At work, you probably think about your trainees now and again. Hopefully, it’s not all thoughts of despair. Maybe you are pleasantly surprised at their progress. Maybe you realise that you need to explain something again.
The APC/ATC procedure provides you with a framework for making this process more explicit. Every quarter, you will sit down with your trainee, to judge their progress against the “programme of training” that you recorded in their Structured Training Agreement. Your “APC Guide for Supervisors, Counsellors and Employers” gives some practical advice about your role, but how does this relate to your day to day management responsibilities?
People tell me that they don’t need to carry out a quarterly review, because they work with their candidate every day, and they know how they are doing. But this opinion can only relate to the tasks that you allocate. How does their performance relate to specific Level 2 and 3 competencies? If they do it correctly (Level 2), do they know why they do it (Level 3) or how else to do it (Level 1)?
The quarterly review must be treated formally. If possible, the counsellor should sit in on every meeting. Who else has the authority to make changes to the candidate’s work schedule to ensure that all competencies are covered? The candidate gets used to keeping records and thinking in APC/ATC terms about what they do. You review their records to ensure that they are accurate, compliant, and comprehendible. They remind you of what your candidate has done, so that you know what to ask them about. They will also highlight gaps in experience that you must help them to fill.
Get your candidate to make a presentation to you about what they have done, and what should happen next. It helps them to think and act in RICS terms. It makes them use the language of competence, and develop their presentation skills. Making it formal gets them used to using the terminology, discussing their achievements, and defending their actions.
You can then assess them formally. Asking them Level 2 questions is easy. Get them to confirm and clarify what they have done in relation to each competence. At Level 3, you ask them why they did it. Take it as read that they did it because you told them to (PII demands it). But they must be able to justify their actions. Look at the explanations of the relevant Level 3 competencies in the Pathway Guide to be reminded about what they ought to be able to do at this Level.
Finally, how are you going to test Level 1? Some people tell me that they send their trainees on courses, but are they tested afterwards? The only way to test Level 1 is to quiz them. The achievement of Level 1 is the candidate’s responsibility. It’s down to you to give them Level 2 and 3 experience, but only they can achieve “an up to date and developing knowledge of (relevant) legal and technical matters” as stated in the Guides.
If you follow this procedure, you are ensuring that your candidate is becoming an effective colleague. In the process, you are giving them the best possible preparation for getting qualified.
RICS members in Scotland can contact me at A.Melvin@Napier.ac.uk. Others should seek out their local regional training advisor.
