Successful candidates will receive the Certificate in Estate Agency qualification, which upgrades them to 'non-principal' status, and enables those who wish to open their own estate agencies or brokerages to do so.

This applies to all sectors of the property industry: agriculture, commercial/ industrial broking, property management, residential sales and letting, and sectional title management.

The examination was introduced in 1984, and has been voluntary since 1993. Estate agents and brokers who choose not to write it and do not hold other qualifications, have to work for 12 months as 'candidate estate agents' before they can upgrade to non-principal or principal.

The Institute of Estate Agents, which is the industry's professional body, will be running courses to prepare candidates for the exam.

Course details are available on the institute's website (www.ieasa.org.za), and exam registration details can be found at www.eaab.org.za. Rawson says the qualification may not be available for much longer, as the property industry and the education authorities are developing new qualifications which will be much more comprehensive. 'What we have in the pipeline are three new qualifications,' he says.

'A national certificate at matric level, another at post-matric level, and a full tertiary diploma. 'The standards generating body, which includes the Institute of Estate Agents, has been busy for the past year or so, establishing the content and minimum standards for these qualifications, and we look forward to them being finalised this year and implemented as soon as possible.'