Industry and Higher Education Integration: A Focus on Quantity Surveying Practice

Abstract

The relationship between professional bodies and higher education (HE) institutes was studied, with particular attention to the roles of each in producing future generations of fully qualified, competent practitioners. The authors examined new and evolving challenges facing consulting quantity surveyors (CQSs) and discuss the complex interactions between these challenges. The analysis is largely based on a synthesis of the literature augmented by the authors’ experiences and continuing involvement in the field. The findings reveal a number of challenges relating to the contemporary knowledge and skills demands of
CQS and the mechanisms by which these assets are transferred to them. Accordingly, the authors signpost future industry–HE integration in a CQS context. The study is relevant to academics and practitioners alike in its aim to engender wider and constructive debate in the field. Further research is suggested, to include a broader examination of the effectiveness of industry and HE relationships beyond the single profession investigated here.