Tampa, Fla. – DRMP’s Melissa Padilla Cintron, SIT, is doing her part to spread the word about the land surveying and geospatial profession. The Survey Analyst has become a volunteer Brand Ambassador for Get Kids into Survey as part of a global effort to inspire young people to join the ranks of surveying professionals.
“Not everyone knows about surveying, and we are taking proactive steps to educate the next generation,” Padilla Cintron said. “I was influenced by my father when I was a kid, and that’s why I wanted to get involved in this industry. I think it would be good to start influencing students from elementary through high school to let them know surveying is another area they can aspire to.”
The Manchester, England-based Get Kids into Survey launched in 2017 in response to an alarming shortage of skilled surveyors in the United Kingdom. The United States also is experiencing similar shortages as industry experts reach retirement age making it difficult to recruit young workers. Changes in education and licensing qualifications for surveyors have also created recruitment barriers. Surveyors are now required to have a four-year degree to become licensed.
Get Kids into Survey seeks to generate interest in surveying as a career while kids are still in school. It offers an online hub of fun, interactive, and educational resources for students, young surveyors, and educators. Resources include comic books, homework projects, quizzes, posters, and coloring sheets.
Volunteer duties of a Brand Ambassador include attending career fairs, school classrooms, and conferences; presenting surveying as a career to young students; and helping spread the word in local communities about the Get Kids into Survey Initiative.
In April, Padilla Cintron, along with other DRMP employees, attended a Construction Career Days event at the Hillsborough County fairgrounds for hundreds of high school students. Padilla Cintron provided students with hands-on activities to help them learn about surveying.
“Surveying is necessary for mapping the world around us, completing building and infrastructure projects, real estate transactions, and so much more. That is why I want to take every opportunity to teach kids about surveying and its importance,” Padilla Cintron said.
About DRMP
DRMP is a multi-discipline firm serving clients in the public, private and industrial sectors in the development of infrastructure and has been in business since 1977. DRMP currently employs 500 professionals in 19 office locations spread strategically across our service area. Today, DRMP is ranked among Engineering News-Record’s “Top 500 Design Firms” in the United States. For more information, please visit www.drmp.com
