Brighton Metropolitan College, formerly City College, is the second in the country to offer a new course for estate agents giving young people an advantage when seeking work.

It is a Level 3 business course applied to the property sector which provides formal qualifications, transferable life skills and progression into apprenticeships for young people aged 16 and over. You can still apply to join this course by contacting admissions-brighton@gbmc.ac.uk.

The course is unique because it has been designed and led by people in the industry. Chris Sawyer, Director of Sawyer and Co. Estate Agency in Hove met Jan Hytch, partner at Arnold Keys, an estate agency in Norwich who wrote the course for professionals new to the sector. He was interested because he said the industry has a problem with recruitment. For both of them, the purpose of the course is to drive up standards in the industry, create jobs and equip young people with life skills.

He said trainees joining the firm are often confined to the back office because it takes a few months for them to master basic protocols. He said: “The course enables them to hit the ground running. A job in an agency is often sink or swim and sometimes if the environment is wrong, it might not work out.”

Mr Sawyer is the dedicated agent liaison person and will provide support as an industry expert by tutoring at college about leasehold properties, enfranchisement and other technical issues. He was also the president of Brighton and Hove Estate Agents Association in 2016.

If estate agents are interested in collaborating, they should contact Jane Miles who is curriculum coordinator at Brighton Metropolitan College to get involved:  jane.miles@gbmc.ac.uk or Mr Sawyer for sector specific information: chris@sawyerandco.co.uk.

Head of Business and Industry Services at Brighton Metropolitan College, Helen Curtis, said work placements are key: “Students will do a minimum of 30 hours work experience, ideally much more, where they will be inspired and encouraged to get involved.”

She said: “Some vocational courses at the college have tenuous links with employers but in this case we have been working closely with industry from the outset and businesses remain on board. It never happens to have so much support locally” (for a course.)

For several students A-Levels are not the answer and they want a direct route into employment. Others want transferable life skills while they work out their next step.

Reana Muca is combining the estate agency course with an accounting Level 3 that she started last year. Ms Curtis said this could set her up well if she wanted to become a financial advisor in the property sector. She came to the Brighton MET from BHASVIC to learn skills that will prepare her for work. She said: “I am interested in property and there are always jobs.”

Like Reana, Ricardo Seaman took A-Levels but now wants a practical course. He enrolled because of the qualification in customer service. He used to work at Primark and in a call centre. He said: “I guess I just talk to people and I know how to sell.”

Autumn-Moon Chan-Garvey has already achieved applied law, sociology and psychology A-Levels but she wants to do an apprenticeship rather than going to university. She said she likes the course because it combines knowledge with practical skills and it’s her last year of free education.

Property course tutor Kerry Salkeld became an estate agent in Shoreham because it fitted in with her family commitments. She provides holiday cover at her old firm in the sales team to keep abreast of developments in the industry and brings real-life scenarios to college. She aims to build student’s confidence and give them industry specific knowledge and transferable life skills. She told the class estate agents don’t have to be loud.

Mrs Hytch is former president of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) which is now called Propertymark. She wants to remain in the estate agency business so Propertymark, which accredits the course, is helping her to roll it out across the country.

She said anyone interested in running this course should contact Propertymark’s Head of Qualifications Michael Smith: michaelsmith@propertymark.co.uk. Rightmove and TDS charitable foundation are also sponsoring the course.

Mrs Hytch wrote the course for professionals working in the industry. Ms Salkeld said her job is to simplify the information so that all students understand what an estate agent does and learn about customer service. They can then make an informed decision about whether the industry is for them. For Ms Curtis and her team, giving students choices and a future is what education is all about.

An edited version of this article has been published by Brighton and Hove News.