fields in order to avoid skills shortages of this nature in the future. A possibility for this is a drive by the Department of Basic Education to target those students who are in Grade 9 and needing to choose subjects that they will require to be able to further study in a certain field once matriculated. Currently these students are not given enough information as to the vast number of occupations that they are able to choose from as future careers.
Perhaps a suggestion is that a condensed version of the Critical Skills List be provided to each school and possibly each student, who will then be able to make more informed decisions regarding subject choices for their future studies. This will ensure that more qualified South Africans enter the job market in the fields and occupations that are critically lacking.
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