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The Prospects in Construction & Civil Engineering Careers

Without a doubt construction remains one of the most vibrant industries on the planet. It can range from Building Skills, to Architecture and on to Design and even Health and Safety issues at work. With so much choice within the industry, the right qualifications are now very important.

In the main people have three category levels to choose from when considering careers within the Construction Industry. The least certified members of the workforce will be employed on building sites and are generally known as Unskilled and/or Semi Skilled. 'Skilled labour' often relates to the On-Site managers or Foremen who have extensive knowledge and experience of their profession. And then there are those listed as Technicians and Managers. The people who work in these professions are responsible for planning and executing complete projects.

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The Basis for Training in the Construction Sector

Within the UK, the skilled occupations require Further Education qualifications - often in a vocational subject. Once compulsory education in schools has been completed, students can either further their knowledge through training at work or by attending one of the prescribed colleges.

During 2007, some eight thousand five hundred construction based scholarships were pursued in the Britain. In addition to the 613,000 or so people within the construction trades in the UK during 2009 another 18,000 students were assigned to training programmes.

Within construction itself, there are three types of processes: Building Construction, Heavy/Civil Construction and Industrial Construction. They all take a range of skills to complete each assignment, though some overlap with each other.

Building construction is the first part of the review. Basically this is when structure is used to develop an older property. For example with the addition of rooms or renovation of bathrooms etc. Larger scale projects are mostly the domain of civil construction, which comes mid-way between building and industrial. Industrial Construction is a relatively small part of the entire construction industry, but it is a key part of it. Due to the size of the schemes the owners are often very large profit-based entities.

Going up the chain from building through to industrial construction, an ever wider variety of skill-sets are needed to complete each project. Financiers looking to fund the biggest industrial concerns sometimes have to raise tens of millions or more in investment money before they can get started. Next we'll cover a range of technical and specialised occupations in construction today -

Civil Engineer

Not only do civil engineers need degrees but they also generally need them in quite specific subjects. A respected accreditation is that of the Chartered Engineer status as offered through the Institute of Civil Engineers. To qualify as a Chartered Engineer, a graduate must hold a Masters in Engineering. To reach Incorporated Engineer level you should have attained a Bachelor's Degree (BEng) first.

Building Engineer

This is another way of saying Mechanical or Electrical Engineers. These candidates usually hold degrees in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. BS engineers can enhance their career prospects by joining their chartered institute. Membership at different levels is available for anyone studying or working in building services.

Project Manager

Often it's by being qualified in either quantity surveying or civil engineering, along with a professional certification such as PRINCE 2 that these positions become available.

Quantity Surveyor

To qualify for construction work in quantity surveying, candidates must initially graduate at degree level or above. Chartered status is gained from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Structural Engineering

For a career in structural engineering, you need a vocational qualification (NVQ) in an engineering or construction related subject, or a structural engineering degree. The ISE (Institute of Structural Engineers) is the professional body that works to maintain professional standards in the industry.

Architects

Architectural students must be prepared for a lengthy training process, which includes a university degree and post-grad study and work. To use the title of Architect, the individual must hold Chartered Status with the Royal Institute of British Architects, and be on the Architects Registration Board.