Real Estate Training Courses Given New Lease

SAPOA Extends its Program

The South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) aims to expand and streamline its existing training and development program in the coming months, with courses set to be launched early next year. In a bid to keep up with current market trends, SAPOA’s two property training programs will be restructured and the quality of the standards improved.

Essentially, the move will see the introduction of an Introduction to Commercial Property Program (ICPP) and an Advanced Commercial Property Program (ACPP). Neil Gopal, CEO of SAPOA says of the new courses, “We are partnering with accredited institutions to ensure control of course standards throughout the country”.

Both the new programs have been implemented in response to member feedback and in a bid to reassess the relevance of information in the current market, working to differentiate between that which has become redundant or erroneous and that which is important. New developments such as the Green Building initiative and the Transformation Charter for the Property Sector will also be introduced.

The restructuring of the existing association ultimately aims to maintain a level of quality control and to set standards on a national level. Desired outcomes will be discussed before commencement and the actual outcomes will be evaluated on completion of the courses.

The assessment will be directed towards the promotion of understanding, applying and disseminating new information. SAPOA’s goal is to partner with universities and provide delegates with a certificate of competency rather than a certificate of attendance.

The ICPP is directed at people who have no previous experience or formal knowledge in either commercial or industrial property. The target group for this introductory course would likely include property administrators and matriculants. It is intended to give an overview of the property market, a general introduction to property terms and the basic principles of property marketing. Successful completion of the ICPP would be a prerequisite for entry into the ACPP.

The advanced course is designed for people who have some prior knowledge and/or practical experience in commercial or industrial property, which translates into around two or three years work experience in the industry. The necessary knowledge would include property economics, important legislative acts, residential and commercial property valuation and an overview of town planning processes in South Africa.

The Chairman of the SAPOA Education, Training and Development Committee, Professor Francois Viruly says, “We believe we are offering a return on investment for any person attending these courses. Our ultimate aim is to align the courses to the new unit standards for the commercial property industry”. Courses are set to begin in the first half of 2009.

The information in this article is courtesy of Jaclyn Lovell (“SAPOA to expand existing property training programme”, ITInews, 9 October 2008).

Property in South Africa.