New Architectural Degree And Masters To Boost Industry

The Fiji National University (FNU) will next year introduce the country’s first full architectural degree and masters qualification, a major boost to the local construction industry says FNU Associate Professor in Civil Engineering, Efray’im.
In addition, he said, a Bachelor of Construction Management and Bachelor of Quantity Surveying are expected to be introduced at the University in 2020.
Associate Professor Efray’im will be presenting a detailed paper at the upcoming Construction Industry Council (CIC) conference scheduled from June 14 to 16 at Warwick Fiji Resort on “Training in the Construction Industry.”
“We will also have a diploma to cover the first two years of the degree and in the third year, students can do architectural design,” he said.
After that they can commit another two years to complete a Masters in Architecture.”
He added that once you graduate from that, you are eligible to be a member of the Fiji Architects Association, which also comes under the CIC umbrella.
But Mr Efray’im said before that can happen, the relationship between technical colleges and FNU must improve, since a lot of graduates coming out of technical colleges are being re-trained.
Technical colleges were established to determine how skill development can achieve sustained economic growth through technical skills in various sectors.
“In line with what the construction sector needs, our aim at FNU is for our graduates to be professionally competent and industry ready. So we now have to re-train them to the required standard,” he adds.
Under the Ministry of Education, technical colleges do certificates 1 and 2, while certificate 3 is done at FNU.
“While FNU has accepted about 120 students to do Bachelor of Engineering, and 60 undertaking Diploma in Civil Engineering, there are not more than 30 students who have come in to do certificate 3,” says Mr Efray’im.
He says this reflects the changing labour market demands, with more students interested in pursuing tertiary degrees and not vocational trades, which has led to an acute shortage of trade skills in the construction sector.
“As the conference will discuss, between civil engineering and construction there is a large scope of professional trades that students can pursue from drafting, to surveying, plumbing, electrical to roofing, carpentry, tiling and many more,” he added.
The review of the apprenticeship programme he adds is also timely as industry input will be important moving forward.
“The reality is that not all students will get a white collar office job. There are more than enough students every year to allow vocational training institutions like the FNU to train for both local industry needs and also the global market,” says Mr Efray’im.
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