The importance of providing an attractive surveying pathway

I’m questioning this as thousands of new university students are about to embark on their first year. A decent proportion of which will be starting courses on subjects which they think they are good at, are likely to enjoy or simply deem easy, without too much thought around where this might potentially lead them career wise. In contrast, others may have more of a set plan and are focused on a course which will directly lead them into their dream occupation.

At this stage in their lives, there is not necessarily a right or wrong approach. It depends on the individual in question, their motivations and aspirations – if they have them yet. Plans also change, especially at university. I suspect that the majority of people in our industry graduated in a subject far removed from what they are doing now and there are also many who didn’t go to college/university who have shaped a hugely successful path.

From an alternative perspective, a factor which can also be overlooking in the employment journey is the importance of sectors - and firms within them - making themselves attractive to the younger generations, graduates or in enticing people which may be operating in a different sector.

Here at Countrywide Surveying Services, we are fortunate enough to have built a robust, highly effective recruitment and training programme which has been honed over many years. We have now seen almost 400 surveyors pass through the doors of our training academy and out into the industry over the past eight years.

Our training academy really is the foundation of business and it continues to go from strength to strength in terms of attracting the best quality applicants and in developing a training programme which arms trainees with the best possible chance of forging a long career within the surveying sector.

It’s always a proud moment to see our trainees graduate as this is not an easy passage and also comes at a significant cost in terms of time, energy and resources for us as a business. I’ve stated this before, and I make no apologies for repeating, but within the surveying industry, we all have a responsibility to attract and train the next generation. Without doing so, the industry will not be able to keep up with demand as older surveyors retire and we will be faced with a shortage of personnel which will inevitably result in longer turnaround times.

I’m not saying that we should be out there brainwashing 16 to 18 year-olds and dragging them into the industry. What we do need to ensure is that we provide an attractive pathway for those who may have an interest in our industry at whatever stage they are at in their careers.

Those who have experience in other sectors can often bring in fresh ideas, concepts and outlooks which can energise our industry. We also have to look beyond traditional recruitments methods to identify, attract and train a more inclusive and diverse range of people. None of this is easy but we have to remain committed to investing further in the recruitment process and equipping people entering our sector with the necessary tools and guidance to support them on their qualification journey and in their subsequent roles. Otherwise we will fail the ongoing needs of homebuyers and lending partners, something we can ill-afford to do now, or in the future.