Global APC Content Review Project Update February 2015

Introduction The Global APC Content Review focuses on our pathways and their competencies. We are looking at ways to ensure these are globally relevant and represent current and future practice. Many of our pathways are not currently offered in all world regions – this is an opportunity to simplify and align them to a best practice, market-leading framework. The purpose of this session is to update you on the progress of the project, gain your insight and ask for your endorsement of the project’s current approach.

High Level Objectives The end goal of the project is to have a globally scalable set of APC pathways which are:  Agile  Clear  Connected  Modern  Sustainable The existing APC pathways and competencies must be repackaged to reflects these elements while also preserving the existing technical standards.

Global APC – Project Links Global APC Content Review ‘what’ we assess Membership Assessment ‘how’ we assess Eligibility Review ‘who’ we assess

Membership Assessment Project The APC Content Review is about what we assess. The Membership Assessment Project (MAP) is about how we assess. MAP is a separate but dependent project focusing on alternative methods of assessing professional and technical competence. The aim of MAP is to design an assessment process that maintains the current rigour of the APC assessment process and removes some of the current constraints and inconsistencies the process has in newer markets.

Eligibility Review The APC process is our test of competence, however our routes to membership do not reflect the changing nature of the profession or the ways in which people learn, train, and are educated as surveyors. Becoming a chartered surveyor requires a blend of qualifications and experience. In the UK our routes do not currently cater appropriately for apprentices. There are barriers (perceived or otherwise) to entry for non-degree holders. As we review ‘what’ we assess, and ‘how’ we assess, it is important we consider ‘who’ is being assessed. We are in the very early stages of this project; collecting data and information which we will be discussing with the regional education standards boards between March and May.

‘Best Practice’ Pathway As part of the APC Content Review project, we have researched other professional organisations and identified our pathways should:  Have defined competency statements  Separate technical competencies and ‘soft skills’  Maintain defined levels of competency for technical areas  Align to international qualification standards

Consultation We consulted our stakeholders by way of a detailed questionnaire hosted on the APC Content Review community site. The consultation was open for eight weeks from 1 July to 31 August To ensure all views were captured in a systematic and meaningful format, we worked with the RICS Communications team to engage stakeholders and the wider RICS membership through:  RICS News  Professional Groups practice updates, community sites and board meetings  Forums and newsletters for APC candidates and recently qualified members  Key Accounts contacts  Linkedin  Twitter

Consultation Feedback  The questionnaire was answered by 789 respondents  48% (378 responses) RICS members  31% (242) assessors/assessor trainers  9% (73) APC candidates  Highest pathway responses  27% (212) Quantity Surveying & Construction  19% (153) Commercial Property  13% (99) Building Surveying  12% (95) Valuation  0 and 5% remaining 16 pathways  Responses were largely dominated by members in the UK at 65% (513) and Europe at 16% (125).

Knowledge Board At the Knowledge Board meeting on 10 October 2014, the Board approved: ► Further development of a seven pathway framework ► Further academic research to; Demonstrate shifts in education that have altered candidates routes to membership by way of timeline (we should have this capability or a review process in place to keep this relevant for the future) Isolate any further competency duplications and look for further efficiencies in the pathways on a scientific basis and as a challenge to tradition and politics Offer structured body of knowledge advice with regard to construction of the framework Assist Professional Groups with population of framework on a review and report basis ► Invite Professional Groups to populate the framework and provide relevant industry insight to development options.

The seven-pathway model  Seven pathways / industry sectors  All candidates must demonstrate the redefined ‘business, ethics and leadership’ competencies  In addition to the pathway’s core requirements, candidates can select additional competencies from an ‘open’ list. The overall number is open to debate  Chartered Alternative Designations are attached to a specific competency or ‘special’. Candidates can select these during the APC process or post- qualification.

Research Project With support from Dr Clare Erikkson FRICS, RICS Director of Global Research and Policy, we are commissioning an independent research project to support the development of the new APC framework. The main purpose of this research phase is to establish: ► Are the existing competency statements globally relevant? ► What elements of the existing competency statements are not globally relevant and why? ► Are there variations across and within world regions? ► If there are variations across and within world regions, is there sufficient differentiation of practice to warrant these variations?

Mandatory Competencies The existing mandatory competencies have been redefined as ‘business, ethics and leadership’ competencies to avoid confusion with the core technical areas. We propose five competencies overall, reducing the number from 10 to four (or from 13 to five if including Senior Professional Route competencies) with each new definition covering broader topics:  Business practice  Ethics, rules of conduct and professionalism  Practice standards  Inclusion and Diversity  Leadership and management (for Senior Professional Route candidates) No levels are proposed, they will be defined only in enough detail to assess against.

Technical Competencies The consultation feedback supports the view there are too many technical competencies. Many can be combined with others or removed. We are working with Professional Groups to undertake analysis of where competency duplication and overlap is clear. Professional Groups must identify the knowledge base across the seven pathways/industry sectors and how these are demonstrable globally over the next five to 10 years. These areas are defined as ‘day one’ outcomes for all MRICS – the core competencies required for each pathway on the day of qualification. The revised list of competencies will be prioritised to determine their order of importance to the pathway. This will help to provide a steer on how many competencies should populate each pathway/industry sector. There must be a consistent number across each group.

Next Steps Ahead of the Knowledge Board meeting in June 2015, we will continue to develop the new global APC model. This will include: ► ongoing engagement with Professional Group Directors and Boards and other stakeholder groups ► progressing with the research project ► the continued process of rationalising the existing competencies ► populating the new framework with competencies

Your Feedback We would like to thank you for your interest in the project. ► Do you have any questions or comments about the project’s approach? ► Are there any global APC issues you would like to raise? ► Are there specific competencies or pathways you would like to provide feedback on? Please contact the project team if you have any comments or questions.