In 2017, 17 Gleeds people passed their RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) in the UK, the largest cohort in the company’s history.

The Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) is one of the construction industry’s recognised professional qualifications for quantity surveyors, building surveyors, capital allowances surveyors and project managers and is something that we take very seriously. The results also reinforce Gleeds decision in 1999 to set up its own in-house training academy to develop and nurture talent.

Here, Stuart Earl, Head of Training & Development, discusses what this achievement means for the business and how the successful candidates will help shape the future of Gleeds and the built environment.

This is the largest APC pass rate in a single year that Gleeds has ever had. Is this a representation of how well the business is doing as a whole?

It is important that we continue to offer clients people who have been properly trained, have relevant work experience and have the correct professional qualification. It shows to our clients our desire to provide them with a high quality of service, which is reflect­­ed in the quality of our people.

Our growing number of trainees (and hence APC passes) is reflective of the overall business growth and how many young people want to work at Gleeds.

How will the success of 2017’s candidates be used to inspire those of next year?

We are looking to use some of last year’s successful candidates as role models for the next generation of trainees. This will be a great opportunity to demonstrate what success looks like with our new talent coming through the business - allowing our people to share their personal experiences, commitment and sacrifices made along the way.

What does the achievement mean for the future of Gleeds?

I am a strong advocate of developing our own talent, rather than just trying to buy it in. Our business has many instances of those who have reached director and top-level status having joined as a trainee. This result is yet another example of how we at Gleeds nurture the talent we have and give them the best opportunity to be successful.

A lot of our APC passers go on to be an integral part of our APC programme in terms of mentoring future trainees and becoming assessors for our internal APC Assessments.

Increasingly, project tenders are asking for us to show that our people are competent. What better way to demonstrate this than by having people with the appropriate level of professional qualification?

Author
Stuart Earl

Stuart Earl
Head of Training & Development