University Happenings: Surveying Our Recruitment

SURVEYING OUR RECRUITMENT

Richard Hemi

As the surveying and spatial industry in New Zealand and abroad continues to feel the effects of high workloads and a shortage of skilled staff, we need to look carefully at providing the appropriate resourcing for effective recruitment, marketing and publicity. While global events, inflation and changes in immigration patterns will create differing effects on our economy and housing demands, the longer term need for trained S+S professionals is unlikely to be reduced.

The immediate situation is likely to become worse, with the temporary loss of the recently qualified 20-somethings from our profession and others – something that I am experiencing first hand with the upcoming departure of my two older children on their ‘overseas experiences’.

AT THE TIME of writing this article, the School of Surveying is preparing to welcome back our kaiwhakapotae – graduates – of 2021 for their graduation ceremony. After two years of disrupted graduations, we are looking forward to celebrating and honouring the achievement of this class.

The school thanks the companies and survey organisations that continue to provide generous scholarships and awards for our students, as well as those companies that are able to provide financial assistance to run our traditional awards event afternoon tea.

AS ONE CLASS graduates and moves out into the profession, another starts at ground zero – our intermediate year. This year we are pleased to see an increase of almost 10% in first-year students.

This increase in numbers is timely as the university has officially raised the Bachelor of Surveying acceptance number to 70; something that may not be well known by members. The school feels it would be capable of accommodating further students if a larger numbers of students met the entry requirements. Also, there is no limit on the entry into the BScs surveying and spatial courses so this is another area where student numbers could increase.

WHILE LAST YEAR’S SURV101 class had 100 students, a number of these students either did not pass the minimum standard of seven papers for entry into the BSurv, or were taking the paper as part of another degree.

It has been many years since the school had the luxury of turning away even moderate numbers of good students who have met the minimum first-year standards, and we encourage any student who wants to continue with surveying but hasn’t succeeded in their first year to continue on in one of the other BScs on offer.

To increase numbers in all survey and spatial degrees, and ultimately produce more graduates, our first-year intake needs to increase. A further interesting point that could greatly increase student numbers would be for the profession to improve its gender balance in recruitment and honour a commitment S+SNZ made to the Diversity Agenda in 2020.

Student numbers are also important to our two polytechnic institutions offering the NZ Diploma in Surveying under the governance of the new national polytechnics body – Te Pūkenga. Both Unitec in Auckland, and Toi Ohomai in Tauranga (teaching students by distance in various locations around the country) report positive numbers and busy teaching workloads. The two institutions are currently working hard on a unification programme

of their teaching in order to confirm the diploma qualification with the governing Workforce Development Council under the new Te Pūkenga structure.

Toi Ohomai, in particular, is at full capacity with students, and, with only two fulltime staff, has at times found it difficult to accommodate new students who may wish to study surveying from afar. Any assistance from the surveying profession in the way of guest lectures or similar help would be welcomed. In terms of growth to the profession, this capacity issue represents a risk to recruitment but also a potential opportunity for the sector to provide other regional options for the teaching of the diploma.

In order to continue to grow student numbers in all surveying and spatial courses, the profession needs to consider a well-resourced, coordinated and sustainable strategy for ongoing marketing and recruitment. This marketing would be predominantly aimed at secondary schools but should also consider other age groups and backgrounds; for example, second-career workers. Unitec’s student numbers enjoy a relatively large cohort of mid-age students starting on a new career.

In support of recruitment, many surveyors are already providing significant contributions to careers events, school outreach, and work experience days to interested students. But this needs to be part of a coordinated and structured strategy, identifying local and national careers days, shared marketing and targeted events, teaching and presentation material and more.

A number of years ago, our Australian counterparts recognised that they had a major problem with an ageing survey workforce and a looming shortage of trained surveyors. They took a decision to invest heavily in recruitment and marketing, with positive results. Have a look at their surveying recruitment website, A Life without Limits: www.alifewithoutlimits.com.au/about-surveying. While this is not the complete answer, it certainly is a good measure on the right bearing.

FINALLY, ON BEHALF of the School of Surveying and Unitec, I wish to acknowledge the recent and sudden passing of Malcolm Archibald. While Malcolm made significant contributions to the surveying and spatial industry in many ways, which I am sure will be covered by others, the tertiary sector of S+SNZ is greatly indebted to his inspiring and committed teaching, tutoring and course writing work undertaken at both of these institutions. Many students at university, and particularly at Unitec where he taught for many years, were extremely fortunate to have had Malcolm as a lecturer and mentor. •

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