[File Photo]

The demand for surveyors is rising due to an increase in local development projects.

Fiji Institute of Surveyors President, Jitendra Singh says that the Institute has overcome numerous challenges in recent years and has built a strong reputation.

Singh adds that the Institute currently has 72 members, including both professional surveyors and students.

He says that while many new graduates have joined the surveying sector, there is still room for more.

“I mean we have surveyors but when the boom starts, when there’s a lot of work, then it’s really difficult. It’s a much-specialised work so you can never say that you have enough because you never will have enough. So we always need to get some more.”

Singh notes that, unlike in the past, tertiary institutions have significantly improved their programs.

“About 10 years ago, there was nobody coming out because we had an in-house department training that was being done. And then the university was doing it for a little bit, USP. But now the FNU has taken over and we’re getting a good share of graduates come out with good skills.”

Singh also says that the first female surveyor has already graduated and joined the industry, with five more set to take their final exams soon.