Following the success of the HKIS Quantity Surveying Division Scholarship Programme last year, this programme is further extended for 2 years. The objectives of the programme are to award students aspired to pursue the quantity surveying profession as evidenced by their electives and outstanding performance in key quantity surveying subjects and to promote quantity surveying as a highly valued profession in the construction industry. 15 scholarships will be awarded this year and also next year for the following quantity surveying degrees, associate degrees or higher diploma:

We have received sponsorship from 10 Quantity Surveying firms for scholarship programme this year and next year. These Companies, in alphabetical order, are: Beria Consultants Ltd.; Davis Langdon & Seah Hong Kong Ltd.; EC Harris (Hong Kong) Ltd.; K C Tang Consultants Ltd.; Northcroft Hong Kong Ltd.; NQS Ltd.; Rider Levett Bucknall Ltd.; Sweett (China) Ltd.; TLS & Associates Ltd.; and WT Partnership (HK) Ltd. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank the sponsors for their generous contributions and continuous support to this Scholarship Programme. The nominations for the 15 awards this year have been received and are being reviewed by the QSD Screening Committee and the results of the awards will be announced soon.

 

In the last two years, visits to mother secondary schools of qualified QS members have been arranged. The school visits arranged in the last two years proved that early introduction to secondary school students about quantity surveying profession can help them to understand the different disciplines of surveying profession and the services provided by quantity surveyors. The early introduction of the quantity surveying profession to secondary school students can attract them to join our profession by selecting quantity surveying degree courses in their continuing studies in the universities.

 

Visit to New Asia Middle School by our Council Member Mr Joe Wu was arranged on 28 March 2012. Visits to 2 other secondary schools are being arranged. Taking this opportunity, I would like to appeal for your help for arranging visits to your mother secondary schools. If you can arrange the visits for us or providing contact details of your mother secondary schools to us, please contact our Promotion Sub- Committee Chairman, Mr Joseph Chong at [email protected] or Ms Natalie Yu of HKIS Secretariat at 2526 3679.

 

3 visits were arranged on 29 March, 3 April and 18 April 2012 to City University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Morrison Hill) respectively. Chairman of the Board of Professional Development, Mr Ricky Chan, Chairman of the QSD Divisional Education Committee, Mr Raymond Kam, QSD Honorary Secretary, Mr KL Wong, QSD Council Members, Ms Amelia Fok, Mr Thomas Tse, Mr Stephen Lam and Mr K C Chang and I joined these visits.

 

During these visits, we explained to the students studying surveying degrees and surveying related subjects about the profession of quantity surveying, the  structure of The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, the membership base, job opportunities and qualifying process under different routes of the new APC system. We also shared our experience in the quantity surveying profession with the students and presented the QSD video. The responses of the students were encouraging. These visits gave us golden opportunities for promotion of the quantity surveying profession to the students. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering of City University of Hong Kong, Department of Building and Real Estate of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Department of Construction of Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Morrison Hill) for arranging these visits for us.

 

In last month’s Surveyors Times, I mentioned that CPD Sub-Committee had planned to diversify its range of CPD events, in terms of topics and types, and to organize about 40 CPD events this year. The talks would not only concentrate on contractual and legal topics but also on other hot topics, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and green measures.

 

In response to members’ requests on more site visits, the CPD Sub-committee had planned to arrange about 10 site visits this year. Up till now, the following site visits had been arranged.

It is inspiring to note that the first 3 site visits (i.e. the site visit nos. 1-3 above) received extremely good responses with full registration within a few days after broadcasting. In this month’s Surveyors Times, we have posted another 4 site visits (i.e. the site visit nos. 4-7 above) scheduled in June and July 2012.

 

For members’ information, QSD had arranged 24 CPD events up to July 2012 (in which 9 CPD events are scheduled in May to July 2012) and we would have some

15 other CPD events (including talks, workshops and site visits) to be announced in the year to come. I am also happy to see that all CPD events, including talks, site visits and training classes, organized by QSD in the past 3 months were full house.

 

Again, I would like to thank all members of the CPD Sub-Committee for their hard-working this year. More importantly, I would also like to thank all members for your support to the CPD events organized by QSD. Should members have any suggestions on the CPD events, you are welcome to advise me at  [email protected] or the Chairman of the QSD CPD Sub-Committee, Mr K L Wong at [email protected] .

 

The QSD Annual Dinner 2012 will be held on 25 May 2012 at the Grand Ballroom of Royal Plaza Hotel. This year, we have the great pleasure in having Mr Marco Wu, Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Housing Society, as our Guest of Honour. Of course, we will also invite other officials and guests from different government bodies and professional institutions to join us.

 

In order to allow the participants to enjoy the Dinner, we will engage artists to be our master of ceremony and performers.

 

We will also have other performances and games during the Dinner. I must add that one of the purposes of the Dinner is to let members to mingle together under a relaxing atmosphere. Taking this opportunity, I would like to appeal for your support and participation in this meaningful event. You will receive our invitation soon and please do not miss this good chance to meet your learned friends and new friends from the surveying profession, other professional institutions and government officials.

 

Following the success of the two-year course of prequalification structural learning (PQSL) arranged two years ago, a new PQSL course is being arranged to cope with the requirement of the new APC system. Under the new APC system, a minimum of 15 PQSL hours are required for every 6 months training period. In this new PQSL course, 18 structured seminars with a duration ranges from 1.5 hours to 3 hours for each seminar covering different aspects of quantity surveying practice will be delivered. The structural learning course aims to ensure that the candidates gain an appropriate level of skills and knowledge prior to attending the APC. Details of this PQSL course will be announced soon. The Sub-Committee responsible for this PQSL course is led by our Honorary Treasurer, Mr Sunny Chan. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage candidates to join the seminars. Not only the participation of the candidates is important to the seminars, the participation of speakers also contributes significantly to the success of this course. If you would like to share your valuable experience with our future  successors, please join us as the speakers of the seminars and contact our Honorary Treasurer, Mr Sunny Chan at [email protected] or Ms Donna Yu of HKIS Secretariat at 2526 3679.