2. The Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate Qualification - Here it is for easy reference!

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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION:

Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
59097 Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate
ORIGINATOR REGISTERING PROVIDER
SGB Real Estate
QUALITY ASSURING ETQA
-
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Further Ed and Training Cert Field 11 - Services Cleaning, Domestic, Hiring, Property and Rescue Services
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined 150 Level 4 Regular-Unit Stds Based
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Registered SAQA 0474/07 2007-11-28 2010-11-28
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2011-11-28 2014-11-28

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION
Purpose:

This Qualification is for any individual who is, or wishes to be involved in the property and real estate industry. It serves to support and advance the functioning of individuals in this industry. The attainment of the Qualification represents the prerequisite for admission to the professional examination for estate agents, to be conducted by the Estate Agency Affairs Board, the successful completion of which will entitle the candidate to be registered as a non-principal estate agent by the Estate Agency Affairs Board.

A learner will be able to complete the Qualification with a specialisation in Real Estate or Valuation. The core unit standards are relevant to each area of specialisation.

Learners working towards this Qualification will find that the acquisition of competence in the Unit Standards that make up the Qualification will add value to their understanding of the sector and functioning in the workplace. This Qualification is intended to enhance the provision of entry-level service within the Property and Real Estate sector. It will provide the broad knowledge, skills and values needed in the Property and Real Estate sector.

The Qualification will facilitate access to, mobility within and progression along a learning path for learners who:

Were previously disadvantaged or who were unable to complete their schooling and were therefore denied access to Further Education and Training.
Have worked in Real Estate for many years, but have no formal Qualification in real estate or property.
Wish to extend their range of skills and knowledge of the industry so that they can become competent workers in the property industry.

The Qualification consists of building blocks that can be developed further and will lead to a more specialised learning path in Property and Real Estate at higher NQF levels. It focuses on the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes required to progress further. The intention is:

To promote the development of knowledge, skills and values that are required in Property and Real Estate.
To help learners realise their potential in the field.
To provide opportunities for people to progress to levels of authority and responsibility in the Real Estate sector.

Successful learners will be able to apply to the Estate Agency Affairs Board for registration as non-principal estate agents.

Rationale:

The Real Estate industry is a multi-million rand sector which requires professionals who are well-trained and knowledgeable to meet the housing needs of private citizens and the business community by providing office space and business premises. A wide range of legislation applies to this sector and employees/agents need to understand the relevant legislation and be able to apply it in their execution of their work. This qualification strives to equip the learners to be able to operate effectively and efficiently in the Real Estate sector.

The Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate is designed to provide those learners who are already involved in the field of Property and Real Estate. It is also for learners who wish to seek a career in this industry. The Property and Real Estate Industry is a well-established industry and thus has many learners that would benefit from qualifications aligned to career paths. This means there is a need to develop career paths in this sub-field, an industry constantly in need of skilled people. The scope of Real Estate is changing and evolving all the time, with opportunities for learners in this arena to get involved in a wide variety of Real Estate opportunities such as real estate sales, brokerage and leasing, property management, institutional real estate investment, real estate consulting, real estate development.

The Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate supports the objectives of the NQF in that it gives the learner access to a Qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework. It will therefore ensure that the quality of education and training in the industry is enhanced, and of a comparable standard to Qualifications in other sectors in South Africa and comparable to similar Qualifications internationally.


LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING
The following is the learning assumed to be in place:

Communication and Mathematical Literacy at the level of NQF Level 3 or equivalent.

Recognition of Prior Learning:

The structure of this Unit Standard based Qualification makes the Recognition of Prior Learning possible. Learner and Assessor will jointly decide on methods to determine prior learning and competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in the Qualification and the associated Unit Standards. Recognition of Prior Learning will be done by means of an Integrated Assessment as mentioned in the previous paragraph.

