Our early careers team have received some great feedback following our third virtual graduate Insight Programme, which ran from 11- 14 April.
The fully virtual programme was aimed at students who are not reading a property related subject at university and has been designed to provide a foundation to build understanding of services and careers within the property and surveying industry.
Marie-Ange Ehrhart, Early Careers Talent Advisor, based at our Banbury office said: “We created the Insight Programme last year and it was developed specifically for non-cognate students. It aims to provide an understanding of sectors, roles and careers in the surveying and planning industry to help the participants decide whether a career in surveying or planning is for them. By generating interest from a broader candidate pool, our programme enables us to grow and diversify our talent pipeline. When we have interviewed for graduate roles in the past, we found applicants were extremely talented, so we wanted to give them an opportunity to get a real understanding of our business.”
The programme has been designed to be as interactive and engaging as possible and to make it a meaningful and enriching professional work experience. It included presentations from some of our experts as well as a Q&A session, support from a buddy who works at Fisher German, as well as some practical tasks.
For this third edition, a ‘task surgery’ was created to maximise learning in each sector. This part enabled the attendees to work in small groups with graduates and colleagues from the different sectors with separate breakout rooms which they could move between. The four days were delivered virtually so students from anywhere in the UK could attend.
Individual tasks helped the participants to reflect on their understanding, personal preferences, and skills to determine what they’re good at, what they like most and what they want to achieve in their career. To help them apply for surveying placements and jobs in the future, we also supported them with interview and CV writing skills.
One participant on the programme said: “I really enjoyed the opportunity to network with Fisher German colleagues and meet new, like-minded, people who are in a similar situation with similar interests, especially since there is little knowledge and opportunity to network with those interested in surveying at my current university given the lack of RICS accredited courses.”
Another said: “The APC talk was particularly useful especially being able to dissect the APC into the elements and discuss what is required with people who have already gone through the process. The introduction talk was welcoming and only made me more excited for the programme. I really enjoyed talking to graduates who had recently been in a similar position about how they got to where they are, their work loads and APC studies. All the Fisher German colleagues I spoke with were only more than happy to help and answer questions which made me feel welcome, thank you! Overall, the programme was well organised and informative with knowledgeable and welcoming speakers. Thank you!”
To find out more about our early careers programme click here.
