TRAINING
The degree is wide-ranging, including
courses in construction, property law, economics, financial appraisal, surveying, and even politics, demographics and urban sociology as they affect the property market. It also includes practical training. “Our students are out there carrying out surveys, doing valuations, working with construction managers or architects. They have to learn how to work with other professions, so we turn out well-rounded professionals,” Kevin Gilliam says.
Bloom A slightly different model is offered by the Bloom Academy, which works with employers to train apprentices for NVQs in estate and lettings agency. It has 25 trainees taking its first six month course, Its courses lead to the NFOPP Technical Award, which is NVQ accredited. The apprenticeship model has various
benefits for both employer and learner. The learner gets paid while they also study for a qualification, at half the minimum wage during the apprenticeship, reducing the employer’s costs. While the training leads to a recognised qualification, which purely in-house training doesn’t deliver, the apprentices are also delivered ‘ready for work’ at the end of the scheme, with practical knowledge of the market and their employer. Richard Rawlings, head of training at Bloom, says, “We give our trainees the
‘You need the match to be right from day one, and you need to ensure
that the employer isn’t just getting a teaboy, they’re getting someone who can do the work.’ RiCHaRd RaWlinGS Bloom aCademy
NFOPP award and NVQ, but also try to infuse the basic business concepts as well, the kind of things that are important in the field.” Bloom also tries to ensure the right match between employer and apprentice, “You need the match to be right from day one, and you need to ensure that the employer isn’t just getting a teaboy, they’re getting someone who can do the work.”
Guild of lettinG & manaGement The Guild of Letting & Management offers, through the Letting Training Centre, a BTEC in residential lettings management. But it is also able to offer tactical training for employers, which Susie Crolla points out can be useful in ensuring staff maintain their knowledge once they are qualified. “We offer one-day courses on a variety of topics from block management, through day to day management, to the legal backgrounds,” she says. “We have a Woolworths-style pick-and-mix approach, so we can tailor courses to the needs of the client.” The BTEC is validated by the examinations board Edexcel as a Level 3 qualification (the same level as the NFOPP Technical Award). NFOPP is now developing a flexible
range of qualifications that provide a clear career progression for NFOPP members. At entry level there’s the Level 3 Technical Award, which is the basic qualification for entry to the trade body. At a higher level, the Level 5 Diploma “is about foundation degree level,” says Ruth Lilley, of NFOPP. But currently, there’s a big gap between
the two qualifications, “We do see people progressing straight on from the Technical Award to the Diploma, very often women returning to work who are very keen to get a qualification. But it’s a big step, and people can find it tough, particularly if they haven’t studied for some time.” NFOPP’s new Level 4 qualification, the Certificate, will provide an intermediary step between the Technical Award and the Diploma. The range of qualifications available
Back to school at the Bloom Academy
from different training providers is impressive and there’s a wide variance between the qualifications’ study time. RICS graduate entry demands 23 months of structured training, with 96 hours’ professional development within that period. That’s a heavy commitment, one some firms and individuals might not be willing to take on. On the other hand the Level 2 qualification from the Guild of Letting & Management takes 110 hours (equating to 3 weeks’ full time study, though most learners study the course over
We have a Woolworths-style pick-and-mix approach, so we can tailor courses to the
needs of the client.” SuSie CRolla Ceo, tHe Guild of lettinG & manaGement
a number of months, part-time). The time commitments increase, of course, as higher levels are reached, Level 4 is nearly three times longer (320 hours). Costs vary greatly too. NFOPP charges
£110 to test the four units of the Technical Award, and most learners study through open learning delivered by NFOPP. That costs £130 for members and £220 for non- members, so it is the time commitment rather than cost which keeps people out. Ruth Lilley says, “It’s very cheap for any qualification, particularly compared to taking a degree” where tuition fees alone can stack up to over £9,000. (Glyndwr is £3,290 a year for UK undergraduates. Most students on the Estate Agency course are part-timers and receiving support from their employers, Kevin Gilliam says.) Taking a RICS qualification can also
become expensive; it costs several hundred pounds just to register, plus the annual membership fee, before starting to study. “With CPD at £100 a time, that quickly adds up!” complains Kate Boyes, who is managing partner of Alexandre Boyes in Tunbridge Wells. But it’s a good investment, she says, and though she’s a graduate too, she is most proud of her RICS qualification.
PROPERTYdrum FEBRUARY 2011 19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68