The current trend in the South African engineering sector appears to be one of rapidly transitioning young engineers into management and leadership positions without them having the necessary experience that comes from years of working on projects.
This is the view of Vernon Joubert, General Manager of Dams, Hydropower and Underground Works at GIBB, South Africa’s leading black-owned engineering and consulting firm. “Traditionally engineers have progressed in their careers through time and experience in the industry, taking years before reaching management positions. “The recent ‘fast track’ trend, while assisting in transformation and filling needed management positions, has resulted in a lack of more specialist technical expertise in the industry. “For businesses to outstand the competition and the unpredictable nature of today, they need to invest time in supporting their most important asset - human capital. This can be achieved through an effective mentorship programme,” states Joubert.A hybrid approach to leadership
With a focus on ensuring growth and sustainability within the engineering industry, both technical and business leaders are vital for the future. “In the past, technical roles were under-recognised, which has resulted in the technical expertise gap we have today, and the expectation that young technical engineers will be fast tracked into either a project management or business management position,” explains Joubert, who believes corporate mentorship programmes provide a more solid grounding for young engineers as they require recognising the specific talents of each individual within their respected streams, and guiding them in that specific direction. Joubert was awarded the 2014 Mentor of the Year award from Consulting Engineers South Africa’s (CESA) AON Engineering Excellence Awards for his outstanding mentorship programmes. CESA prides people on their contribution to engineering and specifically, their commitment to sustaining and developing consulting engineering which is the key to growing the economy. “The engineering industry has perhaps contributed to this mind-set by recognising and rewarding management roles above those of requiring specialist technical expertise. An adjustment in thinking is required,” he continues.Identifying this skills and development gap, Joubert pro-actively mentors and upskills a number of promising young professionals at GIBB, with the one-on-one devotion that mentorship provides.
While there is a critical need for specialist technical skills in the industry, the need for management skills remains, he says. For some individuals there is a right time to start transitioning from a technical path into management. For others, while seniority often comes with some management responsibility, their focus should remain technical.