The President, Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN), Malam Murtala Aliyu Surveyors has advised Architects, Town Planners and other Professionals in the Built Environment to build up their skills and be strategically positioned to meet up with increasing global competition.
He stated this while delivering the 10th Annual Lecture of the School of Environmental Technology (SET) at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
Aliyu called on professionals in the Built Environment to adopt the development of Building Information Modelling (BIM) saying “BIM gives the designer a visual effect of his design and the flexibility to simulate his structure, modify it to satisfaction much more than what a sample hand built model will ever master.”
He called on the universities and other training Institutions to keep track of changes in all fields of knowledge, maintain and sustain efforts to remain within the international benchmark.
Aliyu also called on the professional practitioners to modernize their services, corporatize their practices, enlarge the size of their firms to cope with the global trend and be competitive.
According to the former Minister of State for Power and Steel and Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (FNIQS), who spoke on the topic Knowledge and Skills: The Challenges of Scientific and Technological Development in the Built Environment, “the speed at which dramatic changes occurs is challenging, alarming and is of consequence if we are to ensure our educational and national interests with global trends.
“With all geographical borders collapsing and competences increasing daily globally, we must prepare for the global competition, otherwise, professionals better prepared for the future challenges would replace us because of our inability to adapt to the changing landscape of the global economy.”
Aliyu called for curriculum review to meet the world standard and cited the example of some Universities in the United Kingdom where some Universities have since renamed the profession of Quantity Surveying as Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management, adding that government should refocus attention on education and research and to be deliberate about increasing funding and other forms of assistance and support to the educational and research institutions.
He also recommended collaboration between the academic and the industry for national development. “There must be a partnership and collaboration between research and the industry for the benefit of both and that of humanity.”
He appealed to students to keep learning and updating their knowledge so as to remain relevant and prepare for current and future challenges in the global arena.
The Chairman at the occasion and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joseph Fuwape represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Professor Philip Oguntunde said information technology is one of the most rapidly growing industries that apply to all professionals.
“It thus implies that as professionals in the Built Environment and by extension every one of us, we need to be abreast with this changes in the information technology revolution so as to be able to cope with the challenges that comes with them.”
He described Aliyu as a technocrat with vast experience in the Built Environment.
The Dean, School of Environmental Technology (SET), Professor Bolaji Kashim said the topic aligned with an area of interest to the Nigerian Policy makers, including consultants, academic, researchers and students.
