MRICS Apprenticeship

MRICS chartered membership qualification of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors can help boost the potential in an individual’s skills and knowledge. Many students and graduates applying to become a chartered member of RICS will go through the surveying apprenticeship scheme.

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a work-based training which helps an individual to experience a real-life working environment along with obtaining the years to be a professional. Many graduate students face the difficulty to find a job in the industry because they lack the experiences in the field of work. While concentrating on achieving qualifications, students miss out on practising the knowledge gained in the working environment. As a result, many graduates who possess a degree in the field of interest will qualify and yet be unemployed.

In the construction industry, the working environment consists of both practices of skills and knowledge through theory. Students must practice their skills in the industry if they wish to become an expert while working on the construction project site. Many graduates who want to advance to the MRICS chartered membership qualification find it very challenging to progress without the years of experience in the field. However, RICS offers different routes to approach the final stage assessment of RICS APC. Graduates who do not possess the relevant years of experiences will proceed to go through the Professional Development Programme (PDP) so that they can fill the gaps in the experience.

Going through an apprenticeship scheme can help a student in many ways:

• The student can earn while studying in the field of work. Surveying apprenticeships pay the students for the tasks they complete in the working environment. By doing so, students are motivated to advance towards achieving the qualifications without stressing over student loans and other financial issues.

• Students can finally access the recognised qualification from the professional body

• Students who proceed to go through an apprenticeship develop confidence and independence while working in the construction industry. The working environment will help the student to mould a successful path in becoming a professional by experiencing the activities and finding their true potentials.

• Students will get the advantage of working in the industry while receiving the support of a personal assessor. Professional assessors can help the students to pass the RICS APC without having any shortcomings in the process.

• When the students are working in the industry and pursuing the MRICS qualifications, they have more chances of being employable by professional firms, developers and clients in the industry. Employers will have proof of the student's competences in the working environment.

• Students gain an opportunity to develop their skills and enhance their knowledge further in the industry while progressing in the MRICS sector pathway. RICS requires students to complete the CPD hours to ensure that the professionality in the profession is upheld. Students in apprenticeships can easily fulfil the CPD hours by attending conferences, training courses provided by the employers, and meetings.

• When a student explores the possibilities in the field of work while studying to become an MRICS, then he or she can get an idea on their future goals and pathways to progress.

CPD Courses through online colleges

When students progress to achieve the MRICS designation through apprenticeships, the employers who oversee the progress will provide support such as organising the available CPD courses so that the candidate can learn throughout the process. Employers can seek assistance from online colleges such as the College of Contract Management. The online course provider offers many CPD courses such as the Health, Safety and CDM Regulations, Managing Projects with JCT Contracts, Risk Management and more. These courses can be accessed from anywhere and anytime around the world. The online college also provides the RICS APC Coaching Services through live online lectures. The College of Contract Management assigns a professional MRICS Counsellor while providing the Quantity Surveying and Construction sector pathway. The College will help with the submission reports and advice on how to progress in the chosen sector pathway.

The Chartered Surveyors Apprenticeship covers these RICS sector pathways:

• Building Surveying

• Commercial Property

• Minerals and Waste Management

• Planning and Development

• Project Management

• Residential Property

• Rural

• Valuation and Quantity Surveying