Survey says: New methods needed to recruit survey techs

Feb. 23—TRAVERSE CITY — Ryan Deering is wasting no time in his search for students interested in a career in surveying.

This week, the new recruiter for the Northwestern Michigan College survey technician program staffed a booth at the Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors convention at Grand Traverse Resort in Acme. His goal is to make contact with students who may be interested in the field, as well as surveying industries across the state.

Deering's position is funded by an anonymous donor from the industry that is facing a shortage of people entering the field. The average age of a professional surveyor is more than 55 and, in next several years, many of them will retire.

Surveying technicians make $40,000 to $60,000 per year, depending on work conditions and locations. They have a broad role doing the majority of field work and are hired by engineering firms, site developers, infrastructure developers, Michigan Department of Transportation and Amtrak, to name a few.

"It's a very good-paying job and there's a huge demand for it," said Ed Bailey, NMC's director of portfolio and program development.

NMC's program launched in 2019, right before the pandemic, and never got a good start, Bailey said. While it is getting back on track, it still attracts fewer than 20 students a year, he said.

"It's been a problem for us — really low enrollment," he said.

Bailey, Deering and those in the industry agree that better marketing and outreach is a big part of the solution.

"It's not a well-known or well-publicized profession," said Chris Lester, director of land surveying services at Gourdie-Fraser in downtown Traverse City.

There is a shortage of professional surveyors, who must have a four-year degree and pass a state licensure exam. But there also is a shortage of office and field technicians who support the industry, Lester said.

The shortage is not just being felt in Michigan, but across the nation, and there are similar shortages being seen in other trades, he said.

The NMC program takes two years to complete and students take classes in unmanned aerial programming, marine technology and remote sensing that give them a hands-on look at surveying by land, sea and air.

Classes are taught at the Aero Park campus in Traverse City. The college also has a campus harbor and vessel on West Grand Traverse Bay, and access to an airfield in Yuba where students can gain real-world experience in marine and air applications.

Deering will attend conferences and career days around the state to recruit students, as NMC is the only college that offers a survey technician degree. Only two Michigan colleges offer a bachelor's degree — Michigan Technological University in Houghton, with which NMC has a transfer agreement, and Ferris State University. NMC also has an agreement in place with the University of Maine.

Deering will target students who plan to go into engineering and try to persuade them to go into surveying instead, as every engineering firm has surveyors and technicians on staff.

The job is much more complex with all the new technology that makes collecting data faster, Deering said.

"It's a trade that takes a certain skill set," Deering said. "It also takes somebody who likes to be outside."

The NMC program also can help professionals upgrade their skills. Jim Schiffer, an engineer with the Grand Traverse County Road Commission, is one example. The commission has no surveyor on staff and Schiffer can earn a surveyor credential in about two semesters.

"If you love anything technical, and you love solving problems, and you love being outside, it's all there," Schiffer said.

Conferences and other events will give Deering an opportunity to meet a lot of people in the industry and find out what their needs are, as well as make contact for immediate job placements of NMC grads.

Because there is such a shortage of surveyors, the state will likely make grants available for the program, he said.

NMC has a partnership with Leica Geosystems, an international surveying company that is providing nearly $1 million in equipment for students to use in their training. Class sizes are small, which gives students a lot of time to work with the equipment.

"Industry professionals say that NMC students are proficient when they are hired, which cuts down on the training time they need," Deering said.

Lester agreed.

"NMC is doing some really progressive things," he said. "I'm really impressed with what they have going on."