Competencies expected of graduate quantity surveyors working in developing countries

Abstract

Purpose Quantity surveying education in Sri Lanka (SL) presently does not appear to be catering to the industry needs indicating that it may not be up to the expected standard. Hence, the purpose of this study is to identify the gap between the competencies of graduate quantity surveyors (QSs) and the competencies that industry in SL expects from them. Design/methodology/approach A hybrid approach was used, consisting of desk reviews, expert interviews and a questionnaire survey. A comparative analysis identifying differences between two competency levels was carried out. Findings Analysis reveals that competencies of graduate QSs in areas of cost planning, strategic planning, risk management, value management, life cycle cost analysis, sustainability, surveying and levelling, research and development, building surveying and business management are at levels higher than industry needs. However, majority of competencies are at levels lower than industry expectations. Research limitations/implications This research was focused only on competencies of QSs who have successfully completed a quantity surveying degree programme accredited by Institute of QSs SL, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Australian Institute of QSs and Pacific Association of QSs. It excluded non-graduates’ competencies as they gain competencies only through work experience. Practical implications This study revealed the need for designing quantity surveying degree programmes to cater to industry needs to ensure that graduates from these programmes are acceptable to the industry. Originality/value This study made an original contribution to knowledge by identifying the gap that currently exists between industry needs and programme outcomes of quantity surveying degree programmes, which could be invaluable when improving quantity surveying education in SL.

Collaborative multidisciplinary learning: Quantity surveying students’ perspectives

“…Built environment graduates, particularly the quantity surveyors of the future, will need to be highly technical, adaptable, good communicators and also lifelong learners undertaking continuing professional development (CPD). This is the view of many proponents in this field, including Nkado and Meyer (2001), Male (1990), Yogeshwaran et al (2018), Shafie et al (2014) and Perera et al (2013). Such a goal provides the modern academic with many challenges.…”

Understanding the key competencies of market-ready building surveying graduates from employers’ perspectives

“…Findings of the study are then presented and discussed before the paper culminates with a conclusion section. Yogeshwaran (2018) highlighted that employers are expecting graduates to become competent professionals at university, via attaining practical knowledge. However, it was found that universities favour providing students with technical knowledge over practical knowledge.…”

Assessing the expected current and future competencies of quantity surveyors in the Malaysian built environment

“…Quantification is the capability of QSs to define and measure construction works to value work and control costs at all stages of the construction process (RICS, 2018). An understanding of the rules and various categories of measurement is needed to quantify construction work in the production of pricing documents (Yogeshwaran et al, 2018). Dada and Jagboro's (2012) This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence.…”

“…presentation skills, and client care (Yogeshwaran et al, 2018). In this vein, business management plays a vital role in organising, analysing and planning various types of business operations in order to attain objectives and justify the existence of the organisation (Oosthuizen and Berry, 2013).…”

“…currently not exhibited by QSs (Oke et al, 2019). In investigating the competencies of graduate QS in Sri Lanka, Yogeshwaran, Perera and Ariyachandra (2018) reported that the majority of competencies are below the industry expectations. For this reason, QSs are not providing or meeting current market expectations, particularly in emerging markets such as Malaysia (Olanrewaju, 2016).…”