Following the launch of the 2012 / 2012 campaign, we are delighted to provide an update.

 

During apprenticeship week – commencing 6th February, over 125 employers committed to create immediate job opportunities for Apprentices across our Academies. We will be filling these posts over the next two weeks.

Since the launch of our campaign, only two months into the year, we are delighted to have secured over 400 job opportunities for APPRENTICES. These are sustainable jobs with committed businesses.

Furthermore, we have clear visibility of a further 150 job opportunities which we are confident of filling in the next 6 – 8 weeks.

We are hopeful of moving into May with over 800 vacancies identified and filled with committed employers

Peter Marples commented ‘ this is a tremendous start to our 2012 / 2012 campaign. There has been a tremendous response to our campaign and we are delighted to  be able to get more young people into work on their first step on their chosen careers. We could not have achieved this without the commitment of the employers we work with, many of them SME’s. If you want to support us and join the campaign, don’t hesitate to contact me directly on 07979857438’

A new breed of estate agent is rapidly helping to overturn the negative stereotype that has dampened the reputation of our industry for years. However, they also exhibit a strong business ethic.

This is the view of the Bloom Apprenticeship Academy for Estate and Letting Agents who train up to 400 young sales and letting agents each year. One of the first tasks the apprentices are set on their intensive 6-month course is to list the key attributes they believe that estate agents should exhibit.

The results are impressive. The attributes that are typically described include: returning calls promptly, good eye contact, well-presented, sincere advice, high integrity, tell the truth, listen, empathise, ethical, considerate, organised, patient, helpful, respectful, punctual, well-informed, reliable and trustworthy. These seem to be a far cry from the arrogant approach typified by some estate agents.

Bloom MD, Greg Morrall, said "It is great to see that our modern apprentices, unprompted, consistently hold in high regard the very attributes demanded by today’s home-moving public. They are not only a credit to us, but also to their sponsoring employers, from whom we regularly hear excellent reports. We are of course careful whom we choose to accept onto the apprenticeship scheme, and this is a great example of how apprenticeships can be used to prompt a culture-shift from the bottom up, which is, in some people’s view, years overdue!"

"Interestingly, apprentices also take a business-like view of agency and see themselves not just as customer-focused, but also as profit generators. In their list of attributes, apprentices also regularly suggest words and phrases such as proactive, tenacious, hard-working, progressive, and hungry-for-success. Of course, agency employers really notice when their government-funded new recruits immediately demonstrate a degree of commerciality more usually associated with business stakeholders than school-leavers!"

Notes to editors about BloomBloom Apprenticeships Ltd provides Academy-based vocational training and accreditation services to the estate and lettings agency sector.

Adam Howell of Taylors Estate Agents has gained the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFOPP) Technical Award in the Sale of Residential Property, the industry standard for Estate Agents, and has now been admitted as a Member of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).

Previously a student at Ridgewood High School and Stourbridge College, Adam only recently started his career in estate agency, joining Taylors Estate Agents in Stourbridge in September 2010 as an assistant to branch manager Adam Pritchard, and enrolled with the Bloom Academy in Birmingham to train for his Technical Award.

Adam commented: “For me, gaining the Technical Award and becoming MNAEA qualified is evidence of professionalism and reassures our clients that they are dealing with someone who is knowledgeable that they can trust to do a good job”.

The National Federation of Property Professionals Awarding Body is accredited by the Government’s Office of the Qualifications and Examinations regulator and offers nationally recognised qualifications across all disciplines in the property sector.

Ruth Lilley, Head of Membership and Professional Development at the NFOPP, explains: “the Technical Award is designed to offer a flexible, cost effect route for Estate Agents and those seeking to join the profession, to improve their knowledge and gain a well respected, nationally recognised professional qualification. I heartily congratulate Adam Howell on his achievement which represents a commitment not only to developing his career, but also to achieving the high industry standards we seek as a body to promote”.

Adam Pritchard, who manages the Stourbridge branch of Taylors, comments: “I am very proud of Adam who has demonstrated significant maturity and personal desire to succeed within the property industry”. “Not only is he the first candidate to achieve the Technical Award within the Bloom Academy organisation but, moreover, Adam is demonstrating excellent skills on a day to day basis”.

The Manager of the Bloom Apprenticeship Academy said “Adam was the perfect apprentice and we’ll miss him. He’s a great presenter - confident, articulate and above all, engaging – key qualities in estate agency. Taylors have also been extremely supportive as apprentice employers and their involvement has clearly paid off – to everyone’s advantage!”

