July 2002 Surveying Industry Must Bridge Skills Gap Surveyors may be familiar with exploring, but one leading firm believes the industry must significantly widen its own search if it is to reduce the serious skill shortage it now faces. In common with many firms across the country, Wakefield based Met Surveys has found it increasingly difficult to attract qualified graduates to a career in the industry. "This is partly due to the fact that the sector has failed to promote itself to young people, but is also a result of further education colleges dropping the subject as a course option," says Neil Harvey, Chairman of Met Surveys and a Council Member of The Surveying Association. "There's plenty of work about and the prospects for the industry are good, but at the moment we are simply not bringing through enough newly qualified surveyors to deliver the calibre of services demanded by planners and developers." Met Surveys believe it is imperative that surveying firms take direct action in partnership with each other and education providers. The Surveying Association has developed a new training course in land surveying actively supported by Met Surveys who have placed two junior surveyors on this first course. The company is also working closely with several schools in the Yorkshire area and The Leeds College of Building to develop a mix of formal and practical training for students interested in a surveying career. "There's no point in the industry grumbling about a lack of qualified candidates. We have to do something about it," Neil Harvey continues. "This is an excellent career for anyone who does not want to be tied to a desk; who enjoys working with state of the art computer technology, who wants to be outside, who likes to travel. We have to sell the job to students and make sure they have the training opportunities both they and the industry need." The search will have to widen, however, if the industry is to take advantage of a growing workload, not just in the UK but also in Europe. Neil Harvey predicts that Met Surveys will be increasingly busy with survey projects on the continent, particularly in the newly developing markets in Eastern Europe and along the Mediterranean. The firm has already established a partnership programme with The Technological Educational Institution of Athens that has resulted in a three-month practical secondment with Met Surveys for one of their land surveying students. Established in 1990, Met Surveys is one of the UK's top 10 surveying companies and a market leader in the development and use of infra-red, laser, radar and satellite based measuring technology.