Persimmon Homes has become the first housebuilder to partner with the Association of Professional Sales (APS), the national government backed professional body representing careers in the sales sector.

The industry-leading partnership will complement Persimmon’s new national sales development pathway, which is being rolled out in 2021, ensuring all sales advisors follow a business-specific programme of continuous professional development.

Persimmon’s sales team is currently 500-strong in the UK and the new training pathway will allow employees at all levels to attain recognised qualifications and accreditations.

David Skelton, Persimmon’s learning and development manager, said the business was excited to be working with the APS to deliver even more value to the company’s employees: “Persimmon will be the first in the industry to formally recognise its salespeople professionally.

“The Persimmon sales team is the first point of contact for customers, playing a vital role in supporting and guiding house hunters throughout the home buying process, so it is essential we equip our people with the skills and knowledge to deliver this service in an ethical and professional manner.

“Training is highly valued at Persimmon and even through the Covid-19 pandemic we have embraced online learning to reach more learners. Every month, hundreds of training sessions are undertaken by our 6,000-strong team as they continue their career development.

“This latest partnership with APS will further enhance the portfolio of courses we are able to offer our employees.”

APS strives to uphold ethical selling and provides qualifications, professional registration and lettered accreditations.

Andrew Hough, CEO, APS added: "We look forward to working with Persimmon over the coming years and applaud their leadership.

“We know that organisations which develop strong sales teams focused on ethics, standards and continuous professional development build strong customer relationships.

“Trust is at the heart of good business partnerships and the APS quality mark is an important differentiator to show customers that they are dealing with ethical salespeople.”

Later in 2021, Persimmon will work with APS and its partner Collab Group to deliver further learning opportunities for sales professionals with the introduction of sales apprenticeship training.

David Skelton said: “The future is definitely bright for sales training at Persimmon and demonstrates our commitment to investing in trainees of all ages who are new to our industry.”

To find out more about a career with Persimmon visit www.persimmonjobs.com.