This Recognition of Prior Learning may allow for:

Accelerated access to further learning at this or higher levels on the NQF.
Gaining of credits towards a Unit Standard in this Qualification.
Obtaining this Qualification in whole or in part.

All recognition of Prior Learning is subject to quality assurance by the relevant ETQA or an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA.

Access to the Qualification:

Access to this Qualification is open, bearing in mind the Learning Assumed to be in Place itemised below. It is preferable, however, for the learner to be in possession of a Senior Certificate.


RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?
Y

QUALIFICATION RULES
Level, Credits and Learning Components assigned to The Qualification.

The Certificate is made up of a planned combination of learning outcomes that have a defined purpose and will provide qualifying learners with applied competence and a basis for further training.

The Qualification is made up of Unit Standards classified as Fundamental, Core and Elective. A minimum of one hundred and fifty (150) credits is required to complete the Qualification.

In this Qualification the credits are allocated as follows:

Fundamental: 56 credits.
Core: 73 credits.
Electives: 21 credits.


EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES
1. Analyse, evaluate and apply the Real Estate Code of Conduct and Ethics.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the Real Estate environment and the various laws, rules and regulations that impact on the Real Estate function.

3. Perform the Real Estate function.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:

1.1 The factors that influence the development of a code of ethics are described with examples.
1.2 The contents of the Real Estate Code of Conduct are explained with reference to own work context.
1.3 The implications of the Real Estate Code of Conduct are explained in the context of a Real Estate organisation.
1.4 The Code of Conduct is related to ethical values and standards within own organisation and by referring to ethical best practices.
1.5 The Real Estate Code of Conduct and ethics is applied in own work context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:

2.1 The various environments that impact on the Real Estate function are explained in relation to how they impact the success of Real Estate transactions.
2.2 The various laws, rules, regulations and Codes of Conduct that affect Real Estate are explained with examples and in relation to matters of compliance.
2.3 The money laundering legislation and the implications in Real Estate transactions are explained with examples.
2.4 A basic knowledge of FAIS (Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act) is explained in relation to how it impacts on the Real Estate sector.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:

3.1 The concept of self-development is explained in the context of the Real Estate environment and the necessary self-development goals defined and implemented in own work context.
3.2 The principles of financial planning are applied to the Real Estate function.
3.3 Business principles are applied to Real Estate function.
3.4 Property is marketed, sold and/or leased to achieve personal business targets.

Integrated Assessment:

Because assessment practices must be open, transparent, fair, valid, and reliable and ensure that no learner is disadvantaged in any way whatsoever, an integrated assessment approach is incorporated into the Qualification.

Learning, teaching and assessment are inextricably lined. Whenever possible, the assessment of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values shown in the unit standards should be integrated.

Assessment of the communication, language, literacy and numeracy should be conducted in conjunction with other aspects and should use authentic municipal financial management contexts wherever possible.

A variety of methods must be used in assessment and tools and activities must be appropriate to the context in which the learner is working. Where it is not possible to assess the learner in the workplace or on-the-job, simulations, case studies, role-plays and other similar techniques should be used to provide a context appropriate to the assessment.

The term `Integrated Assessment` implies that theoretical and practical components should be assessed together. During integrated assessments the assessor should make use of formative and summative assessment methods and assess combinations of practical, applied, foundational and reflective competencies.

Assessors and moderators should make use of a range of formative and summative assessment methods. Assessors should assess and give credit for the evidence of learning that has already been acquired through formal, informal and non-formal learning and work experience.

Assessment should ensure that all specific outcomes, embedded knowledge and critical cross-field outcomes are evaluated. The assessment of the critical cross-field outcomes should be integrated with the assessment of specific outcomes and embedded knowledge.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY
Benchmarking was done by comparison to Unit Standards/Outcomes of learning against:

SADC countries including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia.
New Zealand.
Australia.
United States of America.
United Kingdom.

