The next time your gaze is drawn across Victoria Harbour to the much-fabled Hong Kong skyline, pause for a moment and consider this: without a one-off tax levied on every head of sheep and cattle in England at the end of the first world war, things might have been very different.
That livestock 'headage' raised GBP55,000 (HK$686,000) in 1919, which was more than enough to allow a group of community-minded surveyors to establish the College of Estate Management (CEM), and have change left to buy a very well-appointed property in central London to house it.
Founded initially to help returning veterans cope with the considerable challenge of managing lands that had fallen into neglect during the war, by 1922 CEM had been granted a Royal Charter, which stated the college's mission with the no-nonsense, self-assured clarity of a model surveyor's report. That mission remains unchanged to this day, and in the 90 years since CEM's foundation more than 150,000 industry professionals worldwide have benefited from the charter's pledge to 'provide training and education in property and construction related subjects wherever they may be needed'.
Exclusively distance learning-based since 1972, by when it had long outgrown the London base, CEM delivers a comprehensive programme of specialist construction and real estate related courses, ranging from diplomas up to masters degrees and an industry-specific MBA.
CEM is also the world's largest source of newly qualified chartered surveyors. At any given time there are about 4,000 active CEM students in more than 100 countries worldwide, including some 500 based in Hong Kong.
Nearly all CEM qualifications are accredited by internationally recognised professional organisations, including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors.
Now based in its own buildings on the campus of Reading University, west of London, the college has 110 staff, including 30 academics, and accesses a network of some 350 associate tutors to help with coursework. All of the academic staff either are or have been practicing professionals in the real estate and construction industry.
