Consulting engineering firms in South Africa are still struggling to fill critical levels of experience, without which the country will not manage the complex and demanding projects required for sustained growth.
“The most severe challenge lies in filling the ‘middle’ level of professional experience,” said Vis Reddy, managing director of SRK Consulting. “This refers to those engineers and scientists with 10 to 15 years of experience, who are moving into highly responsible positions.”
Reddy noted that, as the older and more experienced consultants retire, the sector has not been able to fully close this gap. While the recent strong performance of the mining industry has been a saving grace for the economy, for instance, it has stretched the capacity of the consulting sector. SRK has been very busy over the past year or two and has experienced a general shortage of experienced senior professionals who play a key role in project teams.
“At the same time, our younger engineers and scientists are stepping up and making a growing contribution across the board,” he said. “The development of this younger cohort results from our concerted eorts to identify talent and nurture it within the company.”
He pointed out that these staff members now have five to ten years or more of mentored experience, and many are becoming professionally registered.
Read the full article on SADC Mining & Construction News
