Abstract
There is a tripartite pull from academics, industry and professional bodies on the development needs of the Quantity Surveyor (QS). At best, there is scope for misunder-standings between the stakeholders as to what is being required and what is being achieved. At worst there may be actual gaps in the education and/or training being offered and some discrepancies between the levels of attainment. This research sought to review the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) QS competencies and their application in the delivery of QS degree programmes. The changing development needs of QSs who satisfy the aspirations of industrial, professional and academic stakeholders were investigated through content analysis of the views of an expert forum consisting of relevant stakeholders and a series of competency mapping case studies. The study revealed that there are considerably different standards right across the RICS accredited QS programmes with respect to coverage of competencies. It is concluded that there is no standard benchmark in achieving competencies and it is open to individual interpretation. Further research in the development of a Graduate Competency Threshold Benchmark is suggested to align the disparate views of the stakeholders to accommodate changing development needs.
Highlights
Quantity Surveying is the profession that is well established in the British Commonwealth as being responsible for the management of cost and contracts in the construction industry (RICS, 1971, 1983; Male, 1990; Pheng and Ming, 1997; Bowen et al, 2008; Ling andChan, 2008)
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has created a set of Core Competencies which, if they are to be fully achieved by candidates for membership, requires active cooperation between the academic sector and the industrial sector through the operation of their business
The development needs of quantity surveyors are highly influenced by the needs of the industry and profession and shaped by the perception of academia that produces Quantity Surveyor (QS) graduates to the profession
Summary
Quantity Surveying is the profession that is well established in the British Commonwealth as being responsible for the management of cost and contracts in the construction industry (RICS, 1971, 1983; Male, 1990; Pheng and Ming, 1997; Bowen et al, 2008; Ling andChan, 2008). On the one hand it sends messages to the universities that it wishes to see programmes which lean more towards the “academic” rather than the “technical”, whilst on the other hand it sends messages to employers that they should accept graduates issuing from its accredited degree programmes as being appropriately qualified to take positions at higher than technician grade (for which the RICS itself has a specific training route via the HND / Foundation Degree). This can create ambiguities and wrong impressions to the industry, creating conflicts in expectations. The RICS has created a set of Core Competencies which, if they are to be fully achieved by candidates for membership, requires active cooperation between the academic sector (providers of basic subject knowledge and certain academic skills) and the industrial sector (providers of practical skills training) through the operation of their business
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