Ethel the Aardvark goes quantity surveying revisited

Goodbye QS?

In 2000 Building published an article ‘ 'Will we soon be drying a tear over a grave marked RIP Quantity Surveying, 1792 – 2000?’. I have always defended my profession, but recently I’ve begun to have second thoughts, perhaps the end is nigh? As I have said many times, I’m no luddite, if in doubt read New Aspects of Quantity Surveying Practice – 5^th Edition but I was concerned this week to learn that one of the largest qs degree courses in the UK has cut the amount of time devoted to taking off quantities by half and is being delivered digitally. Sounds a bit like running before you can walk to me. Apparently, the students are happy with this development, probably because measurement has always been a bete noire for many students but, what does it say about the future of the profession and is industry happy with this? Set against this, one of the most popular textbooks for taking off quantities Willis’s Elements of Quantity Surveying, now in its 14^th edition, for which I have greatest respect, includes all it’s taking off examples in dimension paper format, stating that this is the best format for a textbook. So, who’s right? It’s not news for me to come across quantity degrees without measurement. A few years ago, when I was delivering NRM2 CPD events, it was common for recent qs graduates in the audience to admit to having little or no experience of taking off. You may ask as I did, what on earth are you doing here? One of the reasons for the decline in teaching measurement is that people who can and are prepared to deliver taking off lectures, that’s people like me, are like hen’s teeth. Increasingly university lecturers are appointed based on their research profile, which unsurprisingly does not include measurement. It seems a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy. In few years, there will be no one left to teach taking off quantities and it will be removed from the curriculum or taught by people who have a generic built environment background. And of course, measurement is the basis of other important disciplines such as estimating cost planning and technology. Is this what we want?

Academia and industry have, in my experience never seen eye to eye. Is it education or training? On one hand academia would like to think they are producing scholars whereas industry would like a ready supply of oven ready, self-basting graduates. And of course, we are still waiting for the RICS to finalise its thoughts on future surveying educational pathways.

Duncan Cartlidge FRICS

www.duncancartlidgeonline.com

Also on YouTube