JobQualification.co.uk

Getting Into Construction & Architecture Careers

In today's global market construction still sits as one of the leaders in industry. It is far bigger than many people think, and includes careers for architects, designers, engineers, project managers and even health & safety officials within its remit. With so much choice within the industry, the right qualifications are now very important.

Essentially there are three layers of profession within the industry. The least certified members of the workforce will be employed on building sites and are generally known as Unskilled and/or Semi Skilled.

Foremen and Site Managers are known as "Skilled", mainly due to the level of technical skills they're qualified and experienced in. Finally, there are Technical and Management workers. These are the people with the greatest educational qualifications (usually graduate degrees), trained to design, plan and manage the overall construction process.

On this page you'll find links and adverts from a selection of training companies, so it could be worth your while to book-mark it (CTRL-D) so you can come back later to review your options.

An Overview to Construction Training

Skilled jobs demand some form of further education study - predominantly in subjects connected to the vocation itself. These qualifications are either obtained directly through colleges, or through 'on the job' training. Just over two years ago, over 8,500 construction training positions began in this country. In late 2009, approximately 613,000 people were employed within the construction industry as a whole, with some 18,000 people going through training programmes.

In the industry there are three standard construction sectors. They all take a range of skills to complete each assignment, though some overlap with each other.

The first sector to look at is Building Construction. This is mainly concerned with extending existing property. On the whole they tend to be small in scale and take a few weeks at most. Profit centred organisations that work on medium sized projects come under the heavy construction category. And lastly comes industrial construction which covers all the vast structures and developments in the country. Without a doubt profit is often behind the large scale ownership of these projects.

The large industrial developments (and the bigger civil ones too) require very experienced professionals from many different backgrounds. Without a doubt the costs of ventures increase from a few hundred pounds for small projects through to many millions of pounds for large industrial schemes. Below you'll find a list of professional construction related careers and training requirements.

Civil Engineering

Civil Engineers typically need to be qualified with good civil engineering degrees. The Chartered Engineer qualification is issued by the Institution of Civil Engineers. To achieve chartered status engineering graduates need to hold the four year MEng. To reach Incorporated Engineer level you should have attained a Bachelor's Degree (BEng) first.

Building Services Engineering

Another engineering discipline needed in construction is Building Services Engineering. Typically these people have Mechanical Engineering degrees or Electrical Engineering degrees. Chartered Engineer status is usually governed by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.

Project Managers

Individuals typically hold a 2 year or greater higher education qualification, but are also qualified in another field such as 'Quantity Surveying' or 'Civil Engineering'.

Quantity Surveying

Quantity Surveyors can enter the industry at graduate level. Chartered status is gained from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Structural Engineer

Undergraduates looking to apply to university to take a structural engineering degree should have A levels in maths, physics and/or other sciences. The ISE (Institute of Structural Engineers) is the professional body that works to maintain professional standards in the industry.

Architecture

Architectural students must be prepared for a lengthy training process, which includes a university degree and post-grad study and work. On any construction project, an architect will remain a key player as their designs, ideas and plans are converted into physical structures and spaces.