Notes to editors about BloomBloom Apprenticeships Ltd provides Academy-based vocational training and accreditation services to the estate and lettings agency sector.

Apprentice

Apprenticeships are set to play a key role in the country’s economic recovery. The Property Services Apprenticeship is growing in popularity as more and more estate agents are recognising how it can benefit their workforce and business, particularly as the government funding make this a really cost effective option.
Asset Skills, the Sector Skills Council for property, is holding a series of free apprenticeship registration events as part of its new UK Academy for Property. These events are being held in partnership with the training provider Bloom Training and are taking place in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

They will outline how Bloom Training will deliver the programme and provide information on other property qualifications and available funding that can make the training you need more accessible.

The apprenticeship offers a career pathway into the industry and Bloom Training can help in recruiting and training an apprentice for your business. The apprenticeship programme takes advantage of government funding to make this a cost-effective way of increasing your staffing levels. It also enables existing property professionals of all ages to extend their skills and knowledge, at a time when every employee’s contribution is crucial to enabling organisations to do more with less.

Watch out for further messages from us, with full details of the event and a link to our online registration for the location of your choice –

• Birmingham, Thursday 09 June
• London, Thursday 16 June
• Manchester, Thursday 23 June

To register for the event of your choice, click http://www.assetskills.org/propertyevents - and follow the simple online steps. For more information, contact Tom Orton, Asset Skills UK Academy Coordinator,atukacademy@assetskills.org or call             0844 822 2525      .

Notes to editors about BloomBloom Apprenticeships Ltd provides Academy-based vocational training and accreditation services to the estate and lettings agency sector.

Bloom Sales and Lettings Apprentices show that there is a bright future in Property after all.

Alan Cooper, MD of the Nuneaton Estate Agency that bears his name is justly proud of his daughter who has just won a major award in the industry they both love.

In October last year, Charlotte Cooper (17) decided to follow her father’s footsteps into estate agency. Whilst Alan of course wanted to help his daughter in her career, his standards are high, and he advised her to seek a professional qualification at the outset. Little did Charlotte know that within six months she would be the talk of the industry!

Charlotte secured a place with the Bloom Apprenticeship Academy for Estate and Letting Agents in Birmingham. This is an intensive six-month course which blends formal training at their training centre with in-the-field assessment with an employer – usually sourced by Bloom but in this case the family firm had a place available.

During the course, apprentices take the most rigorous of exams in every aspect of good practice in estate agency culminating in the highly regarded NFoPP (National Federation of Property Professionals) Technical Award in the Sale of Residential Property plus an ABBE NVQ Level 3 Diploma demonstrating vocational competency. By April Charlotte was one of the first to pass these with flying colours and had been accepted as an Associate Member of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents, and a Member of the National Association of Estate Agents with the prestigious licensed membership status.

But the icing on the cake was this month when Charlotte was awarded ‘UK Young Estate Agent of the Year 2011’ at the Property Professional Show Awards Ceremony at the Grosvenor House hotel in London where she received the award from BBC’s The Apprentice star Jamie Lester (see pic on Facebook )

Proud father Alan Cooper said “Charlotte was exactly one month old when I opened the office in June 1993, but little did I know that not only would she make me so proud before her 18th birthday, but also that I’d have the Estate Agent of the year working in my office! A fantastic result all round and I’d like to thank the Bloom Apprenticeship Academy for making this happen. I’d encourage any young person considering an alternative to university to look at the apprenticeship route to a good qualification and early career success.”

Charlotte and Alan Cooper can be contacted at www.alan-cooper.co.uk or on             024 7634 9336      .

Notes to editors about BloomBloom Apprenticeships Ltd provides Academy-based vocational training and accreditation services to the estate and lettings agency sector.

The first 25 bright young apprentices at the new Bloom Apprenticeship Academy for Estate and Letting Agents in Birmingham have just completed their six month training and are now embarking on their new career with gusto!

The apprentices, who have been studying for their government-funded Advanced Apprenticeship in either the Sale of Residential Property; or Lettings & Property Management, have been spending half their time in the classroom and half their time in the field with their sponsoring employer, where the apprentices are assessed to Level 3 Diploma standard. The employers are Midlands-based estate and letting agents who have been keen to take advantage of free recruitment and government funding whilst offering carefully recruited young individuals the chance to hit the ground running.

