Quantity surveying jobs involve both financial and contractual management of construction projects. These professionals, accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), are capable of offering services that range from advice on feasibility and procurement to cost consultancy and resolution of disputes. It may be said that those with quantity surveying jobs play an essential role in all construction schemes.

In order to meet the expanding and changing requirements of modern construction projects, quantity surveyor jobs need to be filled by individuals with substantial training and practical experience in fields such as law, economics and management. Specifically, those who currently hold or are aspiring for quantify surveying jobs need to be highly competent in using computer-aided design (CAD) and other information technology (IT) applications. More importantly, they should familiarise themselves with all knowledge and techniques of documentation, measurement, estimating, planning and tendering.

Not only recent graduates who have undertaken a degree in quantity surveying, but also employees from other sectors of the construction industry, may be trained to take up jobs in quantity surveying. The aim is for these people to gain a mixture of hands-on work experience alongside their qualifications, by working side-by-side with qualified quantity surveyors in real construction projects. In other words, such on-the-job training is able to provide these men and women with an in-depth insight into their chosen career route.

Among the crucial aspects of expertise highly demanded in jobs in quantity surveying are advanced knowledge in construction technology, a good understanding of finance and law relevant to the construction industry, and sufficient skills in design economics, environmental services and corporate management. Perhaps the most critical are skills in inter-professional communications and capacities to learn across disciplines. This is because those with quantity surveying jobs need to be in constant contact with people from all walks of life, including clients, architects, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers. Their abilities to draft and interpret contract documents further enable those with quantity surveying jobs to settle issues, avoid disputes and ensure the effective progress of construction projects.

Currently, around the world, the RICS offers more than 500 accredited undergraduate and postgraduate courses in quantity surveying. Having completed their courses, students are eligible for membership following a period of approved professional practice and a final assessment of professional competence by the RICS. It is often the case that these qualified men and women can quickly find jobs in quantity surveying, as in recent decades there has been a considerable shortage of qualified quantity surveyors across various sectors of the construction industry. Particularly in large-scale construction projects that are often complex in nature, the major task of those with quantity surveying jobs is to ensure that everything is designed and constructed in such a manner as to secure value for money, cost certainty and programme dates.

As demonstrated by the RICS?s motto ?There is measure in all things???, the quantity surveyor is a major contributor to the success of all construction projects. Only with training can such success be achieved.