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Apprenticeships provide an additional route for employers to improve their skills base, boost productivity and grow their business. Apprenticeships can help employers address a range of key recruitment challenges, including diversifying their staff base and overcoming key hurdles associated with an ageing workforce.
RICS recognise apprenticeships as an integral route into the profession and can help guide employers on their apprenticeship journey. There are different systems for apprentices in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you have any questions, please contact us at careers@rics.org.
Apprenticeships are not just for young people. They are available at a range of skills levels, from level 2 (GCSE equivalent) to degree (Level 6) and even masters (Level 7).
Employers are setting up apprenticeship recruitment schemes alongside their existing graduate recruitment schemes, but many others are using apprenticeships to develop existing staff and take advantage of the funding available.
RICS is an approved Apprenticeship End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAAO) and there are several apprenticeship standards that lead to RICS qualification at both AssocRICS and MRICS level.
Published date: 01 July 2020
If you are a provider interested in delivering this apprenticeship, in the first instance please contact careers@rics.org.
| Apprenticeship pathway | APC pathways |
| Building Surveying | Building Surveying |
| Quantity Surveying & Project Management | Quantity Surveying and Construction, Project Management, |
| Property | Corporate Real Estate, Commercial Real Estate; Land and Resources, Planning and Development, Residential; Rural; and Valuation. |
If you are a provider interested in delivering this apprenticeship, in the first instance please contact careers@rics.org.
Finding a good and trustworthy apprenticeship training provider to work with will make the process of having apprentices as part of your business much easier.
A good provider will hold the knowledge about delivery, standards and processes and ultimately be able to advise that what is being delivered will enable the apprentice to pass their end point assessment. They may even be able to help with some of the administrative processes involved.
Search all approved training providers for:
Whether you are a large employer paying the apprenticeship levy or a small or medium enterprise, employing apprentices makes good financial business sense. Research by the governments Education and Skills Funding agency has shown that apprentices give an excellent return for the investment of between 150 to 300% and apprenticeships reduce long term recruitment and training costs.
RICS see apprenticeships as one of the key ways that employers can meet their skills needs and expand their talent pool by attracting a more diverse range of talent with alternative routes into the profession. RICS can help employers with any questions you have about how to maximise the benefits that apprentices bring to your business.
Not all surveying pathways are available through the Chartered Surveyor degree apprenticeship. Employers should ensure that the pathway they choose is the most appropriate for the apprentice as changing pathways, unless very early in the apprenticeship, may not be possible. The Chartered Surveyor degree ends with the APC-24 assessment. No other assessments are possible. The Chartered Surveyor degree apprenticeship requires apprentices to pass an RICS accredited degree, but apprentices will not pass the apprenticeship unless they also take the APC-24.
There are many flexible ways that an apprenticeship can be made to fit your business needs. The government have produced this handy guide with contributions from RICS, showing how some construction companies and providers are working together.
An apprentice is an employee, so their employer has to pay them a suitable wage. Obviously existing employees who are learning new skills and developing their careers by becoming apprentices retain their existing salary and conditions. New recruits should be paid a wage that is competitive for the market. There are rules governing the minimum that you can pay an apprentice, but most employers recruiting surveying apprentices will pay a salary that is competitive to fill the vacancy.
Large employers with a staff payroll of over £3m will pay 0.5% of that pay bill as a levy, paid via their PAYE systems. This levy payment funds the training for any apprentices that they employ, both new recruits and their existing workforce. Smaller non-levy paying employers pay for their apprenticeships through the Government Apprenticeship funding scheme, which is a subsidised formula where the government pay 90% of the cost and the employer pays 10% of the cost.
Levy paying employers can also pass up to 25% of their unspent levy funds to as many other employers as they like – this is known as a Levy Transfer.
Each apprenticeship has been assigned to a price cap which tells you how much apprenticeship levy or Government Apprenticeship funding scheme, which is a subsidised formula where the government pay 95% of the cost and the employer pays 5% of the cost. .
Training providers, in England, who have RICS recognition and are on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers can be searched for here.
The process for enrolling staff (new or existing) onto an apprenticeship should be relatively straightforward and you should be supported by the training provider who you engage to deliver the training for you. In addition to using all your existing channels, you can advertise apprenticeship vacancies for free through the National Apprenticeship Service and RICS Recruit.
As your professional body we are here to support all employers on their apprentice journey. If you are looking to recruit apprentices for the first time then download our employers guide or contact us with any questions.
If you already an apprenticeship scheme get in touch with us so we can link up and help promote your opportunities.
Published date: 01 July 2020
Apprenticeship are fully funded by the government, at no training cost to the employer, which means there are limited places and apprenticeships are only offered at undergraduate level.
In Scotland there is a surveying relevant apprenticeship - Construction and the Built Environment.
This is currently offered as an RICS accredited apprenticeship in three universities:
When the apprentice completes a fully accredited programme, they will be able to progress to Assessment of Professional Competency (APC), but the APC is not included in the apprenticeship itself, this must be applied for separately on completion of the apprenticeship.
Please note, Robert Gordon University offers the Construction and the Built Environment apprenticeship, but it is not RICS accredited so apprentices would not be able to progress to the APC, they would need to undertake an RICS accredited master's course.
Read more about the Construction and the Built Environment apprenticeship.
The apprenticeship system in Wales is government funded and providers are awarded contracts to recruit specific numbers of apprentices.
There are many apprenticeships available, but none are in surveying at a degree level so would not lead directly to RICS membership. However, a few could be used at an entry point to progress towards a surveying career.
Read the full list of frameworks available.
Higher Level apprenticeships are delivered by Universities and are funded by the government so there are a limited number of places available.
There is no direct apprenticeship specific to surveying in Northern Ireland but the apprenticeship that is most relevant is Construction engineering with surveying, available at South West College.
Successful completion of this apprenticeship does not lead directly to RICS membership.
Read more about the Construction engineering with surveying apprenticeship.
