We are broadening the diversity of our surveyors and planners after our new training scheme – specifically for undergraduates not taking traditional property courses –has unearthed new talent.
Our Insight programme is a one-week, virtual course which gives undergraduates with an interest in surveying or planning an overview of the basics to help them make future career decisions.
The programme has been especially successful in finding new utilities and infrastructure surveyors, a sector which is in high demand for candidates.
Marie-Ange Ehrhart, our Early Careers Talent Advisor said: “We found that many of the candidates for graduate vacancies we were interviewing took a more conventional route into surveying. While they do a fantastic job, it was clear we were missing out on those with great potential who may not have considered surveying as a career.
“We decided to launch the Insight programme as a way of broadening the net for talent and educating non-cognate students on careers within surveying and planning. It’s been advertised on university job sites such as Handshake, and we’ve seen strong interest for the initial courses we’ve held. We’ve also encouraged interviewees who we felt had great soft skills, but not necessarily the technical knowledge needed for surveying, to take part in the programme before potentially offering them a role.
“The course is already proving to be highly successful, with four candidates being employed full-time this year after completing it, and a further six with us on summer placement.”
Trainees attending the programme learn from qualified and graduate surveyors and planners within the business and are paired up with a ‘buddy’ who can help with any queries.
They are also given practical tasks to work on, based on actual jobs our surveyors and planners do day-to-day, such as doing a rent review.
Once the programme is completed, trainees then have the skills and knowledge needed to boost their chances of securing a placement or graduate role in surveying or planning.
Marie-Ange added: “It’s important that all companies in our industry proactively look for talent from different sources rather than relying on the typical pathways. Diversity in our industry is crucial, and it is already paying dividends for us with several joining our infrastructure team, which is responsible for stakeholder management and land surveying for major national projects.
“We’ve also found that those who have attended the programme tend to be full of enthusiasm for new opportunities, and therefore fit well into the firm. Surveying and planning are fantastic career choices, so it’s great that we have been able to encourage more people into the industry through the Insight programme. We’d encourage anyone with an interest to take a look at the course and apply.”
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