SAIChE IChemE president David Lokhat summarises the new collaboration agreement between SAIChE and IChemE, which will link South African chemical engineers to the international chemical engineering community and provide access to the benefits associated with the larger global Institution.
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In July 2014 SAIChE and IChemE signed a collaboration agreement to connect our two professional communities. The intention was to connect SAIChE members with an international chemical engineering community and provide access to the benefits associated with a larger Institution.
Since 2017 we have been working closely with IChemE’s leadership to explore how our two organisations can best work together to deliver the sentiment of the 2014 agreement. Reshaping these collaborative arrangements has also provided SAIChE with the opportunity to address some aspects that have not met our expectations.
Since 2014 ‘SAIChE IChemE’ has been the identity under which the collaboration has operated. However, this dual governed body has not provided sufficient recognition of each party’s differences. Moving forward there will be an IChemE National Board in South Africa. This will sit alongside and work closely with SAIChE, with well-defined, separate but complementary remits.
The South African National Board will be part of the IChemE governance structure creating alignment between overall organisation objectives and activity in South Africa. The South African National Board will use and contribute towards learned society activities, benefit from IChemE staff support and peer-reviews via the IChemE Regions Committee, and have access to central funding.
IChemE will provide full membership services, which includes processing annual subscriptions and membership applications. This will improve operating efficiencies and enable members to make payments online via the MyIChemE member portal.
SAIChE will operate as an independent body and continue to fulfil its role as an Engineering Council South Africa Voluntary Association for chemical engineers and the profession. We will continue to be a voice for the profession in South Africa and will support continuing professional development activities independently – by assessing for and awarding ECSA CPD points. In addition, we will work with IChemE to create and encourage active local Member Groups.
What is described above is, in part, a continuation of the provision that has been made available by IChemE over the past five years. To continue to benefit from this, it is fair and reasonable that operations in South Africa align with a global model that is scalable and sustainable, and that members in South Africa make the appropriate contribution in line with their peers in other countries.
The immediately noticeable changes will be largely administrative, but with members continuing to pay a single annual fee for both IChemE membership and SAIChE membership. Longer-term, IChemE’s Strategy 2024 will deliver substantial added-value, which is being underpinned through significant financial investment. This provides access to a broad and diverse volunteer-base, and a staff team of approximately 100 people. Alone, SAIChE does not have the resources to deliver such an ambitious programme but by working with IChemE, we can share an exciting future.
Whilst the new collaborative arrangements respect each organisation’s subtle but important differences, the outcome will be a move towards closer collaboration than ever before.
The below briefly outlines the new arrangements for SAIChE members:
- IChemE’s standard membership offering is available to all members, globally.
- IChemE provides a full membership service to SAIChE, which includes maintaining its membership roll. All those who wish to be members of SAIChE will be required to hold membership of IChemE.
- Those who wish to be members of SAIChE should apply to join IChemE via the online membership application system.
- Existing SAIChE members are recorded on a SAIChE membership roll on the IChemE database. Being based outside of South Africa does not impact this.
- Those wishing to join or be removed from the SAIChE membership roll should contact saiche@icheme.org.
- The Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape Members Groups’ access to IChemE staff support will continue.
- An IChemE National Board is being created in South Africa to connect the membership in the country with IChemE’s broader programme of activity. Governance of SAIChE will be separate but the two bodies will work closely to deliver locally.
- SAIChE will continue to work with ECSA as a Voluntary Association to serve the profession in South Africa.
For more information on the revised arrangements please read the ‘IChemE in South Africa: 2019 onwards’ document via the link below.
www.icheme.org/media/12503/icheme-in-south-africa-2019-onwards.pdf
