HA NOI — In an effort to improve the quality of human resources in the real estate sector, a large number of training centres have opened this year.
Statistics by the Ministry of Construction reveal that within the last four months, the number of such centres has risen to 53 from only 31, and they had 30 announcements of "constant enrolment" published in five leading economic newspapers in August.
These centres seek to meet the rising demand for skilled labour in real estate before a new business policy takes effect on January 1, 2009.
Under the new policy, Decree 153/2007-ND-CP, enterprises and organisations trading in real-estate related activities must have real estate business management certificates from the State’s training centres.
The decree also provides that training centres for brokerages and the management of the real estate transactions must fulfil certain conditions, including having a business licence, a curriculum and teaching materials suitable to the framework programme worked out by the Ministry of Construction, and a contingent of experienced and certified lecturers.
According to Hoang Van Cuong, head of the Real Estate and Land Survey Department of Viet Nam National Economics University, human resources for the real estate market are faced with large demands.
"As Viet Nam is now in the process of industrialisation and modernisation, land resources will be strongly utilised. Accordingly, it’s necessary to have a large number of workers for real estate, especially skilled and professional ones, so as to correctly evaluate and manage the real estate market," he said.
However, it’s very difficult to evaluate real estate accurately as it is contingent on many human factors such as experience, knowledge of economics, and the ability to analyse, according to Cuong.
Pham Thanh Hung, general director of the Century Group Joint Stock Co, which will open a the real estate transaction floor next month, said that the company had sent 100 workers to prestigious training centres to improve their skills and knowledge.
Ten other enterprises are also planning to open soon.
In order to obtain a certificate, each trainee will have to pay from VND4-5 million (US$242-303) for a two-month course; an equivalent university degree takes four years.
However, Cuong said that as the decree did not specify the criteria of training, many of the centres established in a large number in the recent past would not be able to ensure a high and constant quality of work.
He added two months was not long enough to impart in-depth knowledge of real estate business to students.
Nguyen Do Viet, assistant to the president of the Nam Cuong group, said the current training courses were unrealistic.
"We have sent more than 10 staff to training courses but they were trained in general knowledge without any practice in the field. That is why they cannot bring their ability into full play," he said.
A leading expert held that such weak points were hard to avoid, adding that the market would take its toll. On a long-term basis, the management agencies should work out concrete criteria on the required quality of training, he said. — VNS
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