Cambridge Seat of Learning

 On 18 and 19 February, young graduates from across Carter Jonas converged on Cambridge to attend two days of intensive business training.

The 30 graduates are the property consultancy’s current crop of newest recruits from the firm’s network of 31 offices countrywide and they came to Cambridge to complete a key part of Carter Jonas’ rigorous graduate training & development programme, run by the APC Training Team. This training prepares the candidates for their Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) qualifications – crucial to their future success in the property sector.

The group represented all of the Carter Jonas’s main business divisions – Rural, Commercial, Architecture & Building, Residential and Minerals & Waste Management.

An important part of the firm’s professional development programmes is to learn about a range of property disciplines and so over the two days; there were master classes, group workshops and site visits which reflected sector expertise in arbitration, ethics, renewable energy, valuations, planning and accountancy and tax among other business areas.

There were also guest speakers from solicitors Taylor Vinters and business consultancy Deloitte.

Each of the graduates undertook a ‘mock’ APC interview by the firm’s two qualified Assessors, designed to be as realistic as possible to the one which each will be facing over the coming year in order to qualify and achieve full Chartered Surveyor status.

Phillip Nicholson, Head of APC Training at Carter Jonas, said:

‘At a time when property might not be seen as the most attractive of career paths, it was heartening to see so many bright, young graduates eager to progress in the sector with Carter Jonas.

‘For those Associates and Partners more established in the firm, the opportunity to come together and interact with our new colleagues from across the country during the two-day event was valuable too.’

All of the candidates found the two-day course to be very rewarding. Huw Jenkins, a placement student in the North Wales office, said:

‘The event provided an excellent opportunity for us to learn through a combination of theory and practice. The inclusion of guest speakers also allowed us to gain from the experience of those outside the framework of Carter Jonas.’

‘Cambridge itself proved to be an ideal location, with the historic city centre and productive agricultural surroundings providing the perfect setting for such a training course.’