SADC Qualifications:

It is difficult to ascertain any specific qualifications offered in these countries. A recent study was undertaken to compare South Africa`s Real Estate Code of Conduct and legislation to international and SADC (the mentioned countries) legislation and in reference to the SADC regions, it would seem that only Botswana has recently upgraded its laws in respect of Real Estate Practices and compares similarly in respect of its overall practices to South Africa.

The Estate Agent profession (from research conducted via the internet) does not appear to be formally regulated in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, or SADC or Africa (generally), Estate Agents operating in these areas generally are international franchise operations or utilise generic sales skills or UK qualifications. The programmes that they can access from the United Kingdom are listed further on this international comparability study.

However, further investigation reveals the following in respect of qualifications offered by these countries:

Zimbabwe:

Whilst there is a Real Estate Institute in Zimbabwe, there are no links to any educational sites. It would seem that it is simply a membership body and it seeks to ensure the acquisition of knowledge in:

Auctioneering.
Estate Agency and Valuation.

No specific courses were listed.

Namibia:

Namibia has a National Property Academy that offers training programmes and qualifications in Real Estate. However, the site could not be accessed so it is unclear what programmes it offers and therefore not possible to do a comparison. It should be noted, however, that the Institute of Estate Agents Namibia clearly does have a training focus and does its training through the National Property Academy. Institute of Estate Agents Namibia can be found on the web at http://www.iean.cc/index.php . Training is only performed on an ad-hoc basis and no specific qualifications geared to estate agents exist in Namibia nor could any plans for qualifications geared for that profession be sourced. An email request was sent to the National Property Academy for a list of its ad hoc programmes but the list still had not been provided at the time this gazette document was completed.

The University of Namibia does not seem to offer any specific courses in Real Estate or Property Management. It would seem that these may be addressed as part of more generic programmes. The following generic programmes were listed as part of their Business Administration Programme:

Entrepreneurial studies.
Marketing practices.
Management in private and public sector.
Careers in business and commerce.

These seem to be the only likely courses where the learning arena for a Real Estate Practitioner could be explored, obviously in terms of the generic principles of entrepreneurship, management studies etc.

New Zealand Qualifications:

The following similar qualifications are offered in New Zealand:

National Certificate in Real Estate with strands in Business Sales, Commercial/Industrial Sales, Residential Sales, Rural Sales, Commercial/Industrial Property Management, Residential Property Management.
A National Certificate in Property Consultation and Valuation. A National Diploma in Real Estate.

A comparison of this Qualification to New Zealand Unit Standards at Levels 4, 5 and 6 indicate that they cover the following areas:

Demonstrate knowledge of property ownership and property titles, and carry out a title search.
Obtain property information.
Collate and record property information.
Inspect property.
Prepare a site and floor plan.

The subject areas offered are similar to the NQF Level 4 FETC in Real Estate for the South African context although structured differently. In fact, the SA qualification seems to compare more favourably in its structure and focus on the Real Estate function but does exclude items such as `Prepare a site and floor plan`.

Australian Qualifications:

The University of New England (in Australia) through a separate company called UNE Partnerships provides real estate training at a professional level. Their Certificate III in Property (Real Estate)(PRD30101) This course is designed for those who are currently employed, or who wish to be employed in a real estate function in the industry.

The Course is unit standards based and the exit level outcomes (with associated Units) covers:

The Real Estate Environment (Maintain agency: client relationship, Respond to property enquiry).
Support Tasks in the Real Estate Office (Coordinate property inspection, Perform and record property management activities and transactions, Maintain key register).
Communication in the Real Estate Office (Communicate effectively and accurately with clients, Organise personal work priorities and development, Administration of the Real Estate Office, Maintain equipment and facilities, Use business technology, Produce business documents, Use and maintain a property information database).
Marketing in the Real Estate Office (Process marketing material).

