Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA) has partnered with the Victoria Building Authority (VBA) and Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria (DBDRV) to launch a program that provides a hands-on experience for aspiring building surveyors.
The initiative, Building Surveyor Career Pathways Program, sees final-year students and graduates apply their academic knowledge to real situations in a dynamic environment, spending six months at each of the organisations over an 18-month period. The first six participants have already hit the ground running.
Efy Karagiannis, VMIA chief officer, domestic building insurance, said the program gave Victoria's next generation of building surveyors a head start.
“As someone who's spent their whole career involved in the construction sector, I'm proud to give back to the industry by sharing my experience and ideas with our graduates during their rotation,” Karagiannis said. “Our first graduates will get hands-on experience in insurance claims management, including on-site inspections with our assessors and litigation cases.
“As a provider of domestic building insurance, we issue more than 70,000 certificates a year, protecting homeowners when their building or renovation work has defects or can't be completed because the builder has died, disappeared, or become insolvent.”
Candidates receive support with training, development, and mentoring to develop valued work skills and technical experience aligned to the requirements of registration in the categories of building inspectors and surveyors. They also gain exposure to the operation of the regulatory framework from a variety of different perspectives through both internal and external rotations.
VBA chief executive officer Sue Eddy commented: “Building surveyors play such an important role in the efficient and effective operation of the building industry. They often save homeowners time and money by spotting issues early before they become a bigger problem.
“We have a responsibility to do all we can to help prepare the future generation of building surveyors, which is why we are putting them in real-life situations to test and hone their skills. Already, our graduates have demonstrated a thirst for learning and have turned their minds to how they can influence positive change in the industry and be exemplary practitioners in the future.”
