Engineers Registration Board (ERB) has announced that the 1st Engineers forum will be held on the 29 – 31st July 2019 in the capital Gaborone. The aim of the forum is to address challenges faced by engineers as well as spread the footprint of ERB across the country.
“One of our initiatives was to come up with a platform where we can have engineers and any other stakeholder in the engineering industry, where we can come together and discuss issues of national interest as far as engineering is concerned,” said ERB Chief Executive Officer-Dennis Olaotse.
He highlighted that when efforts are made to meet and grow the potential of Botswana’s trade sector, it can and will contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Adding that direct contribution in this regard is ensuring the country benefits from the services of a competent and ethical engineering profession, which will drive quality infrastructural development.
Olaotse said that the board will like to see Botswana being the center of some international conferences as to discuss global engineering issues and not always being the one going out of the country.
Meanwhile the Project Manager of ERB Clare Mosarwe stated that they are not the only ones that are going to be involved in the organizing of the forum as they have started co-opting for other people to come and assist them in terms of facilitation for the forum.
“Even though at the moment the committee is still made up of 6 ERB employees only, in terms of different other committees like for facilitation, we are looking into people who we believe can help us to come up with the right topics for discussions,” she said.
Mosarwe also mentioned that there will be plenary sessions, panel discussions and presentations with 3 sub themes and expecting to get 1 000 to 1 500 participants at a cost of P2 500.00 per person.
She said that one of the key things she believes will be discussed at the forum is the issue of capacitating the students in terms of industrial attachments because people nowadays focus mostly in making money and do not want to give time to training graduates.
However she noted; “The presentations are not yet finalized but we have put together our wish list and I have talked to the facilitation committee that they have to come with the right topics around the areas of mentorship and graduates of engineers.”
Then the Registration Manager of ERB- Mercy Kgosidialwa emphasized that, “By extension we do have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) component, like encouraging engineering innovation at grass roots level and whatever we gain from this forum will be extended to some of the people whom for example some of the schools that we have adopted.”
