Career Area
CONSTRUCTION & THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The UK is in the middle of a building Boom particularly in the South East with projects such as the venues for the 2012 Olympics and Thames Gateway. The latest Construction Skills Network Report (published in June 2006) indicates that nearly 90,000 people are needed nationally to join the construction industry every year between now and 2010 just to meet current demand.There are many different careers for both men and women in Construction in the UK and overseas with large and small companies (who might even provide sponsorship). People with qualifications and construction skills are often self employed.
Construction and the Built Environment also includes Building Services Engineering, the management of built assets (such as valuation, sales and housing management).
There are three main routes for people wanting to get into the construction industry - craft, technical and university. There is a huge variety of training programmes available giving the chance to learn new skills while working. The South East Region is involved in the new National Skills Academy for Construction – a Centre of Excellence for Work Based Learning.
(Source: : bConstructive)
(Source: : bConstructive)
This area looks at just four different job areas in Construction, with three possible career routes for each:
Click above to go to the Diplomas
You can get your qualifications by taking vocational courses or studying while in employment as well as by the more traditional full time education route. The important thing is to choose a route that suits you.
Remember these are career pathways, and you can get on or off the pathway at any point!
Mature students without formal qualifications are advised to talk to their local nextstep provider www.nextstep.org.uk You can train on site while you are working in the construction industry, and one year Access to Higher Education courses give adults without formal qualifications the chance to study at degree level. Contact individual colleges and universities to discuss their entry requirements.
Additional sources of information
The Sector Skills Council for Construction and the built environment is ConstructionSkills www.constructionskills.net
The Council works closely with CITB-ConstructionSkills www.citb-constructionskills.co.uk
bConstructive offers careers information www.bconstructive.co.uk/careers
SummitSkills is the Sector Skills Council for Building Services Engineering www.summitskills.org.uk
WISE (Women Into Science, Engineering and Construction) promotes construction as a career option for girls www.wisecampaign.org.uk
The Association of Building Engineers is the professional body for those specialising in the technology of building www.abe.org.uk
Asset Skills is the Sector Skills Council for housing, property, facilities management and cleaning www.assetskills.org
What else should I be doing?
There’s a lot you can do to help your career in Construction outside formal learning:
- find part time work/holiday jobs/work experience involving construction
- take part in Aimhigher activities, such as summer schools and taster days
- take part in construction challenges and competitions
- improve your teamwork and personal skills – especially communication and presentation
- develop your problem solving and thinking skills
- develop your IT skills
- think about learning a foreign language if you want to work abroad
- visit historic buildings
- read specialist magazines such as Building www.building.co.uk
- keep up to date with major construction projects such as Heathrow Terminal 5 and the 2012 Olympic venues