TYPES OF ENGINEERING

Engineering can be described as the harnessing of materials and forces of nature, through scientific knowledge and information to produce goods and services which people use and need to improve their living standards, welfare and safety.

  • Aeronautical Engineering is the engineering discipline that centres on designing, building, and/or testing equipment used in flight. This may include airplanes, helicopters, missiles, spacecraft, satellites, or even some military equipment.
  • Agricultural Engineering is the engineering discipline that applies engineering science and technology to agricultural production and processing.  It combines the disciplines of animal biology, plant biology and mechanical, civil, electrical and chemical engineering principles with a knowledge of agricultural principles.
  • Chemical Engineering combines the principles of physical science with life science in the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into commercially more valuable products.
  • Civil/Structural Engineering has several branches:
    • Structural — bridges, buildings, towers, power pylons
    • Transportation — roads, traffic control, public transport and airports
    • Water — dams, pipelines, purification works, reservoirs, sewerage purification, storm water management
    • Geotechnical — foundations, excavations, rock anchors and piling, tunnels
    • Urban — municipal services and facilities, development and maintenance of towns, recreational facilities
    • Railway and Harbour — railway networks, facilities in harbours, coastal structures
    • Environmental — impact studies, social and natural environments, harmonizing affected elements and resources
    • Information — capture, transmission and storage of data, use of computers in civil engineering design, communication and reports.
  • Electrical / Electronic Engineering  is categorized into three fields:
    • Electronics and telecommunications — focusing on semi-conductor devices, computer hardware and software, radio and television, microwave and radar systems, antennas, telephone switching systems, digital communications, fibre optics, microelectronics and more
    • Power electrical engineering — generation, transmission and utilization of electrical energy and all its forms
    • Measurements, computation, control and automation — encompassing the areas of instrumentation, microprocessors and robotics.
  • Industrial Engineering deals with improving industrial production and other processes or designs that be more efficient and waste less money, time, raw resources, man-power and energy while following safety standards and regulations
  • Mechanical Engineering is the discipline that applies the principles of physics and materials sciences for the analysis, design, manufacturing and maintenance of mechanical processes and products.  It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the design, production and operation of machines.
  • Mining Engineering deals with the extraction of raw minerals and ore from the earth in mines.

AN ENGINEERING CAREER

There are three distinct categories and thus routes to follow in developing a career in the field of engineering. You may become an Engineering Technician, Incorporate Engineer or Professional Engineer.

Study requirements

The study requirement are as follows:

  • Engineering Technician — complete a National Diploma any of the engineering disciplines over a period of 3 years. This is compose of 2 years of theoretical studies at an approved technical institution and one year of practical supervised training in a workplace.
  • Incorporated Engineer — complete a career oriented, as opposed to academically oriented, four-year B.Tech. degree at an accredited university.
  • Professional Engineer — complete a four-year academically oriented B.Sc. (Eng) degree at an accredited university. Entry requirements include mathematics and science at a higher-grade level.

Entering the workplace

After completion of a diploma or degree studies, a graduate may register with the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN) in an in-training capacity.

Registering as a professional

After a minimum post-qualification training period of three years with an approved employer, a candidate may apply for registration as an engineering technician, incorporated engineer, or professional engineer, provided that the experience gained to date meets with the requirements specified by the ECN.