Countrywide has launched a new apprenticeship scheme for young people who want a career in the property industry.
It gives apprentices training and development over two years to the standard of a Level 3 estate agency qualification. The qualification has been developed by Countrywide and is awarded by City & Guilds.
Once the apprentice has completed the training they will gain free membership of the National Association of Estate Agents.
Recruitment is being advertised from next month with the first recruits taken on to the scheme in the summer. The scheme will initially be trialled for six months in four UK regions with 20 apprenticeships forming the first batch.
This will increase to 100 apprentices per year thereafter.
Countrywide is starting to recruit for apprentices in Yeovil, Southampton, St Helens (Merseyside), Allerton (Liverpool), Preston, Walkden (Manchester), Hazel Grove (Stockport) and Newcastle under Lyne.
The agency group - the UK's largest - was the first to develop a formally recognised estate agency qualification. Its Level 2 Technical Awards in Residential Sales was independently approved by City & Guilds.
The qualification is recognised by future employers industry-wide, in the same way as the NAEA's Level 3 Technical Award.
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Comments
Great news! More training, not less, is needed for those entering the property industry. Every other sector has these schemes in place to train up the next generation, why not estate agency Nice initiative by Countrywide and I hope others follow suit.
Formally recognised qualifications are the way forward. Estate agents have a bad reputation for a reason, people think they are just greedy charlatans. While this is very unfair, that is the perception among many out there. Making sure new agents are qualified and regulated will go a long way to increasing trust among the public.
Apprenticeships seem to be all the rage at the moment - and appear to be a main talking point in the lead up to the general election - so this is a prudent and sensible measure by Countrywide.