Key players in the industry have supported the initiative with Rightmove, VTUK, Homelet and LMS all being directly involved in the training process. We asked four typical apprentices to describe their thoughts to date. They are: Andrew Richards, Annie Souberbielle, Jonathan Bennett and Kristina Hollick [pictured above; left to right]. All four candidates gave an emphatic thumbs-up to the qualification and the training and felt that they had chosen a promising career with a future, and they were highly complimentary about the Bloom Apprenticeship Academy, which prides itself on offering a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

A common feeling was that the mixture of classroom-based learning and real working experience clearly worked. Jonathan Bennett described the mixture as an ideal way of allowing him and his colleagues to dip their toes into the industry rather than a deep end “sink or swim” approach. Annie Souberbielle also felt that it was great to alternate between work and learning, as it meant that she was always doing something and gaining experience along the way.

Another important response was that apprentices were not going to have a large debt which they would otherwise have accumulated by studying at university; clear evidence that the increased university top up fees are already prompting young people to consider alternative forms of higher education - with a vocational twist.

Even those who had already decided to pursue a career in the property industry felt that they had gained a lot by doing the qualification. Kristina Hollick, who already has four years experience in the industry initially had concerns that the course would not be challenging enough, but she soon realised that there was much more to the training than she expected. “The training is very good and is not just about the learning the basics….they also teach you about how to be a good estate agent”, which a view echoed by Andrew Richards. Andrew explained that “what stood out for me initially was the level of professionalism that is expected at the Academy; you not only have to prove you are capable completing assignments on time and to the highest standard, but that you are capable of maintaining a professional attitude at all times as is expected in the workplace. This for me is what differentiates Bloom from a more ‘mainstream’ college, the fact they help you gain valuable ‘business awareness’; for example how to conduct yourself in the workplace and paying attention to your manner and appearance and how this can benefit you.”

Andrew also felt that the qualification and his training “as a whole has proven to be a fantastic experience. I struggle to find any major gripes concerning the academy”. …..”What has impressed me is how readily staff at the Academy take on-board apprentices’ suggestions and try their utmost to make the experience as productive and enjoyable for both staff and apprentices alike”. Many of the apprentices interviewed repeatedly used words such as ”secure, good grounding and thorough repeatedly coming up.

Maybe you’d like to make a similar career decision as Andrew, Annie, Jonathan and Kristina and pursue this fast track career option via the apprenticeship route? If so, please complete an application form online at www.Bloombi.co.uk.

NB: The above opinions were independently sourced via interviews conducted by the Awarding Body for the Built Environment (ABBE).

Notes to editors about Bloom

Bloom Apprenticeships Ltd provides Academy-based vocational training and accreditation services to the estate and lettings agency sector.

Following the success of its Birmingham and London operations, The Bloom Apprenticeship Academy for Estate and Letting Agents has just announced that it is to open a third centre, in Manchester city centre in early May 2011. 

One hundred bright young people up to 19 years of age are invited to apply for this government-funded vocational training service which will ease successful candidates into a lucrative career in either estate or letting agency.

The six-month programme blends classroom-based learning with in-the-field experience with the sponsoring employer on a rotating two-week in, two weeks out, basis culminating in the most prestigious qualifications in the industry - the National Federation of Property Professionals Technical Award, plus a Level 3 Diploma. Few people in the industry hold both these qualifications, but a Bloom Apprentice works toward them both – and gets expenses covered (£95 a week) although many start to earn more than this during their apprenticeship.

Many young people are now pursuing the apprenticeship route as an alternative to university as, at the end of the course, apprentices have a job, no debt, and are firmly on a recognised career path.

Bloom apprentices pride themselves on the fact that they also learn practical personal and business skills such as the psychology of selling, telephone manner, presentation skills, marketing and time management that immediately demonstrate real value to their employer. High profile academy sponsors such as Rightmove, VTUK, Homelet and LMS are also actively involved in the delivery of relevant training material.

There are four intakes of 25 apprentices each year, two in residential sales and two in residential lettings – each requiring different skills and personal attributes. The minimum entry requirement # is GCSE Grade C or above in at least English and Maths. Bloom recruitment consultants are on hand to ensure the “right fit” with employers and applicants should be articulate, personable and business-minded.

Prospective apprentices and indeed estate/letting agency employers considering the benefits of hiring well-trained commercially-aware young people are invited to contact Bloom via www.BloomBi.co.uk.

Maybe you’d like to make a similar career decision as Andrew, Annie, Jonathan and Kristina and pursue this fast track career option via the apprenticeship route? If so, please complete an application form online at www.Bloombi.co.uk.

NB: The above opinions were independently sourced via interviews conducted by the Awarding Body for the Built Environment (ABBE).

Notes to editors about BloomBloom Apprenticeships Ltd provides Academy-based vocational training and accreditation services to the estate and lettings agency sector.