South Australians can now apply to undertake tertiary study in their home state to pursue a highly sought-after and much-needed career in surveying amidst the national housing crisis.
Announced today, Flinders University has worked with the Malinauskas Labor Government to introduce a new Bachelor of Surveying from next year.
The four-year degree will ensure students can locally acquire the skills needed to become Licenced Surveyors – rather than being forced to study interstate, after the existing surveying course in South Australia stopped taking new students mid-2022.
The new course is a direct result of the Malinauskas Government’s Built Environment Education Liaison Group (BEELG) which brings together key stakeholders to build study pathways and support industry growth.
It follows strong advocacy from the Surveyor General, the Surveyor’s Board of South Australia and wider industry to train local talent to address a skills shortage in ‘built environment’ roles.
Major infrastructure projects rely on surveyors to set out bridges, tunnels, and roads, or re-establish existing property boundaries and create new ones.
will be a four-year double-degree Bachelor of Geospatial Information Systems (BGIS) / Bachelor of Surveying (BSU) with a common first year. Applications are now open via SATAC.
The BGIS-BSU will be available from 2024, meaning first year BGIS students in 2023 can transfer to the second year of the double degree next year.
Flinders University has also started discussions with TAFE SA to plot extra tertiary options and recognition pathways into the Bachelor of Surveying double degree.
BEELG has also overseen the expansion of additional tertiary options with the establishment of a new planning diploma at TAFE SA, designed to bridge the skills gap and fill entry-level vacancies, particularly in regional councils.
Strong demand saw all available places in the new planning course’s first intake quickly filled, enabling students to become para planners and find work within Local Government. Applications for next year’s Semester One course open on 14 August.
In addition, UniSA has worked with the Malinauskas Government to introduce a new grant program to support its existing Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree.
The grant, valued at $10,000, will be allocated to the tuition fees of five undergraduate students who intend to enrol in the master’s degree, cultivating the skills needed in the built environment sector.
These initiatives coincide with fast-tracking the release of residential land across SA – which will require planners and surveyors – to deliver more than 25,000 homes.
As put by Nick Champion
There is rising demand for built environment professions amid a nationwide skills shortage – and these courses will help address the long-term needs of one of our most important industries.
Graduates will play a vital role in addressing skills shortages in our State, helping to tackle the housing crisis.
We want South Australians learning and developing their careers here rather than heading interstate for study.
As put by Flinders University Vice-Chancellor professor Colin Stirling
Flinders University recognises that addressing the workforce shortage in surveying – an area of critical need – is vital to our state’s ability to grow and prosper and find solutions to the issues around housing shortages.
We’re committed to supporting the State Government’s vision for a locally developed highly skilled workforce to deliver complex outcomes in sustainable planning.
By leveraging our strengths in engineering, environment, technology and business, our newly developed Bachelor of Surveying will deliver the highly skilled expertise required to meet current and emerging planning and infrastructure demands.
As put by Surveyor-General of South Australia Bradley Slape
The establishment of this new degree by Flinders University is critical to the longevity of the surveying profession both locally and nationally.
The skills shortage we are facing will directly impact our capacity to service infrastructure projects and the property needs of South Australians. Flinders University will be delivering a degree that safeguards a pipeline of talent and built environment professionals.
