An initiative called Equate Academy was born shortly after Equate opened its doors. The purpose of the Equate Academy is to focus on the upliftment, education, and continuous development of young people in Africa, through a life-long learning approach. We want to identify young people with talent and ambition and support them in unlocking their full potential. With the desire to find a way to effectively connect with more young people, we launched the
Equate Job Shadowing initiative during July 2018.
Job Shadowing
The Equate Job Shadowing initiative takes place on the last Thursday of each month when four new participants are welcomed. Since the launch of the Equate Job Shadowing initiative, we have met over 60 young prospective quantity surveyors. We could never have imagined the success of the Equate Job Shadowing initiative. The feedback received from participants has now became the main driving force behind the Equate Job Shadowing initiative. From the start of the Equate Job Shadowing initiative, it became clear that there exists a real need amongst students to obtain exposure on the practice of being a Quantity Surveyor.
The level of theoretical knowledge that the participants have been noteworthy, and it comes as a surprise to most when they realise the applicability of that knowledge to practice. We can only hope that this discovery motivates them to approach their studies in a more sensible way and make sure they grasp their modules and not just pass exams for the sake of passing.
Feedback
Herewith some of the feedback we received from participants over the past year:
What was your expectation of today and was it met?
“My expectation for today was to gain more insight into what quantity surveying is about. My experience at Equate was beyond my expectation because I was not only gaining knowledge from listening to someone speak, but also from doing some practical work” – 2nd year BSc Construction Studies student at Wits
“I expected thorough exposure to quantity surveying in consultancy and I got just that. Most things tied in so well with what I’m learning at school which makes the academic content clearer” – BSc Quantity Surveying Honours at Wits
How did the job shadowing experience help you understand the importance of your education?
“I am really inspired by seeing how many young people are focused on their careers so it’s encouraging me to study even harder so I can be the best QS I want to be” – 2nd year BSc Construction Studies student at University of Johannesburg
Any other comment you would like to share?
“I really like how the staff at Equate works together. Respect, love, caring and professionalism is evident within the institution” – 2nd year BSc Construction Studies student at Wits
