RICS backs UK Government technical education pathways

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has announced it supports the UK Government’s plans to give young people in England access to high-quality technical education, workplace experience and stronger connections with employers from the age of 14. The Institution says earlier exposure to surveying and technical learning could widen access to the profession and help address persistent skills shortages.

The proposed pathways would allow pupils to combine core academic subjects with technical learning aligned to local industries and employment opportunities. RICS believes this provides an important opportunity to introduce more young people to careers in surveying, including quantity surveying, building surveying, valuation, land and infrastructure, and to the different education and training routes into the profession.

The Institution is piloting new pathways into the profession, including Residential Retrofit Surveying, Sustainability Advisory, and Data Analytics and Intelligence.

Provisional findings from this year’s RICS skills survey indicate that more than half of respondents believe the skills shortage is having a critical or moderate impact on the profession. RICS believes initiatives like these pathways will help to address those concerns by widening opportunities for young people to enter the built environment and build a career in surveying.

RICS supports the Government’s intention to enable regional leaders, schools, colleges and employers to shape pathways around local economic priorities. Local flexibility should, however, be underpinned by national standards so that qualifications are trusted by pupils, parents, education providers and employers, and remain portable between regions.

Commenting on the announcement, RICS CEO, Justin Young, said: “According to the ONS, youth unemployment stands at 16.4 per cent, its highest level in 11 years. Giving young people earlier access to high-quality technical learning, meaningful work experience and direct contact with employers is a positive and necessary step that can help reverse this trend over time.

“Surveyors are central to planning, costing, valuing, constructing and maintaining the homes, workplaces and infrastructure on which every community depends. Yet too many young people reach important education decisions without understanding what surveying is, the breadth of careers it offers, or the routes available to enter the profession. RICS qualifications are globally recognised and open up the world to professionals holding them.

“Provisional findings from this year’s RICS skills survey tell us that more than half of respondents believe the skills shortage is having a real impact on the profession. Initiatives like this will help to reduce these concerns by improving opportunities to enter the built environment, whether through apprenticeships, further or higher education, or other recognised pathways into surveying.

“For these reforms to succeed, schools and colleges will need sustained resources, teachers will need appropriate support, and technical courses must be developed with employers and professional bodies while meeting clear and consistent quality standards. RICS can contribute its expertise in surveying standards, education, careers guidance and professional progression to help turn these pathways into credible routes to a rewarding career.”

RICS will engage with the Government as the pathways are developed ahead of their proposed introduction from September 2028 and advocate for surveying to be clearly represented in the curriculum, careers advice and employer partnerships that support them.