Abstract
M.Tech. (Construction Management)
The objective of this study is to identify the different problems faced by employers and
quantity surveying students; as a result: Employers face students who are unprepared for
the work situation and students face problems in the classroom. The aim is to question
methods which have been applied until now in terms of teaching and learning with a
particular emphasis on quantity surveying. New competencies are being created as the
industry is evolving. It is suggested that a thorough review is needed. The South African
construction industry has grown considerably; this has also brought about a huge demand
for quantity surveyors with estimating skills, but there is also a severe skills shortage in the
engineering sector and more particularly in the building construction sector; these shortages
have exacerbated the situation. This research study aims to assess the problems
encountered by students in the workplace, with a view to identifying how the solutions found
could serve as the main vectors in implementing innovative curricula in tertiary institutions.
The study also examined the role of the industry itself: the ways and means by which the
industry should meet the tertiary institutions halfway to reinforce the basic knowledge and to
develop the core competencies of the individual quantity surveyor and estimator. The
method used in this study was a descriptive method in which structured questionnaires were
given to the respondents in order to determine their views of the industry. Their suggestions
on the different approach which could be followed to alleviate the problems faced by quantity
surveyors to adapt more quickly once they are employed in the industry were investigated.
The higher education system is not doing enough to prepare quantity surveying students
professionally for the performance expected of them in the construction industry. The result
is that employers have to fill the void that some tertiary institutions are failing to address by
implementing continuing professional development (CPD).The curriculum is at risk since it is
stagnating, and a new curriculum and outcomes need to be aligned to employers’
expectations. The lack of knowledge witnessed among new graduates often creates a waste
of time for the companies in trying to get newly appointed graduates up to speed in terms of
the performance expected by the industry. It is therefore important to identify the issues and
to revolutionise the education system.