A holistic approach towards young graduates

The South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) is a registration and regulatory body for South African professionals in the natural sciences.

A “practising natural scientist” is a person who practises in the disciplines of the natural sciences, which include fields such as chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, food sciences, zoology and geology.

Although the primary role of SACNASP is to be a registration, regulatory and development body for natural scientists, one of the strategic objectives of the Council is to proactively advise government and relevant stakeholders on the contributions and role of the natural scientific professions in South Africa.

SACNASP is supported by a strong network of voluntary associations (VAs).

Scientists in specific fields of practice organise themselves into VAs.

There are currently 53 VAs that are aligned to SACNASP and promote the interests of their respective professional fields of practice and academic disciplines.

These associations establish and maintain professional standards, as well as contribute towards the knowledge economy and the National System of Innovation.

Some of these VAs offer specialist short courses in their respective disciplines to improve the technical skills of their members. They further publish journals as well as organise conferences for knowledge sharing and networking.

The associations also play an important role in training and education through the development of curriculums and the training of students within the different fields of practice.

One proactive initiative by SACNASP was a report compiled with input from the VAs, which focused on their role in skills development and knowledge production.

The report, entitled The role of SACNASP and its Voluntary Associations in the National System of Innovation, was compiled in conjunction with the Human Sciences Research Council.

A survey was undertaken to assess the contribution by the VAs and affiliated registered scientists towards the realisation of national development imperatives within the National System of Innovation framework.

The report outlined key activities of the VAs, successes and challenges, as well as possible interventions by government, industry and other key stakeholders.

One of the major challenges highlighted in the report included the lack of adequate preparedness of graduates when entering the job market.

In response to this, SACNASP is in the process of rolling out a candidate mentoring programme (CMP).

To ensure that this programme is effective and to the benefit of South African science graduates; SACNASP has embarked on an initiative to enrol final year and post-graduate natural science students at higher education institutions.

This will ensure that there is a pipeline of candidates for the programme.

The additional purpose of the free student enrolment campaign is to create awareness about professional registration, ensure accessibility to information about training and make networking opportunities available.

To date, SACNASP has hosted free student enrolment campaigns at the University of Johannesburg, the University of Pretoria, Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Zululand, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Venda, the University of Limpopo, North-West University, the University of Mpumalanga, the University of the Free State, the Central University of Technology, Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town, and other higher education institutions are to follow.

In 2019, SACNASP will be rolling out the CMP to assist as many of these students as possible to progress in their training and gain exposure to the workplace environment. The Council will embark on a work readiness programme to cover skills such as attending interviews, writing CVs and ethics.

SACNASP is taking a holistic approach towards young graduates, ensuring they enter the work environment with all the tools they need to succeed.