4. Getting going on the New Real Estate qualification

A lot of Real Estate practitioners that I talk to really want to get stuck in and complete the new Further Education and Training Certificate: Real Estate (SAQA ID 59097), but are in a tizz of how exactly to go about doing this.

The answer is to take the direct route.

Firstly: Get hold of the qualification itself. Read it. My first post was a copy of the qualification and you can easily access from the SAQA website (SAQA.org.za)

Secondly: Set up a programme to work through each of the core unit standards over a period of time. Say, one unit standard a week. It then should take you 9 weeks to complete the programme. What do I mean by "complete the programme?" It means collecting sufficient valid evidence to show that you are competent and can demonstrate that you meet all the Assessment Criteria of all the core Unit Standards of the FETC: Real Estate.

Thidly: Link up with a coach or coaching programme that can help you to collect the necessary evidence. You are not trained to interpret Unit Standards. Documents like the "To the Point (Plus)" checklist will give you some guidance but it is not enough. You need additional exercises and tools to show that you undertand and can do what is expected. This can be provided by an experienced colleague that has attained the qualification (the FETC: Real Estate), an accredited assessor in this qulification (like myself), an Real Estate RPL or Training institution (I think they should be on the Services SETA website) or a programme such as the "Paint by Numbers" toolkit!

Then: Follow the guidelines and instructions while doing your job, selling property and making money. You do not have to spend valuable time and hard earned money to attend expensive trainig courses. These days with technology at your fingertips you can access most of the information through the internet. I am busy with a document I call "the palette" which is a resouce guide which lists ALL the possible available resouces on the internet and elsewhere in books and articles on ALL the unit standards in the qualification - Email me for the latest version: charlheydenrych@yahoo.com

The fifth step is to compile your Portfolio of Evidence (POE) and to get it assessed. Now, it would have been a good idea to link up with your assessor early on in the process to ensure that all the work done meets the quality control standards as set by the ETQA (Education and Traing Authority) - in this case the property chamber of the Services SETA together with their certification partner the EAAB (Estate Agents Affairs Board). You may be asked to fill a little gap here and there by providing additional evidence.

The last step is out of your hands - this is where you portfolio is moderated by an external moderator to ensure that your assessor did his/her job well in explaining the NQF, was fair in his/her assessments, collected sufficient and valid evidence and so on = and you being issued a certificate of competency that you meet the outcomes of the Unit Standards you applied for. You name is also entered onto a National Learner Record database to that effect.

Thats it - it is as easy and simple as that (if the authorities don't complexify it by adding too much red tape!)