SCE stressed the importance of following the regulations and laws in practicing engineering professions by all engineers, their assistants and technicians and called upon the different sectors to comply with the same, pursuant to Article (16) of the Practice of Engineering Professions Regulating Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. (M / 36) dated 19/04 / 1438 AH, which obliges all engineers and their assistants to register professionally with SCE, in order to protect the professional and engineering work in KSA.
This came in a meeting organized by SCE on Wednesday, 23 Sha'ban 1439 AH corresponding to May 09, 2018 at the headquarters of SCE in Riyadh with a number of HR officials and directors of large companies from KSA's public and private sectors. This meeting addressed a number of themes including, a detailed explanation of the Practice of Engineering Professions Regulating Law, registration and membership method, professional tests and training and professional development in SCE.
The meeting, which was presented by HE Eng. Abdul latif bin Abdullah Al-Harkan, the acting Secretary General of SCE, addressed the Council of Ministers' resolution on issuance of the Practice of Engineering Professions Regulating Law, as well as an explanation of Council of Ministers' resolution to issue the Implementing Regulations of the Law. Al-Harkan stressed preventing any engineering professions practice except after obtaining the SCE professional accreditation and prohibition of engineers employment, who are not professionally accredited by SCE. Engineering firms and companies may not practice the profession without obtaining SCE license, and how the professional degrees and requirements and the duration of the professional accreditation are determined.
The meeting addressed a presentation about fines and penalties of up to one million Saudi Riyals in case of practicing the profession without professional accreditation. This includes also engineering firms and companies that are practicing the profession without an engineering license and employment of an unaccredited practicing engineer subject to being aware of the Law. In addition, the meeting addressed a fine of one million Saudi Riyals and imprisonment for a year in the event of obtaining the accreditation in an irregular manner, or using any media platform without obtaining the license and accreditation, or impersonating the professional degree of an accredited engineer .
The meeting also presented the degrees of professional accreditation for engineers, namely an engineer degree. In such a degree, the focus will be centered on the engineer's training and qualification, and provision of technical assistance to the team working with the engineer. As for the associate engineer, he/she shall have the right to sign the reports and designs alongside a professional engineer, provide engineering services through legal entities, and exercise all engineering tasks under the supervision and follow-up and accreditation of one professional engineer at least.
When it comes to the professional engineer degree, such engineer shall have the right to prepare engineering services in its engineering field, sign reports and plans with direct and indirect responsibility and engineering services, and train engineers at the level of the associate engineer and less. With respect to consultant engineer degree, he/she shall have the right to lead the work teams in various engineering disciplines, along with the provision and accreditation of professional advice, and the professional engineer powers.
The Acting Secretary-General of SCE presented an explanation of membership types in SCE, which was divided into five memberships: first, (engineer / architect /engineering technician), the second type is the membership of support engineering specialization (specialist), third: a technician membership, fourth: student membership, fifth: person interested in engineering sciences.
Al-Harkan also pointed out that the number of engineers registered with the SCE amounted to about 201,614 male and engineers. The number of Saudi engineers amounted to about 45,000 male and female engineers, while the number of expatriate engineers of Arab and foreign countries amounted to about 170,000 engineers. AL-Harkan indicated, at the same time, that SCE organizes professional tests, which are controlled and prepared by an entity specialized in measurement and evaluation and supervised by SCE. The tests are based on objective questions and consist of multiple choice questions. He explained that the aim of these tests is to examine the engineers' basic and professional engineering capabilities in order to obtain professional degrees. They also help the engineer assess his/her performance and professional competence and to know and overcome his/her weaknesses. The tests also measure various capabilities, foremost of which are mental abilities, memory, analysis, composition, evaluation and application. Tests are among the important inputs to the development of education and assuring the quality of educational curricula, measuring the competency of an engineer to work in the Saudi labor market and trade-offs between applicants for engineering jobs to ensure selecting the best candidates.
Al-Harkan stated that the professional tests include Fundamental of Engineering, Fundamental of Architecture, Principles and Practice of Engineering, Principles and Practice of Architecture tests, in addition to Fundamental of Surveying tests, Principles and Practice of Engineering, and Principles and Practice of Surveying tests.
He explained that the Fundamental of Engineering test is an important standard to measure the basic information of fresh graduates, being an important tool to be relied upon when evaluating the graduate's familiarity with engineering fundamentals. The results can be used to measure the application of knowledge in mathematics, science and engineering, design and conduction of experiments, analyze and interpret data, and identify, formulate and resolve engineering problems.
