In 2013, CBRE launched an apprenticeship programme to increase the diversity of its workforce.
In that first year, the firm fielded 300 applications for 11 places from hopefuls who would commit to a five-year programme of practical work and study to become fully fledged chartered surveyors. In 2014, it offered another seven places, and last year a further 15.
A scheme of this scale was, as far as it knew, unprecedented in the industry.
And if the success of the scheme can be measured by the dedication of the recruits and the richness of their backgrounds, then it was a positive move.
“Seeing students that were never going to be given an opportunity in this industry being as determined or as loyal, or willing and wanting, makes my hair tingle,” says Ciaran Bird, CBRE UK managing director, and the driving force behind the scheme.
Bird is committed to the scheme because of his personal entry into the world of property. He has been in the apprentices’ shoes. He started out when he was 16 years old, coming from a state school – not the traditional public school route of many in his position in the industry.
“Some firms have taken on youngsters for six months, or 12 months, and others have taken it more seriously, but didn’t have the infrastructure to support them,” says Bird.
“It is a big investment, beginning with a recruitment stage that is as vigorous as our graduate scheme.
“Then you have to provide support and mentoring for the apprentices, make sure there are roles in the business for them and, importantly, that the business and the line managers are prepared.”
The scheme won four awards last year, including the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust Special Recognition Award for apprentices Sammy Kingston and Walé Sanusi. The pair stood out for their setting up of the Apprentice Network, a group with a schedule of yearly events where apprentices, not just in property, but also other professional services, can meet and network.
Kimberly Henry, CBRE’s next generation recruitment and development adviser, is the linchpin of the apprentice programme, a mother figure and a mentor to the charges.
“Collaboratively, they are incredible,” she says. “They are so innovative and come up with amazing, creative ideas so they are utilised for other things outside of their role, such as pitches and focus groups. They really are an incredible resource for creativity.”
Some of the apprentices enter the scheme as young as 16 years old and, in some cases, with no family history of working in a corporate environment.
“For a young kid who grew up in Hackney, to invite his parents to a presentation in a corporate environment, wearing a suit, standing up on the stage, that’s a life-changing opportunity and their parents are so proud,” says Henry.
But not every recruit goes the distance. Some have issues in their personal lives that cannot be managed along with the demands of the apprenticeship, and others are simply not cut out for the world of chartered surveying.
A sticking point with the scheme, and certainly an issue that reflects the industry as a whole, is getting enough females to apply. In the first stream, there was only one.
Bird says: “I kept asking my wife and friends and mums why, and I think it’s a combination of things: I think parents are a bit more conservative around sending their daughters off on an apprentice scheme aged 16 or 18, and the industry is not well understood either. Some people still think it is construction and bricks, plus, I think an apprenticeship, dare I say it, is almost seen as something for failures.
“But we are really driving that agenda,” he adds, “so is the CBRE Women’s Network, and we are being proactive about it in schools.”
The scheme continues to develop and Bird has recently been in discussion with Land Securities about helping the apprentices understand the client side of business through short-term placements with the REIT.
Once a successful model has been tested, it is hoped that there will be further collaborations. Watch this space.
Next week, EG profiles the original and oldest property apprenticeship scheme, the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust, and finds out about its goal to get more young people into the industry than ever before.
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