Published: 25 Mar 2025
An apprenticeship is a job that enables individuals to earn while they learn. Apprentices spend the majority of their time in the workplace, where they learn new skills, but a proportion of their time must also be spent doing off the job training. Apprentices may attend college, either on a day release basis or on block release, where they go to college for a week or more at a time and then go back to their workplace.
All apprenticeships are designed by a group of employers, known as a Trailblazer Group. The group will have agreed between them an outline of the job role covered as well as the duties carried out by someone in that role. An occupational standard will have been produced that summarises the occupation, as well as listing the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) needed by someone carrying out that role.
There are various levels of apprenticeship (Levels 1 to 7), from GCSE level up to postgraduate level. The main apprenticeships relevant to geospatial and land surveying are:
- Level 3 Geospatial Survey Technician apprenticeship (equivalent to A level)
- Level 6 Geospatial Mapping and Science Specialist apprenticeship (degree level)
- Level 7 Spatial Data Specialist apprenticeship (postgraduate Masters level).
Apprenticeships: a great way of training staff
Apprenticeships are a great and cost-effective way of training staff, with significant funding from the government. Many companies find the geospatial apprenticeships a valuable method for ensuring that trainees have all the required knowledge, skills and behaviours to be a well-rounded surveyor.
Apprenticeships are assessed via an End Point Assessment – this can consist of multiple choice or written tests, project reports, project portfolio and professional interview.
It is not complicated to register apprentices and there is a lot of support available from the colleges and universities that offer the qualifications. This is a useful website https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/employers.
Look out over the coming weeks for our series of articles looking in more detail at how apprenticeships can benefit survey companies and help address the skills gap.
Join our online apprenticeship webinar tomorrow
To find out more about the Level 3 Geospatial Apprenticeship and the funding available, join our information webinar tomorrow Wednesday 26 March from 1pm – 1.45pm (link below) to hear more about what is involved in an apprenticeship and how to go about taking on an apprentice. Employer and profession experts will be joined by college tutors to answer all your questions.
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 346 808 189 430
Passcode: bT398xu9
