Your APC article (Lottery Exam, QS News, 16 August) is a good reflection of concerns that I have come across from many employers, supervisors, candidates and assessors over years of having undertaken several APC roles. These have ranged from coaching APC candidates through to the actual training of APC assessors and monitors for the RICS.
The role of the supervisor is crucial to the entire APC. I see their role as 鈥渢ransferring knowledge鈥� of the following: the APC process, QS knowledge and professionalism.
This is an arduous task, considering they must still work on fee-generating projects. It鈥檚 not a simple task of showing candidates how to fill in a diary and sign boxes to signify the candidate鈥檚 readiness.
This is a role that commands interest in the APC and time in executing the role correctly. So much so that I now make a full-time living out of it as an APC coach.
This allows the supervisors to concentrate on their day-to-day work and puts the responsibility of getting the candidates through the APC on to myself. It has been tremendously successful and cost/time effective for employers, as well as providing an 鈥渆xpert鈥� addition to the employers鈥� APC team. I fill in all the 鈥済aps鈥� and expand their knowledge by simulated or reflective learning as well as dealing with the three areas of knowledge mentioned before.
Academics, candidates, employers, supervisors and the RICS need to disseminate APC issues through a central medium to get away from a 鈥渂lame鈥� culture.
Alpesh Patel, Director, APC Coach
Source
QS News