Apprentice to Property Manager in Just 4 Years: A Case Study Celebrating National Careers Week

Welcome to our follow-up case study commemorating National Careers Week! National Careers Week is a dedicated time to explore different career options and pathways. It provides resources and opportunities for people of all backgrounds to learn about jobs and plan their futures. By focusing on education and employment, National Careers Week helps individuals discover their potential and find the right career path for them.

To kickstart our National Careers Week case studies, we reconnected with Os, who we previously spoke to for a case study here. In the previous blog post, we introduced you to Os, a dedicated individual who embarked on his apprenticeship with King’s Cross Estate Services (KCES). Through his hard work, dedication, and the support of the team throughout and beyond his apprenticeship program, Os has flourished into a capable and accomplished professional within the company.

This new case study also follows National Apprenticeship Week which was in February. National Apprenticeship Week is a time to appreciate the great work done by apprentices and employers in the UK. It’s tough to know what you want to do in life or what your job might be. It’s a time to discover what you’re good at, what you like doing, and how you can make a career out of it.

Today, we commend Os’ progression, tracing his path from Apprentice to Property Manager. Through Os’ experiences, challenges, and triumphs, we aim to showcase how apprenticeships can transform careers and foster talent for our candidates. Os’ story is a true testament to National Careers Week and National Apprenticeship Week, and a particular example that demonstrates that Apprenticeships are not just for school leavers and young people.

Os’ Story:

KX Recruit coordinated the apprenticeship recruitment drive for KCES property team who committed to employing two Apprentice Assistant Property Managers from the local community. KX Recruit worked alongside Camden and Islington Apprenticeships teams who helped to promote, screen and prepare a short list of candidates for the KCES team to interview.  

Os expressed feeling ‘stuck’ in entry-level and mid-level positions at the time, where there seemed to be limited opportunities for job progression as well as little financial growth. As apprenticeships are often considered a good career choice for school leavers and young people, Os hadn’t particularly considered an apprenticeship due to his age. However, after speaking to employees from KX Recruit and Camden and Islington Apprenticeship teams, Os understood that apprenticeships are a fantastic opportunity for everybody, and that, in his case, accepting a temporary reduction in pay for the short term in order to thoroughly learn about the property management field would be highly beneficial in the long run for both his career progression and financial goals.

Os was one of the two successful candidates who joined the King’s Cross Estate Team here in October 2019. He tells us that once starting the apprenticeship, he just knew he had made the right decision.

“The team was so nice and supportive and that made it easy to learn on the job”

His apprenticeship experienced a slight delay (approximately 3 months) due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, Os persevered after returning to work from furlough and completed the apprenticeship successfully, also securing a permanent position within the KCES team as an Assistant Property Manager. Here, Os continued to perfect the trade and excel in the company. In October 2023, Os got promoted to Property Manager.

As Property Manager, Os manages multiple buildings around the King’s Cross Estate. He describes his daily routine, which typically involves visiting his assigned buildings to build relationships with tenants and offer them the opportunity to report any building issues or maintenance needs. Additionally, he allocates time in his office to handle administrative and financial tasks.

We asked Os what he likes about his role at KCES. Os mentioned “What’s really nice is that a couple of my current team members are still the same colleagues I had when I began as an apprentice.” Talking about the King’s Cross Estate he said “It’s just a nice place to work; nice people and lovely buildings.” Os expresses his passion for his role and would recommend working for KCES to anyone in the local area that is involved in, or that would like to be involved in, the property management field.

KX Recruit are very proud of Os’ progression and state that Os is a fantastic example for anybody considering an apprenticeship. In addition, Os encourages anyone contemplating an apprenticeship to go for it: “Don’t worry about your age or be put off by short term sacrifices, really consider how it will benefit you long term and just go for it!”

“Taking the apprenticeship is the best thing I did for my career and to benefit my family financially in the long term.”

If you’d like more information about apprenticeships please contact us, alternatively if you’re interested in an apprenticeship you can look for one by exploring our vacancy page here.