Students’ post-course perceptions provide insight relative to their understanding and appreciation of a module, including the impact thereof within the context of the wider course content, and its enhancement of a candidate’s holistic knowledge. Hence the study reported on to determine construction management and quantity surveying students’ post course perceptions regarding a CCS Candy course presented at a South African university based upon a review of the impact of the presentation of four such courses i.e., a longitudinal study.

The CCS Candy system is used to control a project’s construction process and financial performance from tender stage to the final account stage. Candy has a planning application but is much more than a planning and estimating package due to its dynamic link between money and time providing a wealth of information for both management and clients.

The aim of the study was to understand whether this new intervention was indeed adding value to the students’ education and where in particular it was of assistance, to potentially consider opportunities to improve other subjects in the undergraduate programme. The objectives of the study were to determine the extent to which the training contributed to an: increase in knowledge; enhancement of skills, and improvement in understanding and appreciation of the planning function and its seven activities, and the nine project parameters.

The students were surveyed using an e-mailed self-administered questionnaire upon completion of the courses. The data was captured in Excel and the data analysis included the computation of frequencies and a measure of central tendency in the form of a mean score (MS).

The salient findings include: ‘planning – programming’ predominates in terms of the extent Candy training contributed to an increase in knowledge; estimating, costing, coordinating, and planning predominate in terms of an enhancement of skills; general management predominates in terms of contributing to an improvement in students’ understanding and appreciation of six of nine functions in an organisation; time predominates in terms of an improvement in students’ understanding and appreciation of the project parameters; the training contributed to the integration of subjects in their undergraduate year and programme, and to an improvement in students’ understanding and appreciation of the construction process, built environment processes and construction activities.

Conclusions include that the CCS Candy course had an impact in terms of: an enhancement of both knowledge and skills aligned with the planning function; an improvement in understanding and appreciation of the planning function and its seven activities and the nine project parameters, and an understanding and appreciation of the practice of construction management and quantity surveying, albeit to varying degrees. The enhancement of certain knowledge and skills indicates that the learning objectives were achieved. Furthermore, the students understand and appreciate the importance and role of the CCS Candy course.

Recommendations include:
- the university at which the study was conducted should continue offering the CCS Candy course and assess the impact thereof,
- other institutions should consider offering the CCS Candy course and assess the impact thereof.

Keywords: CCS Candy course, Construction Management, Perceptions, Quantity Surveying, Students.