KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has become the first in the country to offer a property developer course that will help to upskill relevant industry players.
Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) president Datuk Chua Soon Ping said the one-year course was a collaboration between the association and Sabah Tunku Abdul Rahman Universiti College (TARUC) to upskill those involved in property development.
"We need a course to start in Sabah as the risk in the said sector is getting higher.
"To minimise the property risk by educating our people in the property industry so that they can make informed decisions on behalf of their companies such as getting good contractors and consultants" he told reporters after the memorandum of agreement signing with TARUC.
Present were political secretary to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Dr Roland Chia and TARUC president Professor Dr Lee Sze Wei.
Chua added that for the June 1 enrolment, the association and TARUC aimed at enrolling the first batch of 50 students.
The weekly classes will cover modules on planning, laws and regulations, real estate valuation and investment, measurement, procurement and contractual agreement, design and development as well as appraisal and finance.
Chia said the collaboration between Shareda and TARUC marked a significant milestone in Sabah's chapter as the association had created an academic platform to churn out furure knowledgeable property developers.
"I applaud Shareda's efforts to complement Sabah state government's developmental blueprint of Sabah Maju Jaya with human capital development.
"I look forward to many more collaborations between the state government, local industries and educational institutions to nurture the next generation of talents in innovation and technology for the property development industry."
Chia, who is also a member of the CIDB board of directors, said since CIDB certification is recognised, he hoped that Shareda would also collaborate with Akademi Binaan Malaysia (ABM) in providing training, adding that ABM 400-capacity campus in Papar was expected to be ready this year.