A View on Hydrography by a Younger Generation

Hydrographic surveying still requires skilled people. The profession itself is carried out across the world and performed in different fields. Whether the profession involves environmental mapping, charting, oil and gas or port surveying, hydrographers are facing challenging situations. Unfortunately, despite the fact that many people nowadays are looking for jobs, there is still a lack of skilled forces to serve in the hydrographic industry. This has resulted in qualifications such as IHO CAT A and B not always being required by companies and recruiters. This has several reasons. On the one hand there are not enough CAT A and/or B candidates graduating from universities, and on the other hand it seems that the IHO qualification is not seen as the standard for qualified hydrographic surveyors in every part of the world. Furthermore, the profession appears not to be seen as a very positive profession. The latter could be due to the working environment, which should then in turn be the responsibility of the companies. However, the marketing of our profession is also an important factor. A factor that is sometimes underestimated is the ‘challenging’ factor. Challenge the modern day professionals and make sure they find themselves in a challenging environment.

Introducing new technologies and involving employees will help keep them interested in and enthusiastic for the profession.  There are still plenty of challenges ahead for the industry  to keep professionals,  such as the people being interviewed in this Hydro  International, from losing their enthusiasm... (continue reading)