KUCHING – Think like an entrepreneur, develop professional business acumen and gain in-demand quantity surveying skills with Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus’ new Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Honours).
The Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Honours) is a four-year programme with intakes in February and September. It is designed to equip graduates with solid knowledge, professionalism, creativity, analytical capability and problem-solving ability in the field. A highly practical programme, it allows graduates to apply current theory and real-life data to a contemporary business environment, making them the creative, innovative and highly versatile quantity surveyor that is highly sought after by employers.
Graduates will be equipped with sound knowledge in managing organisations engaged in construction from the multiple perspectives of the client, consultant and contractor. With distinctive focus placed on construction firm management, students can gain insight on various aspects such as finance, organisation, project procurement, contracts for design and construction as well as information and communication technologies in the construction sector.
Swinburne Sarawak is a great choice when it comes to furthering one’s studies in Quantity Surveying. Not only does the university have dedicated Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform – Autodesk and Bentley System, CubiCost, CostX, Primavera P6 and Navisworks, but students can also learn from industry leaders and academics who are highly experienced experts in the field.
Ts Dr Chai Chang Saar, Discipline Leader for Built Environment and a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science at Swinburne Sarawak, described the university’s Quantity Surveying graduates as digital tech-savvy.
“The new era of quantity surveyors must be equipped with a digital technologies skillset, being at least familiar with BIM platform software (Revit, CubiCost, CostX, Primavera P6, Navisworks and so on) to compete in the employment market. Digital twinning ‘toys’ such as 3D laser scanner, 3D printing, Augmented/Virtual Reality and drones will be value added for quantity surveyors to embrace the upcoming digital challenges,” he said.
He said Swinburne Sarawak’s Bachelor of Quantity Surveying practises research-led teaching, where students have the opportunity to venture into the latest digital twinning systems in construction and also nurture their problem solving and decision-making skills.
Elaborating on the promising job prospects for Quantity Surveying graduates, Dr Chai said that they will have multiple career options relating to authorities, developers, general contractors, special trade contractors, suppliers and BIM consultants.
“The demand for quantity surveyors is directly dependent on the demand for construction projects. There is no civilisation without development. As long as there are new projects, the quantity surveying profession will survive. It is foreseeable that digital technologies will help in giving an accurate Bill of Quantities. Therefore, quantity take-off jobs might be reduced to a great extent. However, there are other aspects such as site evaluation for interim payments, contractual issues and tendering exercises that still require people to work out the prices.
“Besides, the critical attributes that cannot be replaced by machines are the thoroughness, diligence and ability to hold information in a quantity surveyor’s head and reconcile it. A quantity surveyor needs to sift through a lot of contract documentation, identifying the inconsistencies and examining risk ownership. They must also be good negotiators and be able to hold the contractual principles to get a good deal for the employer. In short, the quantity surveying profession will be changing, but it will not become obsolete with digital technologies in the foreseeable future,” he explained.
“Lastly, but most significantly, the demand for quantity surveyors is never-ending! Building construction is a perpetual call as long as mankind exists. Hence, there will never be a shut-down for the post of quantity surveyor,” said Dr Chai.
Swinburne Sarawak offers a range of scholarships, bursaries, payment plans and financial assistance to ease the financial burden of students and their families. Students who have performed well in their previous studies could be awarded one of the many scholarships offered by Swinburne Sarawak.
Students can learn more about the various courses and scholarships available by visiting Swinburne Sarawak’s website, calling +6082-415 353, chatting with Swinburne’s Education Counsellor via WhatsApp at +6019-819 6353 or sending an email to study@swinburne.edu.my. Students can make an appointment for on-campus face-to-face education counselling from Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm. Online counselling on demand is also available from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 10pm.
For more information about Swinburne, visit its website (www.swinburne.edu.my), Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).