Bridging the Skills Gap: Why Training & Upskilling Are Now a Business Imperative
In the UK commercial real estate valuation world, there’s growing consensus: a skills gap exists. It’s not just about recruiting graduates; it’s about keeping current teams up to speed, retraining, and expanding where needed. Employers who ignore this won’t just lose out on new talent, they risk losing capacity, accuracy, and reputation.
Here’s why the gap matters, what recent data shows, and how employers can bridge it without leaning on graduate pipelines.
The Evidence: Skills Gaps, Ageing Workforce & Persistent Demand
According to RICS’ “Survey of the Profession” (July 2025), a substantial share of its membership is older (55+), meaning many surveyors are approaching retirement age. This places urgency on developing existing teams rather than waiting for new entrants.
The UK Employer Skills Survey (2024) found that about 12% of employers report at least one staff member lacking full proficiency (a “skills gap”), involving about 1.26 million employees nationally. Though this is down from 2022, it still represents 4.0% of the workforce.
In industry commentary, RICS and sector-consultancies have identified that many firms are struggling to hire “senior or nearly chartered” professionals, and we’ve seen this happening too. This leads to firms deciding whether to hire senior staff (if possible) or to promote and train internally.
So, the gap is real. But because the graduate pipeline is slow and not the immediate problem for many firms, alternative solutions are required to maintain capability.
Ways Employers Can Bridge the Surveying Skills Gap (Beyond Graduates)
Here are several evidence-based approaches firms can adopt to close the gap using their existing workforce, or by recruiting in non-traditional ways:
1. Retraining & Upskilling Mid-Career Staff
Many employers are turning to on-the-job training and structured upskilling for junior or mid-level surveyors who are already in post but aren’t fully chartered. This includes giving exposure to complex valuation work, supporting case studies, and supervising APC portfolios. Commentary from RICS-regulated consultancies shows that hiring “nearly chartered” people, then backing them through APC, is a common strategy.
Employers can map required skills (e.g. data analysis, sustainability assessment, digital reporting tools) and run internal training/sessions or bring in external trainers to fill gaps. The ESS data shows that many UK employers do still fund or arrange training. Over half of staff were trained in the last 12 months across all sectors, although the proportion in construction and related sectors is lower than some others.
2. Apprenticeships, Technical & Alternative Qualifications
While not focused on fresh graduates, apprenticeships or technical education routes (including higher technical qualifications) are useful for bringing in people who may switch careers or come from related fields (construction, engineering, surveying tech). These bring people into the profession with structured training and often a clearer path to becoming fully competent.
Government and industry incentives can be used to support these routes. For example, some funding streams or grants may apply if employers engage in upskilling or retraining via apprenticeships or technical certifications.
3. Cross-Discipline Recruitment & Transferable Skills
Employers who broaden the hiring pool by recruiting from related disciplines, for example, from architecture, building surveying, engineering, or data / analytics backgrounds, can fill technical or specialist gaps. With good internal training and mentoring, these people often bring fresh perspectives and can learn core valuation / RICS standards.
Also, identifying individuals with “adjacent” skills (e.g. finance, risk, project management) and training them in valuation-specific competencies (leases, Red Book, site visits etc.) can be more efficient than hiring fully-chartered staff from outside (which is expensive and scarce).
4. Structured Mentoring, Peer Learning & Internal Knowledge Sharing
Larger consultancies have long used mentoring relationships, pairing less experienced valuers with senior surveyors who review their reports, give feedback, and guide their APC portfolios. Formalising this process (with KPIs, scheduled feedback, etc.) helps raise the standard across the team.
Internal peer reviews, “lunch & learn” sessions, or learning rotations (rotating staff through different asset types or specialties) help them gain breadth. This builds resilience in the business because more staff are capable of stepping up when needed.
5. Leveraging Technology & Digital Tools to Multiply Capacity
Using modern tools (valuation software, data analytics, remote inspection technologies, drones, etc.) can reduce the load on senior staff, allowing them more time to mentor rather than handle all technical work themselves. Automation of routine parts of valuation reports (where allowed under standards) can free up bandwidth for training.
Digital learning platforms, online courses or micro-credential certifications help staff update skills on demand. Some industries already use MOOCs, short courses, or micro-certs to help staff catch up on sustainability, ESG, or tech topics.
Why It’s a Business Imperative Now
Avoid Loss of Institutional Knowledge
As senior valuers retire, firms lose not just report-writing ability but client relationships, nuanced judgement, and shape of risk evaluation. Without internal development, this knowledge disappears.
Maintain Service Quality and Turnaround Times
Clients expect fast, accurate valuations. Skills gaps can lead to delays, quality concerns, or inflated costs if senior surveyors are stretched thin.
Reduce Costly External Hiring
Hiring chartered surveyors is expensive. Internal training is often more cost-effective in the medium term.
Improve Retention & Engagement
Staff feel more valued and tend to stay longer when an employer invests in them, gives them upward mobility, skills development, mentoring. This also supports succession planning.
Meet Regulatory & Market Demands
Growing importance of ESG, climate risk, data transparency, and regulatory standards means new skills are required. Firms that don’t invest risk non-compliance or being perceived as laggards.
Action Plan for Employers
Here are practical steps firms can take:
Conduct a skills audit: Map out which skills your current team is weak in (new tech, sustainability, report writing, etc.). Use job-shadowing, project reviews, performance evaluations.
Define clear competency frameworks: For example, what differentiates a valuer at “senior”, “chartered”, or “specialist” level; what are the skills required in each role.
Set up mentorship/apc support programmes: Assign supervisors, set APC goals, support staff with resource time for case studies etc.
Invest in continuing professional development (cpd): Workshops, external courses, internal knowledge shares.
Broaden hiring beyond traditional feeds: Consider hiring from related disciplines or for transferrable skills, then training internally.
Adopt technology tools: Identify where tech can reduce repetitive work or improve efficiency, freeing up time for skill building.
Conclusion
All the evidence suggests the surveying skills gap in UK commercial real estate is a reality. While hiring fresh graduates has its challenges and long lead times, there are many levers employers can pull now to close the gap, including upskilling current staff, hiring from adjacent fields, using technology wisely, and developing rich support and mentoring systems.
For firms that act, this is both defensive and strategic. Closed gaps mean better performance, stronger reputation, and sustained growth. At SONDR, we believe that businesses investing in their teams in these ways are already setting themselves apart, and recruiting becomes far less reactive when your internal workforce is prepared for the future.
Your growth depends on your people.
In a market where experienced valuers are scarce, standing still isn’t an option. SONDR partners with valuation firms to attract, secure, and retain the talent you need to keep moving forward.
Build your pipeline. Talk to SONDR about your hiring strategy today.