Published: 05 Feb 2025
With National Apprenticeship Week 2025 (NAW 2025) taking place from 10 – 16 February this year, it seems a good time to look at the crucially important role that apprenticeships have in upskilling the next generation of workers looking for a career within the land surveying profession.
Benefits of apprenticeships
There are apprenticeships for so many different types of careers these days. As land surveying is a very hands-on and practical profession, apprenticeships provide a very important route into it. The apprentices benefit from the advantage of earning while they are learning – and the learning combines attendance at a college (either day release or block release), with working for an employer – including time on site, as well as in the office.
While there are some things where the classroom environment is best, many of the practicalities and intricacies of the profession can be better explained – or rather shown – in a real-life environment, which makes an apprenticeship the obvious solution. Apprentices will work with experienced surveyors, who share their knowledge and expertise, ensuring it is not lost in the generational shift.
The Level 3 Geospatial Survey Technician apprenticeship and the Level 6 Geospatial Mapping and Science Specialist degree apprenticeship and both perfectly suited to land survey companies, with content developed by a group of employers to suit their needs.
The WIFM factor
In return, the ‘what’s in it for me’ (WIFM) factor for employers, is the opportunity to be able to help shape their apprentices to meet the needs of their particular organisation, instilling the culture and the processes from the start. Providing an apprenticeship place will also breed loyalty with the apprentice – and even if they go on to work elsewhere, they will always remember the company that gave them their first taste of the profession.
NAW 2025
National Apprenticeship Week is a week-long celebration that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. The Department for Education has announced that the theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2025 is ‘Skills For Life’. The skills gap is something the land surveying profession is very aware of and a key objective of The Survey Association is that, ‘every young person should know about land surveying as a career’.
For more information on NAW 2025 visit https://naw.appawards.co.uk/ and to find out more about opportunities within the land surveying profession, visit https://www.tsa-uk.org.uk/.
