A Changing Landscape
There’s no question that there is a demand for increased numbers of surveyors in the workforce. More than that though, the numbers of women in surveying needs improvement.
The number of female surveyors in Australia is on the rise, however. In order to rectify the imbalance, education institutions and firms across the country offer scholarships to encourage women to enter the profession. Increasingly, there are more opportunities arising for women in the surveying profession.
Women Leading The Way
Let’s take a look at Narelle Underwood, one of the women leading the way in the surveying industry. Narelle currently occupies the position of surveyor-general for the first time in state history.
Underwood’s path to becoming surveyor general included studying at the University of New South Wales, where she was awarded the University Medal. Following university, Narelle undertook a graduate program at Roads and Maritime Services where she became a registered surveyor before being promoted to senior positions including Southern Region Survey Manager and Acting Principal Surveyor. She was also an advisor to the Board of Surveying and Spatial Information and Chair of the Surveying Mapping and Industry Council.
Ms Underwood hopes to make a difference in the surveying profession and inspire young people — in particular young women — to pursue a career in surveying.
“Surveying is currently a male dominated profession, and we are also facing a significant skills shortage. I hope that my appointment to the role can be an example to young surveyors, in particular females, that there are a wide variety of career options available to them. I’m coming into the role at a time of great opportunity and change for the spatial and surveying sector,” said Narelle. You can find out more about Narelle’s journey here.
The scale is slowly tipping – but there is still a long way to go. We’ve put together some profile pieces on women who are achieving great things in the surveying field. You can explore their stories here.