Trudi Borowski

Are you interested in building and construction but don’t want to go university?  Have you ever thought about the role of a surveyor in infrastructure projects?  If so, then how does a Level 6 chartered surveyor degree apprenticeship sound to you?  You’ll get first-hand experiences while getting paid and a degree level qualification at the end of it without paying £000’s in university fees!

What is a Chartered Surveyor?

A chartered surveyor is an industry recognised professional at the highest level responsible for particular aspects of engineering projects and interests.  A chartered surveyor can specialise in 3 distinct engineering disciplines – Building & Construction Surveying, Quantity Surveying & Project Management and Property Valuation & Assessment.

Building & Construction Surveyors provide professional advice on buildings and construction, ranging from city office blocks and skyscrapers to home extensions. Undertaking detailed surveys of buildings, identifying defects and advising on repair, maintenance and restoration.

Quantity Surveying & Project Managers negotiate contracts and prices, assessing, evaluating and managing construction projects to ensure the best value for money and quality, including life cycle costing, cost planning, procurement and tendering, contract administration and commercial management.

Property Valuation & Assessment Surveyors advise on managing, buying, selling, developing and leasing land and property, which includes inspecting and measuring and minerals use & assessment.

What does the role entail?

Chartered surveyors can find themselves employed in a wide range of projects such as bridge construction, tunnel boring, skyscraper building and road & waterways development, to name just a few.  It’s an exciting and rewarding career with plenty of opportunities and a strong sense of achievement.  However, it also comes with a high level of responsibility.

Chartered Surveyors make judgments that have major financial repercussions and impact on the built and natural environments. Therefore, the role requires good technical and business problem-solving skills as well as good people skills and an appreciation of natural and urban environments.

High professional standards govern the field, ensuring clients and employers of the calibre of service they will receive.  Accordingly, chartered surveyors adhere to the ethical principles and rules of conduct of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Typical Job Titles

Chartered Building Surveyor; Chartered Commercial Property Surveyor; Chartered Minerals Surveyor; Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor; Chartered Project Management Surveyor; Chartered Quantity Surveyor; Chartered Rural Surveyor; Chartered Surveyor; Chartered Valuation Surveyor; Corporate Real Estate Surveyor; Property Management Surveyor; Residential Surveyor.

Apprenticeship Entry Requirements

While entry requirements are a matter for individual employers, typically an apprentice would be expected to have already achieved Level 3 qualifications, e.g. A Levels or a Level 3 apprenticeship. 

For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the minimum English and Maths requirement are Entry Level 3.

Apprentices employed without this level of qualification will need to achieve at least Level 2 English and Maths prior to taking the end point assessment and will be required to complete the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited BSc/BSc(Honours) degree.

Where the apprentice already holds a Level 6 degree, subject to an assessment of prior learning, they will be required to complete a RICS accredited Post Graduate Diploma or MSc.

The Apprenticeship Programme

The charted survey apprenticeship is a 5-year commitment in which you will learn key skills, attain valuable knowledge and as a result demonstrate exemplary behaviours.

Key skills you will develop include: – information management; health and safety management; construction technology; law; consultancy; building surveying; preparation of designs and specifications; contracts administration; tendering and procurement; costing and cost planning of construction works; managing efficiencies of construction contracts; valuation and appraisal; land, property and planning law; inspection and measurement.

Key knowledge you will acquire include: – Law; Information management; finance; health and safety; diversity and inclusion; sustainability; construction technology; ethics and professionalism; client relationships; building pathology; design and specification; contract management; procurement; costing and cost planning of construction works; construction project control and reporting; applied valuation and appraisal; Land, property and planning law; Inspection and measurement.

Key behaviours you will develop include: – Providing a high standard of service; acting in a way that promotes trust in the surveying profession; acting with integrity; treating others with respect; taking responsibility.

The bottom line

Chartered surveyors are highly qualified and respected individuals in various roles in property management and building & construction engineering, currently earning in the region of £50,000-£60000 per annum + benefits. Their careers are wide and varied, demanding and rewarding.  So, if this is the career for you, an apprenticeship will provide you with an effective route to achieving it, learning and earning in an ideal environment that will get you to where you want to be. 

If you want to know more then head over to Chartered Surveyor on the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education website where you will find more about this level 6 apprenticeship. To read more about the role of a Chartered Surveyor click here – What does a chartered Surveyor do?

Digital Marketing is a relatively new and exciting world that keeps growing as technology continues to develop. Because of this Digital Marketing is a great career opportunity for young people to jump into, develop new skills, learn about the digital world and how we can utilise digital tools to reach our business goals.

A Digital Marketing apprenticeship is a great way to kick start your Digital Marketing career as you get a hands-on learning experience while also getting paid! A Level 3 Digital Marketing qualification requires you to demonstrate a wide range of skills, one of them being communication. 

As a current Digital Marketer with experience and knowledge I have put together a list where good communication is needed in the workplace and how to improve this skill.  So, if you are an aspiring Digital Marketer and would like to know how to develop this vital skill read on!

Why do you need good communication skills?

Digital Marketing requires many skills which you can lean and develop on the job.  Marketing is all about communicating our message to users in a way that’s effective enough to get them to click on our Ads. However, communication skills in the workplace inspire confidence and are key to good client relationships and teamwork.

As a Digital Marketer you will be working with clients day-to-day supporting their business goals by producing successful advertising campaigns. Written and verbal communication is needed in lots of different ways. Below I have outlined where you will need good commination and tips on how to develop this skill.

• Emails with the client

Occasionally an email can turn into a long email chain which can get confusing. To keep client emails organised, separate them into different folder categories, which will help you find emails quicker and prevent you from losing emails which may lead to clients having to chase for you’re a response, which won’t look good.

It’s important to be prompt responding to emails, but sometimes emails can take a while to answer, especially if the client has asked a question that needs investigation. In this case, let the client know you are looking into it and provide a time/date of when you will get back to them. This reassures them that this is on your radar.

When writing emails to the client keep the tone professional but friendly. As an opener greet them with ‘how are you’ or ‘I hope you’re well’ and then move into the content. This creates a softer feel to the email and develops a good relationship with the client.

When completing your apprenticeship assignments, showing how you communicate professionally with the client on different platforms and answering their questions in a clear manor will help you achieve your communication and customer services competencies.

• Client meetings

When working with clients you will need to have meetings to discuss the performance of their campaigns, what’s working well and what isn’t and answer questions the clients may have. Your approach when delivering your answer should be calm, confident and clear. Allow yourself time to think of a response and have belief in your delivery. You want the client to have confidence in what you as saying.  Use the STAR method (Situation Task Action Result) when having to answer questions or explain a campaign project you recently ran for the client.

You can use the communication skills you develop in client meetings to help with the End Point Assessment (EPA) of your apprenticeship programme, which is an interview. In this interview you will need to answer questions on your previous assignments. With the skills you have developed the interview will be easy!

More Information

If want to find out more on Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeships click the link here – Digital Marketer

For more information on the role and how the apprenticeship is assessed click these links –

Assessment Plan

Occupational Brief