The Registration Process

GUIDELINES ON THE SAGC REGISTRATION PROCESS

In terms of the Geomatics Profession Act (Act 19 of 2013) a person can register in different branches, e.g. Land surveying, Engineering surveying, Mine surveying, GISc and in different categories, e.g. Professional, Technologist or Technician. The registration process consists of the following stages:

1. Completion of an academic qualification that complies with the requirements for registration in the particular branch and category.
2. Registration as a candidate.
3. Completion of the prescribed practical training (work integrated learning).
4. Write and pass the prescribed SAGC Law exams and assessments.
5. Registration in the respective category

 1.    COMPLETION OF ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION

1.1

An applicant who has obtained a qualification accredited for registration where to study (sagc.org.za)may commence with the practical training/WIL after completion of the qualification. It is recommended that such a person then register as Candidate in the particular category as soon as possible upon completion of the qualification. See paragraphs 2 and 3 below.

1.2

A person with a foreign qualification, or South African qualifications which are not accredited for registration, may apply to the SAGC for recognition of the qualification. This requires the comparison of his/her qualifications with the Academic Framework, which sets out the academic content required for each registration branch and category. (Guidelines for GISc April_2015 V1.1x (sagc.org.za)) The procedure for such an application is as follows:

1.2.1.	The applicant must compare the content of his/her qualification(s) with the contents of the different academic models to determine in which category he/she qualifies; this could be for example GISc Technologist,  Survey Technician, etc.
1.2.2.	The applicant must then complete a self-assessment on the SAGC website (SAGC Geomatics self assessment tool |) to prove that his/her qualifications meet the SAGC requirements in all the Knowledge Areas (KA’s). Take note of the following important steps:
1.2.3.	For each KA the applicant must fill in one or more modules in his/her qualification which has the same content as the particular KA.
1.2.4.	Note that one may not use (match) more than the total number of credits of a module. For example, if a module has 12 credits one may not use 12 credits against one KA and another 6 credits from the same module for another KA.
1.2.5.	If a module has 12 credits one may use, for instance 8 credits against one KA and the other 4 credits against another KA.
1.2.6.	In South Africa the credits are normally indicated by the University on the academic record. One credit = 10 notional hours of learning which include lectures, self-study, practicals, assignments and assessments. One year of a university undergraduate program is regarded as 120 credits.

1.3	The application must be submitted to the Registrar’s office with the following documents:

1.3.1.	The correct application form and payment of the required application fee
1.3.2.	Certified copies of completed qualifications and full academic records from the universities
1.3.3.	Syllabi (course/subject content) of all modules completed
1.3.4.	Completed self-assessment referred to in paragraph 1.2.2 above

1.4	The application will be sent to an SAGC assessor who will make a recommendation whether the applicant meets the academic requirements for registration.

1.4.1.	If the assessor recommends that the applicant meet the requirements, the application is considered by the Qualifications Assessment Committee for final approval.
1.4.2.	If the assessor recommends that the applicant does not meet the requirements, this finding is communicated to the applicant. The applicant may then submit additional evidence to strengthen his/her application.

 

 2.    REGISTRATION AS A CANDIDATE

A person must register as candidate before he/she commences with the practical training. The purpose of this registration is for the SAGC to be aware that the candidate has completed his/her academic studies and will now commence with the practical training. The SAGC will inform the candidate of the requirements for the practical training. The candidate must also inform the SAGC where he/she will be doing this training. See paragraph 3.1.2 below for the requirements of a mentor.

 

 3.    COMPLETION OF PRESCRIBED PRACTICAL TRAINING/WIL

3.1	Once the academic requirements of the application are approved the applicant must register as a Candidate prior to commencing with the practical training/work integrated learning (WIL), noting the following:

3.1.1.	For each branch and category there are certain categories in which a person must obtain a minimum number of days training. The requirements are detailed in the respective Notes for guidance which can be downloaded from https://www.sagc.org.za/4regnotestrain.php.
3.1.2.	This training must be done under the mentorship of a registered person. This mentor(s) must be registered as a Professional with the SAGC for a minimum of 5 years.
3.1.3.	A person may do different parts of the practical training with different employers and mentors, but such periods may not be shorter than 2 months per employer/mentor.
3.1.4.	Upon completion this must be submitted in the prescribed format to the SAGC for consideration and approval.

 

 4.    LAW EXAMINATION AND ASSESSMENTS

4.1.	In some cases an oral interview will be conducted with the applicant and a Trial survey must be completed. The SAGC will inform candidates of the requirements.
4.2.	Each applicant must write the specified SAGC Law exam(s) which is/are conducted twice a year. The syllabus for the law examination can be obtained from  law_exam_syllabus.pdf (sagc.org.za).
4.3.	Persons applying to register in the Professional category must write an essay on Professionalism and ethics – see the Notes for Guidance for details.

 

 5.    REGISTRATION WITH SAGC

5.1.	Upon successful completion of the SAGC Law Exam(s), the applicant can register in the appropriate branch and category.
5.2.	The candidate must make an oath regarding registration, pay the necessary fees and submit the registration documents.

July 2022