Investigating the impact of accreditation on quantity surveying programmes and the professional and the professional preparedness of graduates.
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Date
2017
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Abstract
Accreditation in South Africa is a relatively new phenomenon compared to other countries.
The United States of America have used accreditation for over a hundred years as a basis for
quality assurance. This private, voluntary system of self-examination and peer review has been
central to the creation of a U.S. higher education enterprise that is outstanding in many respects
(Council for Higher Education Accreditation, 2013). Since the implementation of accreditation
into the South African Quantity Surveying education system at Higher Education Institutes, it
has promised numerous benefits with positive outcomes for universities and graduates.
However, it has failed to convert these promises into a process that adequately prepares
graduates that pass through the quantity surveying education programmes for the working
world of the built environment industry. This investigation sought to discover the reasons why
accreditation was not producing skilled graduates from accredited programmes in South Africa
despite its claimed theoretical benefits.
The research methodology adopted in this study was a quantitative approach. Two close ended
well-structured questionnaires were developed and directed to a sample of quantity surveying
graduates and built environment organisations who were actively practicing quantity surveying
in Kwazulu-Natal. The purpose of the graduate questionnaire was to determine the opinions
from graduates of quantity surveying programmes, their level of work readiness and the skills
and competencies that they require for the world of work. The employer questionnaire
identified the level of graduate quantity surveyors work readiness and the skills and
competencies that they require for professional practice. Further investigations highlighted the
responses of graduates from traditional universities and universities of technology, as well as
male verse female comparisons.
The findings of the study show that quantity surveying graduates were neutral about
programme accreditation criterion and in it adequately preparing them for the world of work
and professional practice. Employers agreed that students did not demonstrate a good balance
of theoretical, practical and experiential knowledge. They were neutral about quantity
surveying graduates and their level of work readiness from accredited quantity surveying
programmes. They also regarded a combination of traditional, evolved and emerging skills and
competencies as important for graduates to possess.
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The results indicate that the prescribed programme criterion for quantity surveying
programmes do not align themselves with the expectations and needs of professional practice.
Further findings indicate the SACQSP routes to registration requires students to graduate from
accredited quantity surveying programmes. Only then can graduates professionally register and
practice as professionals in society. However, it should be noted that most organizations
(72.7%) did not require quantity surveying graduate employees to be registered with the
SACQSP. A further analysis of quantity surveying graduates from traditional universities
compared to universities of technology and male responses compared to female responses were
conducted. The findings showed that there were no statistically significant differences between
the them.
To conclude, the current quantity surveying programmes offered by higher education institutes
do not meet the requirements of the built environment industry by adequately preparing skilled
quantity surveying graduates. The following recommendations were highlighted to assist in
improving the current higher education quantity surveying programmes. These
recommendations include an increased role and involvement of the built environment industry,
collaboration between the SACQSP, higher education institutions and the built environment
industry and future programme development.
Description
Masters degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.