The Survey School Graduates….“Where are they now?”
This was a happy accident. It was actually my mum who spotted a job advert in the local paper for something called an Assistant Land Surveyor (no experience necessary). After applying with no knowledge whatsoever, I was surprised to find myself in gainful employment alongside a fantastic team, undertaking surveys up and down the country. As my tolerance to the wind and rain developed, so did my interest in surveying. The balance between site and office suited me well, as did the technical side of the job, and knowing that the surveys I produced were fundamental in the design of a new road or infrastructure project instilled a sense of pride in the work I was doing.
Beyond sampling the cultural delights of Worcester, of which there were many, I would say a key memory was trying to undertake a practical exercise in the pouring rain after the river had burst its banks. It’s something that comes to mind any time I consider downing tools because of the weather! Of course it goes without saying that The Survey School wouldn’t have been the same without the fantastic staff and lecturers – particularly Frank Buckley and Andrew Crumpler, and my fellow students.
It took a while to realise the purpose of learning how to do all the jobs that we did in our day job manually, with only a calculator to help with the computations. We’d never have to actually do that in our jobs, of course, but I cannot express how useful it’s been in terms of solving problems in the field, and gaining a deeper understanding of why we do things the way we do them. I was definitely one of those people who’d convinced themselves that maths was a scary subject, and something I just wasn’t good at, but it was incredibly useful to learn the practical applications of these concepts. It’s helped me all through my career.
I’m a Senior Engineer in the Land Survey Team at Transport for London. I oversee survey work from conception to delivery for all stages of a project, from the surveys required for improving the network, through to final as-built surveys at completion. We do much more besides, but this is a relatively new role, and I am discovering more every day.
I began my career as an assistant surveyor at Atkins in Essex, during which time I attended The Survey School, became a junior surveyor, and then a surveyor. I later joined Laing O’Rourke as a senior civil engineering surveyor, which lead to me becoming lead surveyor for their newly formed monitoring department, working on some exciting projects including Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) and the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Following this, I joined the Hinkley Point C project as a principal surveyor, managing survey works on the construction of two nuclear reactors.
Five years of commuting back and forth between Somerset and London was plenty for me, and after finding an opportunity to join the survey team at Transport for London, I took on a new challenge much closer to home – which brings me to the present day.
The most rewarding parts of my role have always been the ability to see your input, however small, on much larger projects, although as my career took me towards more supervisory and management roles, I have found a great deal of satisfaction from mentoring and supporting others through their own career journeys. This has “grown legs” over the past few years since taking a more active role in mentorship with the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), and helping to set up the CICES Approved Development Scheme in TfL.
Varied, rewarding, worthwhile.
I am always ready to engage with people new to, or interested in the profession, and have volunteered at several apprenticeship events over the past few years to try and spread the word amongst those who might not have considered surveying before. Having said that, there is always more we can do as a whole within the industry to champion surveying as a career, and something I’m keen to do more of in the future.
Much like the old saying about watching the pennies – concentrate on learning, building experience, seeking challenges, and helping others. The pounds will watch themselves (as difficult to believe as that may have been in the early years!)
I would probably have to say that working on the original and most iconic transportation network in the world – in my humble opinion – has to be pretty exciting, and there is of course always something “new” going on!
Hinkley Point C will rank highly here, for the pure scale of the project, and the technical challenges we seemed to face daily. Every morning arriving at site you would see something that wasn’t there the day before, much of which the surveyors in our team were directly involved in.
After winning my award for “Best Assignment” at The Survey School, you mean? I would have to say gaining membership of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors was a career high, among many personal highlights.
*The Survey School is home to the TSA Surveying Course and is the UK’s only commercial training centre that provides training to the land survey profession which is accredited by The Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES).
TSA Council held a series of Vision Days in 2022 and one of the key aims that was agreed to focus on was the vision that, ‘every young person should know about land surveying as a career’. Allied to The Survey Association’s investment in the creation of the Geospatial Apprenticeships, The Survey School has a well-deserved reputation for survey teaching, so it made sense to open this up to tutors and teachers across the UK who are delivering this apprenticeship.
The ‘Teach the Teacher’ initiative is fostering a valuable exchange, of both theoretical knowledge and practical techniques, by offering survey training to tutors at colleges across the UK offering the Level 3 Geospatial Survey Technician Apprenticeship.
Last week, tutors and lecturers from Riverside and Dudley Colleges were welcomed at The Survey School in Worcester to take part in TSA-funded levelling and total station courses.
By collaborating with the experienced surveying professionals and tutors at the school, lecturers discovered practical, real world applications of some fundamental surveying techniques and hands-on skills to enhance the delivery of their curriculum.
There are, of course, also the added benefits of networking opportunities, as attendees will have the chance to connect with like-minded professionals from colleges across the country.
Alan Mansell, Manager of The Survey School, said, “As we look forward to hosting other colleges later this year, the opportunity to work with tutors from different institutions promises a more cohesive collective effort towards advancing surveying education and enabling a consistent approach across the apprenticeship training providers.”
Katie Holt, Business Development Manager of TSA, added, “For The Survey Association, we believe the apprenticeship will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the profession and attracting new talent into the geospatial surveying profession.”
To find out more, please contact Katie Holt at katie@tsa-uk.org.uk.
A former land surveyor, trainer and tech support expert has been appointed as a new tutor at The Survey School. Adam Ball has joined the staff team at The Survey School, based in Worcester, which provides practical survey training via the two year TSA Surveying Course and a range of short courses.
Adam worked as a land surveyor for 15 years at a variety of survey companies around the UK, mainly carrying out topographical measured surveys. Starting off as a Survey Assistant and working his way up to Senior Surveyor, he specialised in GNSS control networks and undertook a lot of work for the Environment Agency. He was then appointed as a trainer and tech support for Leica Geosystems, where he worked for the next 15 years across the UK and Ireland.
Adam says,
“Now I’m at The Survey School, I’m finding it really interesting to see what is on the syllabus and how it is being taught in order to ensure the TSA Surveying Course is able to keep abreast of advancing technology in the profession. For example, we are currently introducing more emphasis on terrestrial laser scanning as it is an increasingly important part of modern survey methodology.
“It is good to see such a range of different experiences and backgrounds of students attending the surveying course at The Survey School and the progression of past students is very impressive too.”
Commenting on Adam’s appointment as tutor, Manager at The Survey School, Alan Mansell, says,
“Adam’s experience, both as a land surveyor and as a technical expert, means he is ideally placed to deliver exactly what students attending The Survey School need – a perfect combination of professional expertise and real lived experience. We are delighted to have Adam on board as part of our team.”
The Survey School is home to the TSA Surveying Course and is the UK’s only commercial training centre that provides training to the land survey profession which is accredited by The Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES).