Crawford and Co Surveyors
Using Apprenticeships to Drive Business Growth and Staff Development
CC Ltd (Crawford & Co) is an independent multidisciplinary building surveying company specialising in the sustainability of buildings and visual marketing for property.
Apprentices
Level 3 and 4 apprenticeships offered from 2009 and Undergraduate and Postgraduate apprenticeships in 2018.
Studying at NTU has been a great experience.....The apprenticeship has helped me build confidence and develop skills in areas such as strategy, the customer journey and campaign planning. It has already had a big impact on my career, helping me progress from Marketing Assistant to Marketing Manager, and the learning and confidence I’ve gained will affect me positively for the rest of my career.
Megan Tuohy – Level 6 Digital Marketing Degree Apprentice
Courses
Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying and Digital Marketing
Outcomes
- Enhanced employee skills and qualifications
- Improved business performance
- Increased staff motivation and aspirations
- Stronger Local Partnerships
- Effective workforce development
Partnering with NTU has allowed us to offer higher level qualifications to our local staff, from a local institution. We can see considerable growth in the skills and confidence of staff currently undertaking these apprenticeships through NTU.
Francoise Bonner, Head of Marketing and Recruitment and CC Ltd
Business Need
Over the last 15 years, Crawford and Co Surveyors has experienced significant growth, creating a clear need to upskill its workforce and ensure staff qualifications kept pace with industry demands. Committed to delivering high-quality services, the company recognised that continuous staff development would be key to maintaining its standards and staying competitive.
Goals & Objectives
Crawford and Co sought to implement a structured and scalable professional development pathway that would raise aspirations, increase skill levels, and ensure employees were qualified for the evolving demands of their roles. The company was particularly focused on making this pathway accessible to all team members, including those who may not have previously considered university-level education.
Our Approach
The company began its apprenticeship journey in 2009 with Level 3 and 4 programmes, which quickly demonstrated tangible improvements in individual and team performance. Building on this success, undergraduate and postgraduate apprenticeships were introduced in 2018 as a natural extension of the development pathway.
Crawford and Co partnered with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to deliver degree apprenticeships in Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying and Digital Marketing, three fields directly linked to its business. NTU’s local presence, flexible delivery, and supportive environment made it possible for employees to pursue higher qualifications while continuing to work.
To ensure that learning was embedded into daily practice, the company cultivated a workplace culture that supported apprentices through mentoring, knowledge sharing, and regular reflection. NTU’s emphasis on career planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical application further strengthened this approach.
Positive Impact
The outcomes of the apprenticeship programmes—especially those in collaboration with NTU—have been substantial. Staff have developed innovative practices, increased their confidence, and contributed meaningfully to service delivery. Clients benefit from a well-trained and informed team that brings fresh ideas and evidence-based solutions.
The internal culture has also shifted. Employees who once questioned their academic ability are now successfully enrolled in, or have completed, degree programmes. This shift has led to greater ambition, higher retention, and improved client relationships.
Crawford and Co continues to champion apprenticeships as a long-term strategy for business development and talent retention, and they highlight NTU as a trusted partner whose industry-aligned programmes offer real, lasting value.
"As our company has grown, so has the need to up-skill our employees to ensure their qualifications are at a competitive level required for providing our services. Apprentices bring new and innovative ways of working gained through knowledge they acquire in their taught sessions. We would recommend apprenticeships because they can be an effective way to up-skill employees."
Francoise Bonner, Head of Marketing and Recruitment and CC Ltd
Request a call back
If you are interested in finding out more about apprenticeships at NTU and the support available to employers who take on an apprentice, simply enter your details in the contact form below and a member of our Apprenticeships team will be in contact to discuss your options.