The South African Institute of Valuers (SAIV) has applauded the recent re-accreditation of three Wits University programmes in the property valuation profession.
“This move is sure to benefit the industry and will see an increased number of professionals enter the market in the coming years,” reports Lerato Pooe, SAIV General Manager.
These programmes have been re-accredited by the South African Council for the Property Valuers Profession(SACPVP), adding to the list of already accredited courses offered by the higher tertiary institution. While the SAIV is a voluntary association with objectives centered around the promotion of the property valuers’ profession in South Africa, SACPVP is the profession’s statutory body that facilitates full recognition of academic qualifications in the valuers’ profession. Their re-accreditation of the Wits programmes means that all the course content and learning outcomes have been approved as aligning to industry standards and best practices and address the skills deficit in the property valuer’s profession.
Professor Samuel Laryea, Head of School: School of Construction Economics and Management at Wits University explains that, in addition to their BSc Property Studies, their post graduate programmes that have recently been re-accredited by SACPVP, and started running in 2022, are:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Property Development and Management
- MSc in Property Development and Management
“After a thorough accreditation process and having prepared the accreditation exercise over several months, I am so pleased to confirm that our courses have been fully re-accredited with no conditions. This will provide more opportunities for the development of valuation professionals, and there is clearly an appetite for this. For our other SACPVP-accredited courses, we have regularly met our target number for registered students. I expect this trend will continue with the re-accredited courses going forward,” says Prof. Laryea.
The postgraduate courses are available to those with an undergraduate degree but are also available to individuals termed as ‘differently qualified’. “This means that people with substantial work experience and professional backgrounds may be accepted into the programmes based on non-academic merits,” Prof. Laryea explains.
We know that the quality of the education they will receive at Wits through these accredited programmes is extremely high, and they will enjoy greater access to employment and benefit from professional development opportunities. Graduates from the programmes are encouraged to join SAIV to ensure that they can grow their careers long after graduation,” says Lerato Pooe.
Wits University Great Hall. Image credit: Wits University
Matsobane Seota, Registrar for SACPVP, is pleased that after two years of disruptions, the accreditation process has been able to resume with scheduled visits to tertiary institutions. “Accreditation is important, as it gives candidate valuers the confidence that they can access high quality programmes to help them gain professional expertise. Students also gain peace of mind that their studies are aligned and up to date with what will be expected of them when entering the workforce. This, to a certain extent, offers some employment certainty,” Seota says.
Seota reports that there are several other accreditation visits in the pipeline for programmes at the University of Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg, and University of the Free State. The Institute welcomes and looks forward to these visits.
