Early engagement
RICS professionals achieve incredible work across the built and natural environments, but to secure future professionals, it’s essential that younger generations understand, and are inspired by, a career in surveying.
The RICS Inspire programme serves as a vital platform for introducing the profession to students at schools and universities. Inspire workshops offer interactive experiences where students explore various surveying roles, tackle challenges and connect with role models both in person and through video presentations.
195
schools welcomed RICS professionals, who conducted workshops, assemblies and participated in career fairs
2,301
students reached per month across the UK and Ireland
94%
workshop satisfaction rate
We also collaborated with organisations such as the 93% Club, Career Hubs, WJEC, Career Wales, the NI Education Authority, and Developing Young Workforce in Scotland to identify and capitalise on prominent events.
Following school and college engagements, we encouraged students to pursue work experience.
12 firms
offered work experience opportunities
10 students
in work experience placements
'The sessions were engaging, informative and personable…they gave us plenty of information of what surveying involves and it was very interesting to hear how their different career paths differed and how much they love what they do.’
Janet Allen
John Cabot Academy, Business Studies teacher/Head of Year 10
We also ran two influencer sessions catering for parents, carers, teachers and career leads: one with the Girls Network just ahead of International Women’s Day, and a second in November.
Diversity within the talent pipeline is a key focus; we also collaborated to deliver events with organisations such as the Land Collective, RO2K, the Sutton Trust and the Association of Muslim Surveyors to promote surveying.
In February, we attended the Local Authority Building Control conference in Milton Keynes and promoted the RICS Building Control pathway to its 90+ apprentices.
We have also supported sixth formers considering careers in property at HQ and Colmore Row, from students on work experience with the Crown Estate to students attending a Pathways to Property insight day.
During the HQ visit, work experience students heard from two RICS members working in building surveying and corporate real estate[JR1] , and during the Pathways to Property day, around 30 sixth formers from inner city Birmingham schools undertook site visits and projects before splitting into four groups to take on roles as development companies.
‘It was a very personable event; everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. I loved being able to chat directly to the young surveyors, they are excellent ambassadors for the profession.’
J. Forrester
Head of Futures, Malvern St James School
'You've kindled my interest in an industry that I had no knowledge of before today.’
Sixth former
Sutton Trust event
93%
of participants expressed an interest in pursuing property studies at university.
National Apprenticeship Week
We ran a National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) social media campaign in February. We created a variety of assets, ran member spotlights and shared videos showcasing both apprentices and their employers talking about the benefits of and common misconceptions about apprenticeships.
We ran an interview with RICS Apprentice of the Year Stephanie O'Dwyer and Lee Hatwell FRICS, director of an engineering company in Essex.
Overall we received:
1,021
reactions (against a KPI of 500) to 15 NAW social media assets
3,744
views of apprentice video
Alfie’s story
3,641
page views in February (against a 1,000 benchmark; considering cookies, the real number could be three times higher)
3x more
social media engagement compared to NAW 2022
Podcasts and events
Head of Early Engagement, Sarah Noble, was asked to take part in various podcasts, such as those hosted by Marion Ellis, the Surveyor Booker, and University College of Estate Management, to share information about our early engagement work and also how we can support students working towards careers in the natural and built environment.
RICS has produced six videos showcasing the work of surveyors, which were shown in schools, colleges and universities, alongside a new educator and parental page, Become a surveyor.
RICS continued to work with Changing the Face of Property in 2023, helping to secure Inspire Ambassadors for events such as the National Career Guidance Show in March at London’s ILEC Conference Centre and participating in Pathways CTM Virtual Taster Day, which hosted 90 students.
We supported Cushman and Wakefield, one of the CTFOP group, to set up an insight day at their west end office in London. Sixth formers from four local schools attended, seeking further information not only about a career in property but also about the level 6 surveying apprenticeship.
University engagement
University engagement grew in 2023 with the introduction of the Campus Ambassadors pilot scheme; the ambassadors’ alliance with Matrics is bringing young people through into the profession. Although this is still a pilot scheme, we hope this initiative will expand.
14
ambassadors in 9 universities
532
students attended the bespoke online sessions
95%
average satisfaction score
37
sessions on various themes, such as an intro to RICS, sustainability, and women in surveying
School of Property, Construction & Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
‘On behalf of RMIT University, I would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to you and your team for helping make our recent study tour a success. Students had a very informative trip, and we would like to share the following extract from an email we received from a student:
“…it has been the most enjoyable couple weeks I have ever had, and I will be forever grateful. From creating lifelong friends, to listening to international industry leaders speak about innovation and the future trajectory of building our cities and the industry”’.
Dr Judith Callanan MRICS, Associate Dean – Property & Valuation
In 2023, we saw a 42% uplift in university engagement in the UK, and a 310% uplift in APAC. Of the universities offering accredited courses, the following welcomed or interacted with Inspire Ambassadors.
- 80% in UK & I
- 58% in APAC and
- 76% in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa
RICS offers a range of professional development packages that are designed for members and external stakeholders from the industry to support their career progression.
80+ member engagement webinars were held
9,215 members attending (up 36% from 2022)
‘Climate change is a long-term, multi-generational challenge, and the built environment's future leaders will drive the sector's response. Supporting the next generation of professionals to promote innovative solutions is vital to mitigating the negative effects of our sector.'
Ann Gray FRICS, RICS President
Inspiring new generations
RICS is committed to giving a voice to the future leaders of the profession. The prestigious RICS Matrics Surveyor Awards provide an opportunity for individuals and employers to celebrate the highest standards of professionalism and innovation within the built environment. They recognise those who have already made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the industry, while also celebrating them as leaders in their field and the chance to inspire the next generation of surveyors.
We celebrated the winners' achievements, as well as marking a decade of the awards, at the ceremony hosted on 20 October 2023.
Each of our winners represents a commitment to the highest standards of professionalism.
Congratulations to Carolyn Brady MRICS, who was crowned RICS Matrics Surveyor of the Year 2023.
