To reduce unemployment in the country, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has trained young Nigerian graduates on how to be valued in the labour market.
In his welcome address at the 4th quantity surveyors/project managers job/career fair in Abuja with the theme: “Evolving roles for the quantity surveyor in a dynamic world: Issues, prospects, competencies and capacities”, the president of the institute, Michael Olayemi Shonubi, said the idea for holding the event is to expose the younger ones who have just finished school and are seeking for employment on how to start something for themselves.
He said, “We are looking for how we can expose them to see how they can fit into the labour market. We had three versions of this in the past, which is in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja and this is the fourth edition.”
He said the young ones should note that the sources of information have moved from a profession where you do take notes, read and conduct research for valuation to the evolving rules of the profession.
“So, begin to expand your vision and realism to see other rules that are emerging. So, you need to develop that capacity, do not just write a CV and say you are going to look for a job. What value are you bringing to the table? I can tell all of you that what the employers want is the value that you are going to bring to the company.
That the employer is always of the concern that what value do the employee bring to his company. It is quite convincing that you are bringing value but if there is no value the employer should not have employed you,” he said.
Speaking on the theme of the event, the former governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar noted that the role of quantity surveyors has gone beyond their traditional duties in the building construction industry. Thus, the challenges that need to be confronted by QS professionals today are greater in order to meet clients need.
He said, “The traditional role of quantity surveying was seen as measurement and bill of quantities. Overtime, this traditional role has evolved to include determining project budgets, measuring project quantities, preparing contract documentation such as Bills of Quantities and cost control, administering contracts, and preparing final accounts.
“However, the various economic developments, countless studies and technological growth have prompted the roles of quantity surveyors. When the factors were analysed, the results showed that the development trends in the building economics that happened in the end of the 20th Century had significantly impacted and shined the rules of people in the quantity surveying profession.
“Factors like market changes, construction industry and clients’ needs were accountable either as threats or opportunities, pushing the quantity surveying profession to change in order to remain relevant in the industry. While the dynamics of this profession cannot be undermined, the pace of accepting these changes to continue to exist in the future cannot be over emphasized.”
He said another skill that quantity surveyors need to master is in the use of information technology and a variety of software to ensure that they are more competitive with the other players in the industry in serving their clients.
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