CPD Corner
Mentoring – the greatest CPD points ecently, a senior, long standing member of our fine Institute approached me with grave concern that he was short on CPD points and would not likely meet the minimum requirements of our CPD program. He indicated that he was nearing retirement and was not interested in signing up for courses. And why would he want to, when he was counting down the months till he put his pencil down for good. He regretfully said that he was prepared to let his membership lapse to forego any formal training that would only be relevant for such a short period. I certainly understood his situation. I even thought if I were in his position, the last thing I would want is to sit in a classroom staring at my watch thinking about the non-billable hours adding up. Not knowing what to say, I thought I would change the subject and asked if the firm had a replacement for him. He said he had been training the new person for a few months and that is when the proverbial light bulb clicked on. Whether he knew it or not, he was mentoring the next generation of professional quantity surveyor. He was passing along his knowledge base and collecting CPD points all the while. I asked him how many young QS’s had he trained over his career and he paused then and chuckled, “a few.” There really is not a magical book that can teach you everything about quantity surveying. Sure theory comes from a book but we were all taught by at least one person who was in the trenches. For me, I had many great teachers of this fine art and they were all truly fine craftsman of construction economics.
Some were professional quantity surveyors and some had a grade four education. It is no coincidence that CIQS has a CPD category for Knowledge Base. And what greater way to earn points than to mentor young professionals and passing on your own knowledge base. Did you know CIQS has a pool of senior members who volunteer to be a mentor for new members of our Institute? Whether it is helping with a thesis or with diaries, they are encouraging and guiding our new members to reach the pinnacle of this profession and everything it can offer. So whether you are looking for a mentor or ever thought about spending a few hours a month assisting as a mentor, both options are available. In closing, I would encourage all members to reflect on their own teachers or mentors and seek ways to encourage new members and share some knowledge transfer. Finally, I would be amiss if I did not mention and personally thank Archie Thibault who was one of my greatest teachers, not only in quantity surveying, but of life itself.
Mark Gardin, PQS CPD Lead
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