No, not quite…
The Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) is notoriously difficult to pass, making it all the more prestigious when it is achieved. The APC is an ‘on-the-job’ training scheme and it must be completed by graduate surveyors in order to achieve Chartered status through the professional industry body RICS. Considered as an essential part of a Surveyor’s Professional Development, the qualification is highly regarded across the construction industry and endorses professional competency.
Doig+Smith currently has 20 junior surveyors studying for the APC qualification, and they are supported by our Associate, Dean Carrick who takes on the role of Training Manager within our organisation and is a certified RICS APC Assessor himself.
Dean got involved in this training role because of how supportive the company has been to him in his academic and professional education. He is passionate about professional development and is currently studying towards a doctorate in the built environment in his spare time.
“I honestly believe that Doig+Smith’s training support is an exemplar in the industry and I want to be a part of that. As for the APC, I enjoyed my APC journey and that was wholly due to the support I received from the D+S team involved. If I can offer a fraction of that support I will hope that I have influenced a candidate’s journey to becoming a Chartered Surveyor. I’m proud of my MRICS title and want others to feel the same way. It is a real accomplishment.“
What advice would you give to anyone sitting their APC exam this year?
Make sure you:
Are looking at your plan to meet submission dates
Reviewing regularly with your counsellor and supervisor
Practising your presentation (this is where you really display you abilities)
Sitting Mock assessments (as many as you can squeeze in).
Know your full submission from front to back. The Assessors should be using this to derive their questions. Be prepared.
How does Doig+Smith support its APC Candidates?
APC Training Events
Throughout the year, various APC training events are organised, with topics including Construction Technology, Ethics and Professional Practice, Contract Practice, Procurement and Tendering, Client care, and Team-working.
One-to-one mentoring sessions
Though group sessions are helpful, we see value in allocating time to support our candidates with individual sessions, offered to suit the Candidate’s requirements but, as a minimum, every 3 months. Candidates then have the opportunity to…. Discuss progress, highlight areas for extended learning, review the requirements of the APC with a knowledgeable mentor, and receive positive support.
Annual APC Preparation Day
Every year we hold a dedicated preparation day for our APC Candidates across the UK. This gives our junior staff the opportunity to work with other candidates and mentors, practice presentations and answering questions, have final assessment training and review their documentation, as well as sharing their experiences and worries with each other.
Senior Staff Support
The culture at Doig+Smith is vey supportive, and our senior staff are always on hand to answer any questions or uncertainties graduates and trainees may have.
Dean comments, “I personally believe that our mentoring goes beyond simple APC related support, with elements of life-coaching and tacit knowledge transfer thrown in and our results speak for themselves… excellent, qualified staff who have gone through the process with us, then spent many years of their career working for Doig+Smith – myself included! While it is ultimately the candidate’s own journey, we at D+S are right behind them, to ensure they get the best out of this journey, to be the best version of themselves. “The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” — Steven Spielberg
The APC Final Assessments take place twice a year and are generally scheduled for May/June and November/December. Doig+Smith would like to wish all APC Candidates the very best of luck!