Recognition is a must for quantity surveyors who are
seeking to build a career in Australia. The migration authorities and employers
want proof that your skill set satisfies Australian standards before they will
consider your profile. This is the point at which the AIQS skill
assessment becomes important.
This blog removes the confusion. It breaks down the AIQS assessment
in a straightforward, step-by-step manner so that you can prepare with
assurance.
Why AIQS Skill
Assessment is required?
The AIQS skill assessment is the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors'
body responsible for it. It exists to?ensure overseas-trained quantity
surveyors can demonstrate equivalent competence to those trained in Australia.
Australia has a very professional regime in construction
and cost management. A positive AIQS result indicates to potential employers
and migration authorities that you can work independently.
This evaluation is a requirement for skilled migration
visas and many professions as well. That is why this stage in your career path
is given so much importance.
Careers &
Backgrounds Needing the AIQS Assessment
An AIQS
assessment is
required if you are a cost consultant, construction economist, or quantity
surveyor who received your training outside of Australia.
These are for nationals from India, the UK, Ireland,
South Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. You may still be considered a
quantity surveyor based on your job responsibilities even if your title isn't
precisely "quantity surveyor."
Those who have completed an Australian degree accredited
by AIQS may be exempt. All others will need to use the AIQS process to prove
equivalency.
Educational
Qualifications Under the AIQS Rules
Your educational history is reviewed first. The AIQS
skills test is?concerned with the depth of quantity surveying content within
your qualification.
A degree in architecture or engineering that addresses
contracts, financing, measurement, and cost planning might also be accepted.
Assessors do not judge entire degree titles. They assess
subject lists, learning outcomes and academic accuracy. This is why in the AIQS
evaluation, transcripts hold as much value as certificates.
Work Experience To Validate
Your AIQS Assessment
Experience is Everything in AIQS skill testing. Examiners
want to know if you did the work.
Your preparation of cost estimates, bills of quantities,
tender evaluation, contract management, progress payments, and final accounts
is considered relevant work experience. It should be professional, structured,
and not an informal or randomly scheduled site visit.
An AIQS assessment is about quality, not quantity.
Brief job descriptions are more crucial than lengthy positions with ambiguous
summaries.
Understanding the way
AIQS measures competency
AIQS assesses candidates on the professional areas of
competencyn rather than by job titles. These include the technology of
construction, measurement, financial management, procurement techniques and professional
ethics.
You need to show in your application that you put those
abilities into practice. The AIQS skill assessment
is evidence-based and you must back every claim with examples from real
projects. This is where a lot of applications fail.
Employment References
You Can Trust in the Eyes of the Assessor
Employment reference is one of the most critical sections in
the AIQs assessment. These letters have to confirm your position, working time,
length of employment and responsibilities.
It should be possible to clearly link responsibilities to
the role of quantity surveying.
Experience Assessors place significant weight on these
letters to confirm the experience they assert. You need to have consistency
between your reference letters, CV, and reports, ensuring you pass the AIQ's
skill assessment.
Submitting an Effective
Competency-Based Application
Your entry for the competency submission is a
demonstration of the application of quantity surveying skills in a real work
environment. This document is not theoretical.
Write in the first person and focus on what you did. You
need to describe the preparation of cost plans, the processing of variations,
the administration of contracts and the financial control.
A good submission will enhance your clarity and enable
assessors to easily identify your capability. This section of the AIQS
assessment almost dictates the result.
How to Write and Submit
a Winning Competency-Based Application
Your competency submission is your application of
quantity surveying techniques in a real work situation. This is not a
theoretical document.
Write in the first person and concentrate on what you
did. Outline the cost planning, variations processing, contract management and
financial control.
A strong submission improves the clarity of your
responses and makes it easier for assessors to tell what you can do. This
section often determines the AIQS assessment outcome.
Review Process and
Decision Timeline for Applications
Your AIQS skill assessment is formally
reviewed after it has been submitted. Assessors look at qualifications before
considering evidence of work experience and competencies.
It results from a 56–84 day processing time on average.
Applications that are more complex could take longer.
If you are successful, you will be sent a positive
assessment letter. If you don't, you can resubmit after being informed of what
needs to be changed.
Career Benefits
Following a Positive Outcome from AIQS
An effective AIQS evaluation will open the doors to your
career in Australia. It provides support for skilled migration applications and
confidence for employers.
Better job prospects, higher salaries and access to
senior roles are typically cited by many quantity surveyors following approval.
The evaluation also adds credibility to the professional within?the
construction world.
Career Opportunities
After?Success in AIQS
A successful AIQS assessment will open the
doors to your career in Australia. It offers support for skilled migration
applications and reassurance to employers.
More job opportunities, better pay and the ability to
apply to more senior roles are usually what surveyors tell us after approval.
This assessment also enhances the reputation of the professional in the
construction industry.
