The Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria has announced changes to certain guidelines.

The changes apply to the Changes have been made to the Guidelines for Professional Training Agreements, and the Guidelines for Examinations and Projects.

According to the SRBV, the Guidelines were reviewed “with the specific aim of implementing improvements that would shorten the average duration of Professional Training Agreements (PTAs)”.

“The Board has long been concerned about the average time taken to complete a PTA being between 7 and 8 years,” the SRBV says in a FAQ that accompanies the update guidelines.

“It was identified that shortening the timeframes for completion of projects was a way of mitigating this, and so the Guidelines for Examinations and Projects were reviewed with this in mind. Further improvements were identified with regard to the Professional Assessment Project (PAP).

“In the case of the Guidelines for Professional Training Agreements only minor changes needed to be made to ensure consistency with the amended Guidelines for Examinations and Projects.”

Shorter duration

According to the SRBV, the main changes are:

• A reduction in the time allowed to complete the Urban and Rural Cadastral projects from 12 months to nine months;
• The introduction of new deadlines for PTA candidates to commence their projects; and
• The PAP must be completed prior to commencing the Cadastral Law Examination and be submitted for examination within three months of the project completion.

“The Board is constantly receiving feedback from examiners, moderators, supervising surveyors, and even PTA candidates,” the SRBV says.

“This feedback has suggested that most candidates do not require 12 months to complete their projects.

“Shortening the allowable project duration will encourage timely completion and foster a candidate acquiring better project management skills. This aligns with the professional expectations for licensed surveyors.”