Bridging the gap between university and the workplace (Part 1).
RIB Youth Day.
Supplied by RIB
As South Africa’s built environment becomes increasingly digitised, the demand for professionals who can work confidently with software, data and integrated project management platforms is growing across the construction and HVAC&R sectors alike.
Modern HVAC&R projects are no longer limited to equipment installation and maintenance. Today’s professionals are expected to engage with Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital project management tools, energy modelling software, cost management platforms and smart building technologies throughout the project lifecycle. From large commercial developments and healthcare facilities to industrial refrigeration plants and data centres, digital competency is becoming a critical workplace skill.
Yet many graduates entering the workforce discover that academic qualifications alone do not fully prepare them for the realities of modern project delivery. As the construction industry embraces digital transformation, the gap between classroom learning and practical application is becoming increasingly apparent.
In this two-part series, RIB Software explores why digital skills are becoming essential from the start of a construction professional’s career and how practical exposure to industry-standard technologies is helping prepare the next generation of talent for an increasingly digital future.
South Africa’s construction industry has spent years grappling with skills shortages. Now, a less visible challenge is emerging. As project environments become increasingly digital, many young professionals are discovering that graduating with a university degree and being ready for the workplace are not always the same thing.
RIB Software, a provider of digital technology solutions for the construction industry, has identified the transition from theory to practice as one of the biggest hurdles facing young graduates entering the sector.
Through workshops, online training and graduate programmes centred around its Candy construction management platform, which supports estimating, planning, cost management and project controls throughout the project lifecycle, the company has seen how practical exposure can help bridge this gap.
Despite acquiring valuable technical knowledge during their studies, many graduates enter the workplace with limited experience of the digital tools, workflows and commercial realities they will encounter in professional environments. At the same time, employers increasingly expect young professionals to have a working knowledge of industry software and processes from the outset.
A challenge facing future quantity surveyors
For Kabelo Mokoena, a final-year Quantity Surveying student, this challenge is particularly relevant. Growing up in South Africa’s Free State province, he was fascinated by the mining developments and infrastructure projects transforming the landscape around him. Curious about the professionals responsible for ensuring those projects remained financially viable, he initially pursued computer science before discovering quantity surveying.
“There is a real gap between what universities teach and what the industry actually needs from you on a day-to-day basis. You can graduate with strong theoretical knowledge and still feel completely unprepared when you sit in front of the software a company uses,” says Mokoena.
Recognising the importance of digital competency, Mokoena actively sought opportunities to familiarise himself with technologies commonly used across the construction sector. After gaining experience with Excel and software platforms frequently used in consultancy environments, he wanted to better understand the contractor side of project delivery and approached RIB Software to access self-learning opportunities.
The value of practical software exposure
According to Mokoena, early exposure to industry-standard software can make a significant difference to employability and workplace readiness. “It’s critical, and I say that from experience. Access to platforms like RIB Candy helps close that gap before it becomes a problem. Students who have that exposure hit the ground running and in a competitive job market, that matters,” he says.
For both the construction and HVAC&R sectors, where projects increasingly rely on integrated digital workflows and collaboration between multiple disciplines, the ability to work confidently with technology is rapidly becoming as important as technical expertise itself.
Source: Supplied by RIB
