Currently, I’m working as a site supervisor at a construction project in, Qatar. My employer decided to transfer me to take up a Claims role in a recently started project in Kuwait. This was an opportunity I was looking for. As the promotion came with a good hike to my salary, but I had one issue. Which was that since I had little theoretical knowledge of claims, law and contracts my confidence levels are quite low. The reason why my employer selected me was that. I have had a lot of practical experience dealing with these areas in my current role. But no grounding in the theory. Therefore I needed to learn the construction contract management course.
The search for Construction Contract Management
In view of the new job responsibilities in Kuwait, I needed a thorough knowledge of Construction contract management. However, my new assignment in Kuwait starts in ten months’ time. Thus, I had some time to find a suitable course to learn Construction Contract Management. But the challenge was that I needed to find a quality course. Which I could complete before I leave for Kuwait. First of all, I decided to look for a course at an institution in Qatar where I could attend classes during the weekends. Hence, I searched online and in various newspapers and other places. But most of the places I found were large universities. They mostly had three-year degree programs or master’s degree programs which had contract management as a subject. But none of the syllabuses were focused on covering the construction aspects of contract management.
I talked to my employer and made him understand my needs. Thus, he advised me to consult one of his brothers who had done a similar Construction contract management course online. Initially, I was not very enthusiastic about following an online program. As I thought qualifications offered online would not be of good quality. And further was looked upon as less recognized, compared to, the education received at physical universities. However, because I was not successful in my research in finding an ideal educational institution, I took my employer’s advice and met his brother.
Construction Contract Management Online
I met my employer’s brother over the weekend, and I got some useful advice and insights on learning and education. He was currently following an online course in Construction contract management. From an online course provider called the College of Contract Management United Kingdom. Furthermore, he was proud that he was going to get a UK qualification accredited by various professional bodies, without travelling to the United Kingdom – most importantly, at a fraction of the cost. Also, to my surprise he was planning to complete the course in 9 months, studying while working. That sounded like a perfect solution to me and I began to see a potential way out of my dilemma.
The College of Contract Management
Then I asked him to give me all the necessary information about this remarkable educational institution. What struck me the most was that all the lectures were conducted live online for the Construction contract management course. I asked him how this was possible as I had never heard about lectures conducted live online before. To be honest, I’m not an IT savvy person. Therefore, I wasn’t very up to date with the latest technological trends. My employer’s brother laughed at me and replied, Well, you have a lot of catching up to do, and this is a good opportunity for you to understand the online education revolution.
How it works
I always want to make sure that I understand things first before signing up for the Construction contract management course. Therefore, I questioned, “Do I need to learn information technology first before taking up this online course?” The reply I got was, “No, let me show you the website and how it works”. After logging in, he showed me around the course’s Virtual Learning Environment. Which had a friendly user interface and everything clearly available and easy to use.
I was very much impressed on how the online platform worked. And I was also informed that if I were to miss a class session it does not end there. The study platform had an option to listen to recordings of previous lectures. And if any doubts arose, the students could contact the lecturer via e-mail. This becomes even better during the actual live lecture sessions. As you can ask questions of the lecturer or chat with them instantly. My next question was “Can this replicate an actual classroom environment?” The answer I got was “Yes. It’s a similar experience as many students all around the world will attend. The live lecture like you do at the same time”. I was convinced by this point, about both online learning and the course provider.
Accreditations
It doesn’t end thereafter returning to my room in the evening. I explored the website to understand the College better which provides the Construction contract management course. This is when I found that that the Advanced Diploma in Professional Practice in Contract Management course is a post-graduate level qualification. Furthermore, this course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Chartered Management Institute. Additionally by the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors and the Quantity Surveyor International. That felt like a lot of accreditations for one course. Especially as this course provided the opportunity to become a direct member of the CIArb.
All this sounded good. But then I realized that I did not have the money to pay in full for the course. But after going through the course details, I noticed that the College offers an easy payment plan. As a monthly direct debit, this seemed more affordable. With regards to the fees, I wanted to discuss with my employer and check if he could sponsor me. Since making the payment in full was discounted relative to the monthly direct debit. I thought I could talk and convince him. Because, at the end of the day, my learning will benefit my employer in the long-term.