KUCHING: The recent amendments to three bills to liberalise professional services raised concerns over the level of competition from foreign architects against the local waning amount.
The Malaysian Institute of Architects’s (PAM) deputy president, Zulhemlee An highlighted this concern on the sidelines of the Building Trade Show 2015 yesterday at the Borneo Convention Center Kuching.
He noted that there is a shortage of architects locally due to the low passing rate in the final test which deterred most students to become professional architects.
The final test known as ‘part three’ is taken after a student completes a masters course.
“Despite the small amout of architects, as long as we are competitive enough to provide the best service to our clients, we will be alright.
“We (as architects) must support each other, the mechanism is already in place but we have the advantage as we know the certifications which they have to go through, in a way we are still protected,” said Zulhemlee.
“We must now also look to export our services overseas, Asean architect council has promoted for Asean architects to work together by collaboration.
“We Asean are different as we like to collaborate as compared to ‘modus operandi’ of western architects which targets the best projects and leave,” he added.
The number of architects in Malaysia is growing very slowly, currently with only 2,000 corporate architects under PAM. Last year, the passing rate of the ‘part three’ exam was a mere six per cent.
Out of 300 candidates, only 22 passed, he outlined.
“We are concerned about this issue and thus proposed to the ministry to revamp the exam as exams should not be a deterrent for graduates to practice as professionals.”