Marketing the Surveying and Geospatial Profession

Abstract. Many universities around the world are experiencing a decline in the number of students entering programs in surveying and geospatial engineering, including some institutions with prestigious pasts. For Australia, this raises the question of whether there will be adequate graduates in the future to replace the current cohort of surveying and geospatial professionals when they retire. It is not clear why it has not been possible to attract more school leavers into the surveying and geospatial programs, but it may be because the community at large is unaware of the many career opportunities. Several surveys have been carried out in Australia to determine the status of graduates entering the profession and the impact that shortages of graduates in the surveying and geospatial professions in the future. These shortages could seriously limit the development of infrastructure and housing if they are not overcome. Another issue is whether the demand for graduates is changing due to developments in technology that allow surveying and mapping to be undertaken more quickly and efficiently than in the past. Marketing of education programs into schools and the general population is essential. A solution maybe for a concerted global effort to encourage more school leavers to enrol in surveying and geospatial engineering programs and hence improve the viability of the profession for the future. The paper will review the impacts of shortages in graduates entering the profession and approaches to improve the marketing of the surveying and geospatial professions.