The Australian qualification is comparable with regard to Support Tasks in the Real Estate office (administration), marketing, self-management and development and producing business documents. The emphasis on the Real Estate environment seems to differ, where the SA qualification takes a broader view on role-players and the different environments that impact the Real Estate function.

United States of America Qualifications:

A direct comparison of the title, specific outcomes, assessment criteria and embedded knowledge was undertaken with each and the best practice points were highlighted and incorporated into each Unit Standard. However the points incorporated were written in a South African context.

Because of the difference in levels across the different countries, difficulty was found in making actual direct comparisons, level to level.

The United Kingdom Qualifications:

In the UK itself there are some courses that relate directly the estate agents profession-such as selling real estate and Real Estate Financing (Mortgage finance for Mortgage brokers). However much of the training relevant to estate agents comes from courses in finance, business administration, statistics, economics and law. For those who intend to start their own estate agency, business courses such as marketing and accounting are as important as those in property or finance.

In the UK vocational qualifications form part of CeMAP (visit them at http://www.cemap-training.org.uk/tcsrc=www.training-classes.com ) To attain the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP) qualification, you must achieve examination passes in each of the three CeMAP modules, namely:

CeMAP Module 1: UK Financial Regulation.
CeMAP Module 2: Mortgages.
CeMAP Module 3: An assessment of mortgage advice knowledge.

The National Association of Estate Agents in the United Kingdom refers to various qualifications that are also part of the qualifications framework.

Naea Technical Award Sale of Residential Property:

The NAEA Technical Award in Sale of Residential Property is a nationally recognised qualification awarded by the Examinations Board of the National Association of Estate Agents.

Available to both members and non-members of the NAEA, the NAEA Technical Award is a qualification which shows that you have the knowledge to undertake your job successfully.

The NAEA Technical Award is a Level 3 qualification within the National Qualifications Framework. This means it is broadly equivalent to an A-Level standard. The qualification is assessed by means of multiple-choice examination papers. It is open to anyone to take, regardless of their experience in agency. You do not need any previous qualifications, just a good basic standard of English and numeracy and of course the relevant knowledge of your chosen subject.

The qualification syllabus is divided into four Units as follows:

Sale of Residential Property:

Unit 1: Health and Safety, Security and General Law.
Unit 2: Law Relating to Residential Property Sales.
Unit 3: Practice Relating to Residential Property Sales.
Unit 4: Property Appraisal and Basic Building Construction.

Summary:

From an African perspective, it is evident that South Africa is pioneering a road of qualifications and unit standards for the Real Estate environment. The South African qualification is comparable to those identified internationally. However, some of the more complex unit standards would be more comparable to an NQF Level 5 qualification and it seems as though South Africa, through this Level 4 qualification, has more to offer in respect of a hands-on practical Real Estate qualification.


ARTICULATION OPTIONS
This Qualification articulates horizontally with the following Qualifications:

ID 57712: Further Education and Training Certificate: Generic Management, NQF Level 4.
ID 23953: Further Education and Training Certificate: New Venture Creation, NQF Level 4.
ID 49129: Further Education and Training Certificate: Management and Administration, NQF Level 4.
ID 49021: Further Education and Training Certificate: Debt Recovery, NQF Level 4.
ID 35928: Further Education and Training Certificate: Business Administration Services, NQF Level 4.

Vertical articulation is possible with the following Qualifications:

ID 15536: National Diploma Conveyancing Secretary, Level 5.
Certificate Office Administration, Level 5.
ID 49126: National Certificate Management and Administration, Level 5.
ID 58341: National Diploma Business Management, Level 5.
ID 20188: National Certificate Real Estate, Level 5.


MODERATION OPTIONS
Anyone assessing a learner or moderating the assessment of a learner against this Qualification must be registered as an assessor with the relevant Education, Training, Quality, Assurance (ETQA) Body, or with an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant ETQA.

Any institution offering learning that will enable the achievement of this Qualification must be accredited as a provider with the relevant Education, Training, Quality, Assurance (ETQA) Body, or with an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the ETQA.

