Unit Standards for the national qualifications in real estate approved



Estate Agency industry qualifications finally approved (30-Aug-2004) The unit standards for the national qualifications in real estate have finally been approved, says Bill Rawson, national president of the Institute of Estate Agents. He says the South African Qualifications Authority confirmed this to him telephonically, and that the approved standards should be available on the SAQA website before the end of the month. Rawson says that it has been seven years since the creation of the new qualifications was first mooted, by the Estate Agency Affairs Board, and that his organisation is very pleased that they have, at last, become a reality. "We cannot over-emphasise how important it is for estate agents to have proper professional qualifications," says Rawson. "Gone are the days when the profession required little more than basic sales skills. Today it is in several respects a para-legal occupation, and it becomes more complex and challenging with every year that passes. It is incredible that the authorities have taken so long to establish these qualifications." The new qualifications are a NQF4 (matric-level) certificate, an NQF5 (post-matric-level) national certfiicate, and an NQF6 (tertiary) diploma. In addition to real estate, their curricula include marketing, finance, management, human resources, and mathematical literacy. "The question on everyone's lips," says Rawson, "is: when will the qualifications become compulsory for entry into, and advancement within, the industry? Clearly time must be allowed for courses to be developed and for people to be trained, and we can assume that estate agents who have been registered for a certain period of time will be exempted from having to qualify. We await an announcement from the Estate Agency Affairs Board in due course."