VRCA has completed its industry-wide education needs assessment, designed to ensure that our members have access to the education they need in a format that suits them best.

In late 2017, VRCA applied for a grant from the Real Estate Foundation of BC, in order to hire a consultant to perform an industry-wide education needs assessment. The goal of the study was to identify the optimal suite of education offerings, structures and delivery formats so that B.C.’s architecture, engineering and construction sector is ready to take on new challenges afforded by the new policies, products and practices that are entering the market.

Updating the education program is a strategic goal for VRCA, set by its Board of Directors.

One hundred and fifty of you shared your thoughts and vision with our consultant partner, RDH Building Science.

Additionally, over a dozen of you kindly volunteered to be interviewed in depth by RDH, to expand more on the industry’s needs.

We now have the study outcomes, and our education program will see some valuable new courses. Some of the most in-demand education topics include:

  • People Management;
  • Business Management;
  • Lean Construction;
  • Green Building Standards; and
  • Building Information Modelling for Project Managers.

New courses reflecting these topics will be added to the Education Calendar in the coming months. We have already added our first new course based on the study’s results, Lean Project Delivery Bootcamp. And in Spring 2019, an in-depth analysis will be performed by VRCA to identify how successful the new course offerings have been.

Look for new course announcements in our e-newsletter The Connector, on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

We will also be updating a new page on our website dedicated to the education needs assessment.