Assessment and moderation of assessment will be overseen by the relevant Education, Training, Quality, Assurance (ETQA) Body, or by an ETQA that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the ETQA, according to the ETQA`s policies and guidelines for assessment and moderation.

Moderation must include both internal and external moderation of assessments at exit points of the Qualification, unless ETQA policies specify otherwise. Moderation should also encompass achievement of the competence described both in individual Unit Standards as well as the integrated competence described in the Qualification.

Anyone wishing to be assessed against this Qualification may apply to be assessed by any assessment agency, assessor or provider institution that is accredited by the relevant ETQA.


CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS
For an applicant to register as an assessor, the applicant needs:

To be declared competent in all the outcomes of the National Assessor Unit Standards as stipulated by South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
To be in possession of a Qualification in Real Estate at NQF Level 5 or for any of the general unit standards at an NQF Level 5 or higher in the related learning field.
Have a minimum of three years practical and relevant occupational experience.


NOTES
This qualification replaces qualification 24454, "Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate", Level 4, 157 credits.

N/A

UNIT STANDARDS:
ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE LEVEL CREDITS
Core 246734 Advise role players on Real Estate financing options Level 4 6
Core 246738 Apply business principles to the Real Estate function Level 4 8
Core 246735 Demonstrate an understanding of the Real Estate environment Level 4 8
Core 242584 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act 2002 (FAIS) (Act 37 of 2002) as it impacts on a specific financial services sub-sector Level 4 2
Core 246733 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the legislation applicable to real estate practice Level 4 12
Core 242593 Explain South African money laundering legislation and the implications for accountable institutions in transacting with clients Level 4 3
Core 246739 Manage self-development in a Real Estate environment Level 4 8
Core 246736 Market, sell and lease property Level 4 20
Core 246737 Demonstrate knowledge of and apply the Real Estate Code of Conduct and ethics Level 5 6
Fundamental 119472 Accommodate audience and context needs in oral/signed communication Level 3 5
Fundamental 119466 Interpret a variety of literary texts Level 3 5
Fundamental 119457 Interpret and use information from texts Level 3 5
Fundamental 119465 Write/present/sign texts for a range of communicative contexts Level 3 5
Fundamental 9015 Apply knowledge of statistics and probability to critically interrogate and effectively communicate findings on life related problems Level 4 6
Fundamental 119462 Engage in sustained oral/signed communication and evaluate spoken/signed texts Level 4 5
Fundamental 119469 Read/view, analyse and respond to a variety of texts Level 4 5
Fundamental 9016 Represent analyse and calculate shape and motion in 2-and 3-dimensional space in different contexts Level 4 4
Fundamental 7468 Use mathematics to investigate and monitor the financial aspects of personal, business, national and international issues Level 4 6
Fundamental 12153 Use the writing process to compose texts required in the business environment Level 4 5
Fundamental 119459 Write/present/sign for a wide range of contexts Level 4 5
Elective 13418 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a mortgage bond as a form of debt security Level 4 6
Elective 12181 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of basic investment techniques Level 4 2
Elective 13420 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the bond registration process Level 4 6
Elective 110003 Develop administrative procedures in a selected organisation Level 4 8
Elective 114583 Develop, implement and evaluate a marketing strategy for a new venture Level 4 8
Elective 242822 Employ a systematic approach to achieving objectives Level 4 10
Elective 110000 Generate information and reports for internal and external use Level 4 10
Elective 15089 Identify and apply property, asset and investment management principles Level 4 5
Elective 15059 Identify and co-ordinate facilities management opportunities Level 4 5
Elective 110009 Manage administration records Level 4 4
Elective 242819 Motivate and Build a Team Level 4 10
Elective 114596 Research the viability of new venture ideas/opportunities Level 4 5


LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:
NONE



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All qualifications and unit standards registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.