[OSGeo Africa] Professional GISc registration

Fri Jan 17 01:07:43 PST 2014

Hi Zoltan,

Thanks for the information. I will definitely have a look and see if I
can get any letters behind my name.

Cheers
Hanlie

> Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 10:24:24 +0200
> From: Zoltan Szecsei <zoltans at geograph.co.za>
>
> Hi,
> In an effort to preserve message threads, I have cut and pasted Hanlie's
> issue directly into Gavin's thread.
> My comments (bottom-posted below) refer to Hanlie's plight, and not to
> Gavin's post regarding "call for Professional registration", on which I
> have a softer viewpoint.
>
>
> On 2014/01/16 10:51, Gavin Fleming wrote:
>> Hi all
>>
>> I'm at the GISSA national council meeting and professional
>> registration is under discussion.
>>
>> The message: take professional registration seriously and get
>> registered, no matter what area of GIS you practice in. Ultimately it
>> will become illegal to do paid GIS work without being registered...
>>
>> For the Government FOSS policy to happen then, it means that all we
>> FOSS GIS advocates must ensure we're registered so we're not excluded
>> from government work. Professional registration is already required
>> for government tenders and posts.
>>
>> For those of you with fifteen years experience up to Dec 2012, the
>> Grandfather clause for Professional GISc Practitioner is opening up
>> again shortly - take this opportunity. Don't ask me for details, keep
>> watching GISSA, PLATO, PositionIT, etc.
>>
>
> On 2014/01/17 09:07, Hanlie Pretorius wrote:
>> I would love to register because of the reasons you mentioned, not
>> because I believe in the process. But I don't have a full time job and
>> I don't have a mentor. I wonder how many people have the kind of job
>> that provides all of the topics to be able to register?
>>
>> In my opinion South Africa doing its best to become a nanny state with
>> all of the disadvantages and none of the advantages.
>>
> Hi Hanlie and list.
> I would like to clarify a few things about PLATO registration.
> Please take note that whilst I have some experience in the PLATO
> academic model and the registration process, _I do NOT speak for PLATO_
> - direct questions (as opposed to discussions) need to be sent to The
> Registrar at plato at icon.co.za
>
> Aside from special situations like the Grandfather Clause, there are
> basically two ways to get registered:
>
>  1. Study a specific PLATO accredited course at a PLATO accredited
>     learning institution
>  2. Study relevant courses at any other learning institution and if you
>     feel that they match the PLATO academic model, apply for
>     registration accordingly.
>
> Regardless of which academic route you took, once qualified (in fact
> even before you are qualified), you need to register in the specific
> category as an "In Training" candidate.
> After you have qualified, you need to go through a WIL ("Work integrated
> Learning") period, which is where you need a mentor.
> For those who qualified some time back, they can submit their
> registration application with the WIL form already filled in and signed
> off, and bypass the "In Training" phase.
>
> If strict PLATO rules are applied, you mentor needs to have been PLATO
> registered in a suitable category for 5 years before they can mentor
> anyone. Because the Grandfather clause needs some 15 years experience,
> Professionals registered via this clause are (obviously) deemed to have
>  >5 years experience, so can act as mentors.
> Furthermore it is acknowledged that the GISc category is newish, and for
> those applying for registration as per (2) above, they can put forward a
> (suitable) non-PLATO registered professional as their mentor. Such
> mentors need to be "approved" by PLATO. Applicants that apply via (2)
> above also sometimes find that their superiors are no longer traceable
> (emigrated etc) and cases can be built to support their WIL claims
> without that mentor's signature.
>
> Now, back to Hanlie:
> It is applications via 2 above, that I wish to bring to everyone's
> attention.
>
> Start by going to http://www.plato.org.za/4regnotestrain.php and
> clicking on the GISc tab. If relevant, use one of the categories above
> the "In Training" link before clicking the GISc tab.
> Download the wealth of documents there  - especially the "GIS Self
> Assessment Tool"
> This is a new tool, so please be constructive if you have trouble using it.
>
> Take note of its contents in the definitions tab of the tool
> spreadsheet. This is the Academic model needed for registration.
> Obtain a transcript of the courses you have studied.
>
> In order to fill in the self assessment fields on the "Application"
> sheet, you will need to look at the content of your courses passed, vs
> the content of this PLATO academic model. You will then find that your
> undergrad and honours degrees play a role in that you apportion the
> credits in the appropriate PLATO categories.
> *Be careful not to use credits more than once:*
> ie GIS 101 may be 16 credits but the topics covered in this GIS101 are
> listed in the PLATO Maths, Physics and GIS sections - you must then
> apportion the 16 credits (and no more) accordingly to the PLATO categories.
> *Be careful not to use credits that are not relevant, in the wrong PLATO
> knowledge area:*
> GIS 102 is 20 credits, but covers topics like algebra, electromagnetic
> waves, and why plants survive in different climates - this last "plant"
> section has nothing to do with the PLATO academic model, which means you
> should downgrade the original 20 credits of this GIS102 as only being
> (say) 16 credits towards PLATO - Note that these 4 downgraded credits
> are filled in under "Further time for electives" (as are other courses
> you did, that turn out to be non-PLATO relevant.)
> *Thesis*
> This is _mostly_ handled under "Category Specific Research Project. "
> If however you find that you are (very) slightly short in some of the
> knowledge areas, and you "self taught" yourself those skills _because
> you needed them to do your thesis_, you may allocate some credits away
> from your thesis to those shortfalls - but you MUST make this clear to
> to PLATO that you are using "thesis credits" in these areas, and you
> must provide substantiating evidence that you had to use those skills in
> your thesis.
>
> Along with your submission you must provide support for what you claim -
> eg: Courses passed, course transcripts used for your credit allocations,
> and whatever else you think will make the PLATO assessor's life simpler
> in understanding how you completed your self assessment.
>
> Also take a good look at the WIL (Work Integrated Learning - your
> "articles") - If you are not fresh out of Varsity, make sure you have
> covered the WIL ground needed. If not, you will be headed for an "in
> Training" registration. If your WIL is complete and signed off, you
> might just be headed for a Law Exam and a 3000 word essay on
> "Professionalism and Ethics".
>
> The aim of my post is to encourage you all to see how close you are to
> attaining some form of PLATO (actually, pretty soon, SAGC) registration,
> and to debunk some myths about mentorship and WIL.
>
> If I have made any errors in my text above, please accept my upfront
> apologies - but above all, I do not speak for PLATO, and my post is to
> encourage you to try anyway, via a self assessment.
>
> HTH,
> Zoltan
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> ===========================================
> Zoltan Szecsei PrGISc [PGP0031]
> Geograph (Pty) Ltd.
> GIS and Photogrammetric Service
>
> P.O. Box 7, Muizenberg 7950, South Africa.
>
> 65 Main Road, Muizenberg 7945
> Western Cape, South Africa.
>
> 34? 6'16.35"S 18?28'5.62"E
>
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> Fax: +27-86-6115323     www.geograph.co.za
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