Developing the next generation of surveying professionals

Developing strong early career talent remains essential to the future success of the UK's built environment sector, particularly as skills shortages continue to cause bottlenecks across construction, surveying and engineering.

With decades of heritage, first as Atkins and Faithful+Gould (F+G) and now as merger partners in AtkinsRéalis, we have built one of the industry's most established routes into professional practice.

Before becoming AtkinsRéalis in 2023, Atkins was well known for its long‑established graduate development programmes dating back to the 1990s, built on strong industry knowledge and long‑term recruitment cycles.

Historically, Atkins was one of the UK's major employers of engineering and surveying graduates, with alumni referencing the graduate development programme going back more than 20 years.

F+G, an industry renowned surveying practice established in 1947, was acquired by Atkins in 1996. The company supported early careers talent for more than 40 years, with several longstanding directors having begun their careers there in the 1980s.

Today, our graduate, apprenticeship and APC programmes continue to set a high standard for structured training and long‑term career development.

Our programmes give people the skills, confidence and professional grounding to thrive in a complex and rapidly evolving industry.

Each programme is tailored to help that specific cohort enter the profession and take manageable steps on the career ladder, ensuring the company retains talent and individuals have the best chance of success.

Graduates join a two‑year scheme beginning each September.

They attend a welcome week of sessions and networking events covering office operations, health and safety, sustainability, commercial awareness and communication and presentation skills.

Across the two‑year programme, graduates attend 14 masterclasses, delivered both in person and virtually.

All graduates are expected to work towards professional chartership or an equivalent accreditation.

This five-year programme includes four years of degree study, followed by a fifth year working towards the RICS APC final assessment.

Apprentices spend 80% of their week gaining on‑the‑job experience and 20% completing off‑the‑job training, which is typically made up of university study and exam preparation.

Most academic learning is delivered virtually, with work allocated through a digital learning portal.

Apprentices meet with their outcomes officer and line manager every 12 weeks to review progress.

Our national APC programme currently supports more than 350 candidates.

All early career employees attend the annual RICS APC introduction day, which covers the entire process from registration to final assessment.

This ensures candidates are fully prepared to begin their APC journey, and includes a keynote message on the importance of chartership for personal and business development by property managing director Stewart Macleod FRICS.

Every graduate is allocated an APC supervisor and counsellor. Graduates meet regularly with both to review progress and sign off APC competencies.

Supervisors and counsellors also ensure graduates maintain an APC diary and record continuous professional development (CPD) appropriately.

The national APC programme is led by the RICS professional scheme lead, who ensures all candidates attend monthly training sessions, which are generally lunchtime learning initiatives focused on core and mandatory competencies.

We provide a dedicated webpage offering guidance documents, study packs, recorded CPD sessions and exemplar submission materials. Day-to-day programme updates are shared via a Microsoft Teams APC community page.

Pre‑qualification interviews are held twice yearly in line with RICS assessment sessions.

Chaired by the RICS scheme lead and two in‑house assessors, the interview mirrors a condensed final assessment: a five‑minute case study presentation followed by ten minutes of questions.

Assessors then spend 20 minutes exploring core technical competencies for the candidate's pathway.

Successful candidates proceed to the next RICS final assessment window. For example, those passing pre-qualification in May submit to RICS in September for assessment in November.

Between pre‑qualification and final assessment, candidates receive enhanced support at both team and national level.

Submission documents undergo multiple rounds of internal review, and candidates complete targeted presentation and communication training delivered by an external public speaking specialist.

Candidates are grouped into study cohorts of around 20–30 individuals and are encouraged to support each other through peer study groups.

Two weeks before RICS assessments begin, candidates sit a formal mock interview with three in house assessors.

All candidates may observe each other's mock interviews, which has proven highly beneficial for understanding questioning techniques, learning from peers and building confidence through exposure to different interview styles.

With more than 600 chartered professionals across the business, we benefit from exceptional technical expertise that enables us to offer a comprehensive, high‑quality APC programme.

With a long history of structured training and a culture that encourages experienced professionals to support the next generation, AtkinsRéalis has created one of the UK's most robust early‑careers pathways.

Our strong APC results, committed mentors and investment in professional development ensure a steady pipeline of skilled chartered practitioners, which in turn supports both the organisation and the wider built environment sector at a time of growing skills demand.