North East first creates new pathway into critical UK sector through employer-led partnership
Zenith Training has received formal approval from the Department for Education to deliver the Level 3 Geospatial Survey Technician Apprenticeship in the North of England, marking a significant milestone in addressing the region’s skills shortage in one of the UK’s fastest-growing and most strategically important sectors.
The approval, granted through the DfE’s gap in provision process, represents the culmination of sustained employer advocacy, professional body collaboration and a shared determination to create accessible routes into geospatial careers for young people and career-changers across the North East.
Responding to a Critical Regional Skills Gap
For years, employers and professional organisations have highlighted the acute shortage of geospatial training capacity in the North of England. This gap has constrained business growth, delayed vital infrastructure projects and forced aspiring technicians to relocate hundreds of miles for training or abandon their career ambitions entirely. The new apprenticeship programme directly addresses this challenge by establishing high-quality, industry-standard training within the region, enabling local talent to build rewarding technical careers without leaving home.
The Level 3 Geospatial Survey Technician standard equips apprentices with the practical skills and technical knowledge required to capture and process accurate spatial data for diverse applications spanning healthcare facilities, housing developments, renewable energy installations, transport networks and major infrastructure programmes.
Academy Geomatics: Driving Change Through Employer Leadership
The approval is fundamentally rooted in the vision and leadership of Academy Geomatics, a North East-based geospatial consultancy delivering specialist surveying and data services across the United Kingdom. Recognising the detrimental impact of declining specialist degree provision and limited local training options, Academy Geomatics took decisive action rather than accepting the status quo.
The company initiated conversations with Zenith Training about establishing the apprenticeship programme in the North East, facilitated connections with key professional bodies to ensure rigorous industry alignment, and demonstrated immediate commitment by preparing an initial cohort of nine apprentices ready to commence training. This proactive employer engagement exemplifies the modern apprenticeship system at its best, with businesses directly shaping the workforce solutions their sectors require.
Sector-Wide Professional Endorsement
Zenith Training’s application has been substantially strengthened by formal support from three leading organisations representing the geospatial and surveying professions. The Survey Association, the trade body for commercial survey companies throughout the UK, has endorsed the approval citing the significant provision gap in the North East and the urgent need for expanded local training capacity to support infrastructure, engineering and environmental initiatives.
The Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors has provided full backing, emphasising the programme’s alignment with professional standards in civil engineering surveying. The Geospatial Advisory Forum of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has also written in support, characterising geospatial capabilities as a sector of national importance and a key sovereign skillset whilst welcoming collaborative efforts to strengthen regional talent pipelines.
Collectively, these endorsements from trade, technical and professional accreditation bodies confirm that this apprenticeship represents a substantive, sector-validated response to genuine workforce requirements rather than a superficial training initiative.
Strategic Partnership with The Survey Association
Under the new approval, Zenith Training will operate as a strategic delivery partner alongside The Survey Association to expand access to the Level 3 Geospatial Survey Technician Apprenticeship throughout the North East. This partnership will concentrate on building a sustainable geospatial talent pipeline for TSA member companies and the broader regional sector, ensuring delivery aligns with TSA’s established commitment to quality standards, education excellence and industry best practice.
The collaboration will support employers across the spectrum, from specialist survey firms to engineering contractors, construction companies and infrastructure developers, enabling effective utilisation of Apprenticeship Levy funding whilst growing their own technically qualified workforce. For participating employers, this creates a singular, trusted pathway into a programme designed by industry practitioners for industry needs.
Comprehensive Technical Training for Real-World Application
The Level 3 Geospatial Survey Technician apprenticeship typically extends over 24 months plus End-Point Assessment, combining workplace learning with structured off-the-job training. Apprentices will develop comprehensive competencies encompassing health and safety legislation and safe working practices relevant to surveying and construction environments, practical operation of Total Stations, GNSS equipment and digital levels on live project sites, and proficient use of specialist survey processing software to generate accurate two-dimensional drawings, three-dimensional models and detailed data reports.
Training will also cover interpretation of client drawings and technical specifications, understanding of the complete geospatial project lifecycle, and foundational technical principles including geodesy, geographic information systems, trigonometry, photogrammetry, remote sensing and error theory. Apprentices will additionally explore sustainability principles and the Four Pillars of Sustainability within contemporary construction and land management contexts.
In practical terms, apprentices will contribute directly to real-world projects spanning new residential developments, healthcare facilities, renewable energy schemes, transport infrastructure and digital twin applications, simultaneously building a nationally recognised qualification and establishing long-term career foundations.
Transforming Opportunities for the North East
For young people and those considering career transitions in the North East, this approval eliminates the previous choice between geographic relocation and professional advancement. Individuals can now commence high-value technical careers in geospatial surveying whilst remaining in their home communities, earn whilst developing their expertise through employment with organisations such as Academy Geomatics and other TSA member firms, and access progression pathways towards higher-level qualifications as regional provision continues developing.
For employers, the programme delivers a local, levy-funded mechanism for cultivating the next generation of survey technicians, training developed in genuine partnership with industry and aligned with national professional standards, and a more robust and resilient talent pipeline supporting projects critical to regional economic growth and development.
Invitation to Employers
Zenith Training, Academy Geomatics, The Survey Association and the wider professional community have completed the substantial groundwork required to secure this approval and demonstrate the compelling case for investment in geospatial skills development. The immediate priority is expanding employer participation in the partnership.
Organisations operating within geospatial surveying, civil engineering, infrastructure development, construction, utilities or environmental services seeking to develop technicians capable of capturing, managing and interpreting the spatial data underpinning modern projects are encouraged to explore this opportunity. The apprenticeship has been specifically designed to meet these precise workforce requirements.
Employers interested in registering their interest or discussing participation in future cohorts should contact Zenith Training directly. Through continued employer leadership, sustained sector backing and Department for Education approval, stakeholders believe the North East can establish itself as a recognised geospatial skills hub, providing local residents with pathways to high-value careers whilst ensuring employers access the talent essential for delivering the projects that will shape the region’s future.