Why Sian Cornwell-Shaw MRICS is dedicated to raising the profile of our profession in Wales

Sian Cornwell-Shaw MRICS is a senior property surveyor at NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership. She’s also an RICS STEM Inspire Ambassador, working with teachers, schools and the RICS early engagement team to raise awareness of surveying as a vocation, making sure it’s accessible to young people in Wales.

Read on to hear about the unique challenge of attracting talent to the profession in Wales. We also learn more about Sian’s work in the NHS Wales Specialist Estates Services, and how growing up on a farm led Sian to pursue a surveying career. 

What might a typical day include for you, as a Senior Surveyor at NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership?

There is no such thing as a typical day! The variety of work is one of the best things about my job. In a nutshell, my job is to provide specialist surveying advice to all the Health Boards and Trusts within Wales.

This means managing circa 700 leases, including dealing with lease renewals, break notices and rent reviews, and finding and acquiring suitable premises they may require.  I deal with any easements, wayleaves, dispose of any freehold estate that is no longer needed, and anything else that is required.

I also mentor two students. They are both studying the Real Estate degree at University of South Wales (USW) while working in my organisation through the unique Network 75 earn and learn scheme. It’s a fantastic option - students gain five years’ work experience alongside their academic degree, debt free.

Are there any projects that you’re particularly proud of?

This is a hard question. Every project has the ultimate aim of benefitting patients. Every project also brings its own challenges and learning opportunities. Three projects I’d highlight, though are:

• The delivery of a directly wired solar farm to Morriston Hospital. It was the first in the UK and has saved the NHS millions in energy bills and reduced carbon emissions.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic I acquired premises to provide field hospitals, vaccination venues, laboratories and testing throughout Wales. This was extremely fast paced, changing parameters, and involved very long working hours, but it was extremely rewarding.
• In my role as an RICS STEM Inspire Ambassador I deliver outreach engagement sessions to students in schools and colleges to raise the awareness of surveying as a vocation. I recently developed and chaired a Taster Surveying Day at USW for students across Wales studying Built Environment GCSE/A Levels. I’m already planning the next one!
   

Why do you think your role as a STEM Ambassador is so important, particularly with regards to working in Wales?

There is a dearth of surveyors in Wales. Until 2023 there weren’t any General Practice Surveying (now known as Real Estate) courses in Wales for around 20 years. In 2023 the Real Estate course at University of South Wales recommenced, accredited by RICS.

Knowledge of what a surveyor is and does, and the variety of careers in surveying, is very low. I see this in my role as a STEM Ambassador, and I am trying to change it through various engagements. I attend careers fayres, give talks to students, and set built environment-based projects to students.

We need to see more engagement with schools and colleges, students and teachers, to raise the profile of the surveying profession. We need to communicate that there is opportunity for prospective surveyors in Wales through USW, for students studying full time, part time, or through Network 75. Young people need to understand that they don’t need to have studied any particular subjects to become a surveyor, that they can earn and learn if they don’t want to take a conventional university route. We need to get the message out that there are so many openings and opportunities for surveyors in Wales. It's great career, but put simply, not enough people are aware of it. That’s why I’m so passionate about being a STEM Ambassador in Wales.

You grew up on a farm. How do you think that contributed to your surveying career?

Growing up on a farm brings an awareness and appreciation of land and the built environment. I understood everything about the land and utilities it needed.

I recall collecting ground rents where farmland had been acquired for housing, and being aware of terms such as compulsory purchase, leases, tenancies and attending auctions.

However, my first degree was in Sociology. That was a subject I enjoyed at A Level and, probably from lack of vocational awareness, I just got a degree in something! In my final year at University I learnt about the general practice surveying degree from someone I knew, and it fascinated me. I thought I would put my farming background and this newly sparked interest together, and go into rural agriculture and land management. Then I spoke to a family member who was a surveyor and opted for general practice in commercial surveying.

There were no appropriate courses available in Wales at the time, so I signed up for a correspondence post graduate diploma in General Practice Commercial Surveying at the College of Estate Management in Reading University. I went on to find a surveying firm who would take me on as a graduate surveyor and sponsor me on the course, before gaining the diploma and going on to do my APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) to become a Chartered Surveyor.

Find out more about opportunities to contribute to the surveying profession.