My job puts me in a privileged position, helping Members turn hesitant students into confident young (and not so young) representatives of our Institution. I have seen how the APC/ATC procedures give you a suite of effective management tools to help you to get the best out of your people, ensuring that they meet the standards of expertise and ability that you and the public expect. We call it “Structured Training” - a robust procedure that you implement in your workplace. A robust procedure that is then publicly tested at Final Interview.
The system is robust thanks to a clearly defined set of rules and guidance that puts the responsibility where it belongs, namely with you. You take all the decisions about your candidate. But the system is robust because you (and RICS) can demonstrate to the public that standards are closely monitored and tested through the Final Assessment process. At Final Interview, your professional opinion (as Supervisors and Counsellors) is publicly tested by trained fellow members (Assessors). The assessors in turn are monitored by trained fellow members (auditors), who seek ways to improve the system and ensure consistency.
You (as Supervisors, Counsellors and Employers) are advised what to do to develop your trainees. You are given precise definitions in terms of competence (see “APC/ATC Requirements and Competencies”). These are augmented by the relevant “Pathway Guide” based on what you need from your people. The Final Interview confirms that there is consistency of opinion between employers and assessors about what each competency means. In general, the diminishing number of candidates who are “referred”, do so because their employers have not read the definitions before signing off their candidate.
No candidate can present themselves for Final Interview without the approval and support of at least one Member, so you are an essential participant in Structured Training. But the robustness of the system is embedded in the Final Interview. This gives the public the reassurance that they need. This is where the employer’s professional opinion of the candidate is publicly tested by other representatives of RICS who act as Assessors. They ensure that the standards have been adhered to, and the objectives have been met. Crucially, the assessors give you advice if your candidate fails to convince them and gets referred.
The independent assessment by practitioners in crucial. The reassurance to the public that Chartered Surveyors have all been independently assessed at interview is a cornerstone of the procedure. If you have implemented Structured Training as intended, then your people get qualified. The Final Interview convinces the public that the APC/ATC is robust, intensive, consistent and specific – R.I.C.S.
Employers, Supervisors and Counsellors in Scotland can contact Alan at RTAScotland@ricsonline.org. Other employers should consult their local RTA.
