Present in all sectors of the built environment, from construction, to real estate, to land and infrastructure, there are today circa 125,000 RICS qualified professionals in more than 140 countries, of whom 340 are based in Poland. At the same time, we are looking forward to the future of a profession in great demand, with endless opportunities in a rapidly changing world.
A past built on trust
The reason why RICS has been successful for now 150 years, ties in with the fact that RICS acts in the interest of the public good, by making the industry more ethical, professional and transparent. The reputation of the real estate industry very much depends on how professionals behave towards their stakeholders, such as their clients and their employees. We are pleased to see that RICS professionals in Poland play a fundamental role in bringing confidence to the market, by promoting, adopting and implementing international and professional standards.
Our accreditation is not only about professional skills and competencies, tested via a strict assessment process, but also about ethics and professionalism. All RICS accredited professionals and regulated firms, are bound to our ethical code and regulated on the basis of our standards.
The market benefits also from our accredited courses, offered at the most prestigious universities across Europe, which prepare the current and next generations of Professionals for a career in the built environment. There are currently 65 RICS accredited courses distributed over 14 countries in continental Europe.
And RICS offers dispute resolution services for the built environment as a specialist alternative to the quite often general arbiters that are currently being consulted in most markets. This specialist service, offered by local RICS professionals with an additional certification, is a success in the Polish market and has led to a close cooperation with the Polish government in this field.
RICS in the future
Looking forward, RICS is keen to play an important role in the transformation of the industry, positioning our brand as a truly global contemporary professional body.
Challenges related to urbanisation, new business concepts, digitisation and big data will have a big impact on society and on professionals, active in the land, property and construction sector. But, due to the complexity this creates, there is a strong demand for leadership and thought leadership, which RICS can help shaping and facilitating.
Changes related to new technology will be very disruptive and impactive. A significant part of the jobs that exist today will disappear within the next five to ten years. In particular transaction and valuation-related jobs will suffer. Moreover, the rise of co-working is challenging the conventional real estate model. And as a result, there is an increasing demand for a different type of facility management. Namely, to take the role as a curator of space where people want to go and create a business story.
It's not only about jobs being replaced by technology, professionals of the future need to be educated and trained in new competencies and skills too. Universities have the obligation to transform their curriculums as well. All this will not be easy because people and organisations are quite often reluctant to change and often will act only when it is too late.
The increasing reliance on data and technology for communication and making key business decisions has also sparked intense ethical debates. Having high standards and regulation will therefore become crucial. RICS is already preparing the ground, by developing new professional standards on data handling, cyber-crime and other identified key areas of technology related risk for the reputation of the real estate industry.
World Built Environment Forum
With these challenges becoming more and more apparent, we're asking global industry leaders, academics and politicians to follow us and take action, via the World Built Environment Forum. It is a dedicated and unique on and offline international network for the public and private sector, facilitating and catalysing global collaboration on the defining issues of the built and natural environment. The Forum also hosts an annual event – the World Built Environment Forum Annual Summit, this year to be held in London on 23-24 April. The summit will be a major convention celebrating what it means to be a public interest organisation.