A quick win for addressing the skills shortage among surveying professionals can be achieved by simply making the industry more attractive to women according to the new president of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).
Claire Solon says that the shortfall of qualified graduates coming into the profession threatens the State’s ability to address the current housing supply crisis as well as our infrastructural deficit, while women only currently account for one fifth of the society’s membership.
“Female graduates often say that they were unaware of the vast array of professions that exist within the surveying umbrella. So I believe communication is key here, to really highlight the variety of careers within surveying in advance of students filling out their CAO forms”.
Recent research carried out by the SCSI revealed that more than 2,000 new job opportunities are expected to be created across the surveying profession in the next four years. However, based on current enrolment numbers, there will only be enough construction and property-related surveying graduates to fill just over half of them (52 per cent).
The SCSI has no such problems with female representation at administrative level – Solon is the second female president of the society in three years; Patricia Byron is the chief executive and Áine Myler was a recent senior appointment as director of operations. Mullingar native Solon however must surely hold the distinction of being the SCSI’s first president who cites snowboarding among their interests.
