CESA’S SCHOOL of Consulting Engineering

Founded by Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) in the year 2000, the School of Consulting Engineering (SCE) aims to provide an opportunity for consulting engineers, their clients, and other interested parties in the built environment to enhance their business, professional, and entrepreneurial skills.

The SCE started over two decades ago in a classroom training environment and has transitioned into online training. The school does, however, continue to provide in-house courses to its clients, in person, virtually, and in a hybrid model, where some employees work from a central location and some work remotely.

“This has been a huge success, as professionals within the built environment are often on-site, in another country, or working from home as well as in the office. Our online learning platform allows people to study from anywhere. Furthermore, we have been able to increase the number of courses we offer to over 100, as we do not have to wait for a certain number of people to register for a course,” says Brenda Lacey-Smith, manager: Education & Training, CESA SCE.

While the school offers a multitude of CPD technical courses within the built environment, there are plenty of soft skills CPD courses too. “There is a focus on creating a well-rounded engineer. We offer courses like ‘Excel for Engineers’, ‘Technical and Business Report Writing’, and many other courses on the contractual aspects of project delivery, tendering, as well as conflict management. This is a more holistic approach to building an engineer’s career,” she adds.

Meanwhile, individuals from municipalities, state-owned enterprises, private companies, as well as professional and non-professional engineers also attend the school. “It is great to have various industry stakeholders in one room, as they bring different perspectives to a training course and that further enriches the experience for everyone,” explains Lacey-Smith.

One of the key reasons for the school’s success is CESA’s vast network of industry leaders. “We source qualified subject matter expert as trainers for each course. The school is another vehicle through which CESA can serve the built environment,” states Lacey-Smith.