Awards Ceremony
On Friday 20 November, the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust (CSTT) hosted its 2009 Apprenticeship Awards ceremony at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor’s head office, located along Parliament Square, London, which saw 24 students aged between 19 and 24-years receive accolades for their higher education achievements.
The CSTT is a not-for-profit organisation founded by the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors with the aim of supporting individuals who due to financial, social or academic reasons would not usually have the chance to consider a career in surveying.
The awards were received for achievements including the completion of Diplomas in Surveying Practice, a National Certificate in Construction, a Higher National Certificate in Construction and the new NVQ in Surveying, Property and Maintenance, which were partially funded by CSTT.
Outstanding achievement awards for each of the four courses were received by Lucy Winzer, Anne Lacey, David Skinsley, and Elliot King, respectively.
The event’s master of ceremony, CSTT Chairman Roger Southam, commented, “Each year we see more and more talented students receive industry recognised certificates and diplomas through The Trust and our annual awards recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals who are tipped to become tomorrow’s industry leaders.
“For 25-years we have been helping youths take a vocation in surveying. The Trust’s success is evident by the vast majority of apprentices who are offered full time employment from their mentoring company. Some of these companies include leading industry organisations such as Drivers Jonas, Colliers CRE, King Sturge, Savills and Skanska.
“There is a growing shortage of new surveyors, which will crucially affect all sectors of the property industry. The shortage of higher education training programmes as highlighted by Gordon Brown following the Queen’s Speech is therefore imperative to the health of UK property. Throughout 2010, The Trust will actively seek to receive more support from the Government to help those aged under 25-years through a vocation in surveying.”
More than 50 guests attended the ceremony, including notable industry figures such as former Livery Master and ex-RICS president Simon Kolesar.
During 2009, more than 300 applications for the CSTT programme were received and currently 76 apprentices and managed students are assisted by The Trust. The number of placements each year is largely dependent on the number of property companies willing to mentor students. For further information about benefits of mentoring programmes, please contact CSTT CEO Christina Hirst on 020 7785 3854 or christina.hirst@cstt.org.uk