Next year is the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveying, but the former Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors started operations more than 75 years ago in Hong Kong. Looking back to 1844, the first government land auction in Hong Kong was held by the Surveyor-General, who was a qualified surveyor from Britain. Due to accelerated market demand over the past decades, the profession has seen continuous growth in the number of professionals entering the industry. According to its own statistics, the institute enjoyed an average 6 per cent growth rate in its membership until 2001, and since then it has averaged 4.5 per cent. This is partly due to a drop in graduates in the field, as they foresaw slow growth in the field. Although the industry's expansion has slowed, most surveyors have held on to their jobs. 'We found that most members are currently in employment, however, their earnings did drop considerably,' says the institute's president Kenneth Chan Jor-kin. In the present economic situation, Hong Kong might not appear to be a dreamland for surveyors, but the huge mainland market certainly offers vast opportunities for work and career advancement. With more international surveying firms establishing offices in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, there is significant scope to develop further skills in feasibility studies, real estate consultancy, valuation services as well as project management. The surveying industry is generally divided into four practice areas: building, land, quantitative and general practice. A bachelor graduate in surveying will have to choose one stream to focus on and then build his/her expertise. Once they start their professional lives, they will then enter an Assessment of Professional Competence programme, which is administered by the institute. The programme consists of 24 or 33 months of approved training, depending on the chosen stream. The 'probationers' must attend structured training courses, workshops and conferences as well as practical training in their day-to-day jobs. The 'on-the-job-training' will help them acquire the relevant technical knowledge and practical skills, which is closely monitored by their immediate supervisor as well as a counsellor within the firm. They will provide proper guidance and conduct periodic reviews to ensure the probationers attain the essential competencies and achieve a satisfactory level of understanding and application. After training ends, the probationers must submit a critical case analysis and perform a practical task exercise to demonstrate their technical abilities and professional judgment. To further assess their communications skills and proficiencies, they are invited to attend a panel interview, which is conducted by a group of senior institute members. The result of all this hard work will make them eligible to become corporate members at the institute. 'It is an essential membership as this is a hiring pre-requisite for any government organisation,' says Mr Chan. The institute also provides a range of continuous professional development courses for its members to upgrade skill-sets and knowledge. 'Technical knowledge and economic mindsets are of utmost importance to a surveyor. They need to have clear and in-depth understanding and knowledge of the market situation and their professional work. Effective communications skills in English is also imperative when they face and work with their clients,' says Mr Chan.