Chartered success after two years’ hard work

Firm has helped numerous surveyors become chartered - many have gone on to have very successful careers

10 December 2015

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After two years of hard work and commitment, Ben Davies, Senior Surveyor with Cooke & Arkwright’s Retail & Leisure Agency, has qualified as a chartered surveyor with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The qualification verifies that he is proficient in his field having passed his Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), and is now entitled to put the letters MRICS after his name.

Ben comments, “I am very happy. It’s extremely rewarding to achieve this status after two intense years of work - in fact I would say it’s the most difficult thing to achieve outside of university. I would say to anyone considering doing their APC to be prepared to commit extra time outside of work to ensure all the requirements are met for your pathway in order to become chartered. The time involved and volume of work should not be taken lightly.

The amount of support I received during this process should not be overlooked. Cooke & Arkwright encourages and assists you through the process, and is well regarded for helping surveyors to become chartered. The firm gives graduates the opportunity to gain exposure in many different areas of surveying, depending on your pathway, from commercial to building, planning, valuation, management, rating and land agency. Cooke & Arkwright has helped numerous surveyors become chartered over the years, most of whom have gone on to have very successful careers.

“The RICS maintains high professional and ethical standards at the peak of the property profession and I see this qualification as a good career move. It is recognised at the highest level of property experts worldwide and clients place more trust in what you do.”

Managing Director, Andrew Gardner, “We congratulate Ben on his achievement. We are aware of the hard work that goes into the preparation and this now provides him with the appropriate platform to progress his career which we feel confident will be very successful and rewarding.”

Becoming chartered is a very rigorous undertaking. It involves a minimum period of 24 months of structured training to ensure the elected competencies are met in your day to day work, 48 hours of CPD per year, and reviews with an appointed APC supervisor and counsellor. Prior to final assessment, a 3,000 word case study on a chosen project must be submitted, in addition to evidence of the CPD undertaken and examples of work conducted during this training period. Chartered Surveyors are distinguished from the rest of the market by their enhanced knowledge and professional standards.

Cooke & Arkwright have provided independent property consultancy services to the College for a number of years. This advice has included property valuations and negotiation around property acquisition and disposal, rent reviews and the preparation and negotiation of the College’s farm business tenancy agreement. The College has consistently received an excellent and professional service from Cooke & Arkwright and their valuable support to the College is recognised and appreciated.

Bob Bates, Director, Coleg Gwent