Chapter 4 The people invloved

4.1 Who is the supervisor?

The supervisor is the person responsible for the day to day activities, and has a good knowledge of the work being performed by the probationer. The supervisor ideally should be a chartered surveyor within the division of which the probationer wishes to practise.

4.1.2 Duties of the Supervisor

Provide, Guidance, support and encouragement.
Asses the candidate against the competencies every three months, completing their record of progress and the supervisors three monthly report.
Give guidance on how to keep a diary up to date reviewing it to see whether the competency references are correct. Are they claiming too many or not enough.
Help the candidate interpret the competencies to ensure that they receive credit for all activities carried out.
Ensure the logbook is complete and accurate.
After 12 months agree with the counsellor and the candidate on the candidate’s progress and complete interim summary of progress.
Together with the counsellor, asses whether the candidate has achieved the competency requirements of their Division/Specialist area and has all the relevant evidence for the pre assessment submissions.
Give support and guidance to the candidate on their critical analysis which forms part of the final assessment submissions.
Prior to the final assessment discuss with the counsellor the candidates progress and readiness.
Together with the counsellor complete the final summary of progress report.
If the candidate has been referred discuss with the counsellor the candidates progress and readiness for reassessment.
(The APC Counsellor & Supervisors Guide 2006)(www.scs.ie)
(The Points highlighted above are duties which were also common to the former system)

4.1.3 Additional Roles of the supervisor since the introduction of the competency based APC.

The author has played the devils advocate in a certain since, and in his own opinions believes there are pros and cons for the new assessment. Before the author began his research he was of the firm opinion that the new system incorporated a lot of additional work on everyone involved in the process with the exception of the SCS. If the author was to be critical of the new system it would be mainly due to the lack of support being given by the SCS(not that it was being given for the former system either) to the employer, counsellor, supervisor and probationer alike.

When the new competency based assessment was incorporated within the RICS they introduced RTA’s to help aid employers with setting up structured training agreements which were made mandatory under the new APC within the RICS. Table 4.0 shows the additional work required on behalf of the Supervisor in comparison to the former system. There is a substantial amount of extra work and resources required to manage this process the costs and time of which can be seen in Chapter 6.

4.2 Who is the counsellor?

The counsellor is the person responsible for planning and monitoring your activities. They are required to be a chartered surveyor within the division in which you wish to practise. On a personal note the author has noticed that since the introduction of the new competency based assessment several of the bigger PQS firms and Contractors have enlisted the help of a chartered surveyor specifically for this task. The author feels that the introduction of this person should be implemented through the SCS and the costs not resting with the employer. The argument can be made however that having a member of staff chartered is a method of enticing business and is a wish that the employer may want and may be willing to pay for.

4.2.1 Duties of the Counsellor

Asses the candidate against the competencies every six months and reviews the overall progress as a second opinion to the supervisor.
At the six monthly review complete the record of progress and counsellors progress report.
Discuss with the candidate and supervisor whether the candidate may need additional Training or experience and agree who will organise it.
Support & Guide the candidate.
At the 12 month review liaise with the supervisor and the candidate, agreeing progress and focus for the coming months, complete the interim summary of progress.
Judge when all the competencies have been achieved and the candidate is ready for final assessment.
Liaise with the supervisor and make sure that all the relevant documentation is included in the pre assessment submissions. This should include the final summary of progress report.
Work with the supervisor to give advice and guidance to the candidate preparing for the final assessment presentation and interview.
If the candidate is referred discuss with the supervisor the candidates progress and readiness for reassessment.
(The APC Counsellor & Supervisors Guide 2006)(www.scs.ie)
(The Points highlighted above are duties which were also common to the former system)

4.2.2 Additional Roles of the Counsellor since the introduction of the competency based APC.

Table 4.1 shows the additional work on behalf of the counsellor in comparison with the former system. There is a substantial amount of extra work and resources required to manage this process the costs of which are outlined in Chapter 6. The author believes that the additional work required with the new system could lead to a decreasing number of employers encouraging graduates to enrol in the APC. In order to prevent this, the author feels that the SCS must provide support to all those involved in the APC Process.

4.3 Possibility of Disputes
As per Diagram 4.2 below the author has illustrated the current lines of communication between the SCS and the rest of the people involved in the APC process. The author when initially carrying out his research aimed the questionnaire at the possibility of disputes amongst employees and employers, but it was highlighted to the author in the reply to one of the fellows questionnaires that “There is more of a risk of disputes between employers and the SCS” He substantiated this comment by saying the Supervisors & Counsellors deem the probationer competent to sit the assessment, when this probationer receives a referral it may be seen that this is a direct criticism of the counsellor who put the probationer forward for assessment.