Rowland Jones Chartered Surveyors

Alex O'Brien, assistant surveyor at Rowland Jones Chartered Surveyors of Swansea, has been awarded the David Alexander Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship is a memorial to David Alexander, the former chair of the South Wales and Monmouthshire branch of the Auctioneers & Estate Agents Institute before it merged with the RICS. It was set up in 1925 to help students who live or work in Wales to further their studies with the College of Estate Management.

Alex graduated from the University of Glamorgan with a First Class Honours Degree and joined Rowland Jones in 2006. His aim is to pursue a postgraduate diploma course in order to work towards chartered membership. The funding will come in very useful: ‘I was proud to be considered for the scholarship and am delighted that I have been chosen for the award as it will be a huge help for my future studies,' says Alex.

Alex's supervisor and Director of Rowland Jones Chartered Surveyors, Gareth Harries, mentioned the scholarship to Alex and after some research, he decided to apply in early 2007. All of the applications were then presented to the RICS Wales Council for nomination. The trust fund, originally of £400, now exceeds £60,000, which allows between four and eight people to receive the scholarship every year.

Alex's role within Rowland Jones Chartered Surveyors is constantly changing and he is trying to gain as much experience in each area as possible. ‘I hope the postgraduate diploma will help me to strengthen the gaps in my knowledge which hopefully I can then take forward and use within the workplace,' he says.