education updates

Briefs from the Halifax Council meeting

ature has blessed this area with sandy beaches, rugged shorelines and colorful gardens.”

This is one of the many descriptions that you will find on the various brochures promoting Halifax, Nova Scotia. Our first major CIQS Council meeting since the 2010 AGM in June was held in Halifax from September 17-19. Some of the Council members were able to experience this on the boat ride around the Halifax harbor from local member Archie Thibault, PQS. The rest of the time we were confined to the meeting room of CBCL Limited and were only allowed out to go back to the hotel or dinner. The educational items tabled at this meeting are:

The final results of the May 2010 examination session show a 75% pass rate.

Registration for the November 2010 examination session as of September 1, 2010 is 36 candidates registering for 72 examinations. This brings the total for 2010 to 78 candidates registering for 145 examinations. This represents an increase of 81% in the number of candidates and a 93% increase in the number of examinations over the previous year.

A negotiating team comprising of Ian Duncan, PQS (F) and Jeff Logan, PQS was formed in late August to review the new reciprocity agreement as proposed by CCA. The reciprocity agreement was amended and will be sent back to CCA for their approval.

It was decided that until the proposed education coordinator is hired, a new approach is required for the updating of our syllabi. The main emphasis will be on the development of the electrical syllabus followed by the updating of the mechanical and architectural syllabi. The development of the heavy civil syllabus will be temporarily put on hold until the existing syllabi are updated.

The coming year promises a positive development in delivery of new programs by the educational institutions:

The B.Sc. degree program in Construction Management program at Red River College, Manitoba is slated to begin in September 2010.

The diploma program in Architectural Technology at Georgian College, Ontario is slated to begin in September 2010.

The B.Sc. program in Construction Management with Quantity Surveying major at BCIT is slated to start in January 2011.

We eagerly await the announcement of a new B.Sc. degree program in Construction Project Management to be offered by a well known educational institution.

The revised Education Policy Guidance Notes are now posted in the Members Only section of the CIQS website. The various routes to the CEC and PQS designations are listed in Section B and should prove very useful for new members.

A draft of the TPE Guidance Notes for Candidates and Supervisors was presented to Council. We are hoping to have this published by the next Council meeting.

A separate report on the PAQS Accreditation & Education Committee 8th meeting held recently in Singapore is published in this edition of the Construction Economist.

David Lai, PQS (F) CIQS Education Administrator