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Business Reporter
THE Engineering Council of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers have launched a crackdown on unscrupulous engineers using engineering titles without appropriate licences.

According to the two engineering bodies, this was resolved at their recently held biennial 9th congress held in Kariba recently.

The Engineering Council of Zimbabwe (ECZ) and the Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers (ZIE) said in a joint statement that the resolution was reached with a view to public interest in relation to the practice of engineers and engineering organisations.

“Engineering practitioners were requested to regularise their membership.

“Action will be taken against engineering practitioners using engineering titles without appropriate licences as required by ECZ and ZIE,” said the two bodies.

Regarding developing enforcement strategies, ZIE and ECZ agreed to work together in coming up with joint strategies and solutions to problems of unlicensed practice and misuse of engineering titles.

“There was also a request that foreigners who enter the country to work on engineering projects should be registered with the ECZ and ZIE and go through the rigorous process that all engineers in Zimbabwe are subjected to. Engineering practitioners will face tougher monitoring of their skills and know-how in a bid to sharpen up professional development of qualified engineers, under ECZ and ZIE,” said the parties.

During the conference, it was also brought to the attention of tertiary education leaders that it was worrying that a majority of engineering students who complete their tertiary education were not fully equipped for the job market.

“Engineers advised that they wanted to contribute sensibly, shape and redirect certain aspects of Zimbabwe’s educational system so that the knowledge that students acquired theoretically can be applied when the student enters the job market.

“There was a request to make it compulsory for industrial attachment for lecturers.”

ECZ and ZIE said it has been observed that even though Zimbabwean lecturers were doing well, some of them need to do better.

The two parties called on the lecturers to equally take compulsory academic attachments once every academic year to aid practical teaching and learning which will help promote a stronger link.