Royal Seal of Approval

Cooper & Hall’s Steve McMillan takes a starring role in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) campaign to promote its services to the industry

A team from the RICS visited the Cooper & Hall offices in Tadcaster to discover more about the hiring and training of staff that makes the business so successful.

Director Steve McMillan explains how C&H has grown, thanks to attracting “the right people with the right passion and providing them with the best training”.

Recruitment –

“It’s about finding people who perfectly fit the company, its client base and its culture,” says Steve.

C&H takes recruits from all kinds of backgrounds.

“With the right training courses, we can attract people mid-career, looking for a new start. We’re committed to continuous, great quality learning and opportunities so that everyone has the chance to build a successful career with us.”

Training –

C&H mixes expert sleeves-up training from experienced colleagues on measuring, bills of quantities and contracts – “the stuff that really matters” – with day release to complete bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

Steve is a strong advocate of RICS courses, having benefitted personally and seen workmates thrive: “The RICS courses we offer our staff are intensely practical. And as they set the best practice rules and guidelines, who better to train with? If you’re a good surveyor, you never stop learning. And you never want to.”

Counsellor –

Steve has undertaken RICS coaching himself to become a counsellor in order to better support candidates through their APC (assessment of professional competence) training.

As an APC Counsellor he helps prepare his trainees for their career-defining moment. Four members of the C&H team are expected to enrol on the APC in the coming months.

“We get the most out of people by encouraging them to develop, which then gives them the motivation to work for us,” he says. “We push people to be the best they can be.”

Team talk –

“On-the-job training and CPD courses mean that we’re always focused on learning the skills we need in the real world.”

Tom Hornsey, C&H Senior Quantity Surveyor

“I get a lot of help from RICS’ CPD courses – covering everything from construction law to contracts, and measurements to dispute resolution.”

Richard Wilcock, C&H Quantity Surveyor

To read more, visit:

https://www.training.rics.org/businesstraining/how-a-surveyors-firm-overcame-its-hiring-dilemma/