MidLifeCareerChange.co.uk

Prospects in Construction Engineering

In today's global market construction still sits as one of the leaders in industry. Careers within construction can be very diverse. Some involve design, engineering and architecture, others actual building skills. There are so many different ways to become a professional worker in construction.

Work covers three broad skill ranks, which each have a number of roles. First there are unskilled and semi skilled workers who have very little certification and represent the bulk of the on-site workforce. 'Skilled labour' often relates to the On-Site managers or Foremen who have extensive knowledge and experience of their profession.

Lastly, there are the more senior technical structures and management roles. Due to the fact that these people hold the highest qualifications in this sector they are the ones who manage, plan, design and train the construction methods.

There are plenty of resources to look at here, especially if want jobs or to train within this industry. Why not add this page to your Favourites by keying in CTRL-D for when you want to come back to them?

An Overview to Construction Training

In the United Kingdom, further education certifications are deemed a must-have for those in a skilled occupation. These qualifications are either obtained directly through colleges, or through 'on the job' training. During 2007, some eight thousand five hundred construction based scholarships were pursued in the Britain. Today, as well as the eighteen thousand or so people being trained in construction, there are well over six hundred thousand people working in the industry.

Within construction itself, there are three types of processes: Building Construction, Heavy/Civil Construction and Industrial Construction. Each has a fairly unique team to plan, design, construct and maintain the relative project.

Building Construction is the initial area to check off. Essentially this is where extensions are built onto existing houses. On the whole they tend to be small in scale and take a few weeks at most. 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. Large scale profits encourage multi-national organisations to get involved in such builds. Going up the chain from building through to industrial construction, an ever wider variety of skill-sets are needed to complete each project.

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 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. Typically graduates must hold qualifications such as the MEng in order to reach the chartered rank. To reach Incorporated Engineer level you should have attained a Bachelor's Degree (BEng) first.

Building Engineers

This is another way of saying Mechanical or Electrical Engineers. Building Services Engineers typically graduate with a Mechanical or Electrical Engineering degree. Those looking for accredited status as a competent and professional building services engineer should consider membership of the CIBSE.

Project Management

Project Managers have often worked in construction in various roles before specialising and training in specific PM disciplines (such as PMBOK). Engineers and surveyors often make good project managers.

Quantity Surveyor

Training for work as a Quantity Surveyor starts with an appropriate three or four year degree course. For professional Chartered status, you should refer to www.rics.org - 'the world's leading professional body for qualifications and standards in land, property and construction'.

Structural Engineers

Undergraduates looking to apply to university to take a structural engineering degree should have A levels in maths, physics and/or other sciences. New university graduates must hold a Masters Degree to gain Chartered status from the Institute of Structural Engineers.

Architecture

Architectural students must be prepared for a lengthy training process, which includes a university degree and post-grad study and work. An architect is responsible for designing new buildings and the surrounding spaces. They have to work closely with their clients, fellow professionals, officials and users to ensure their work complies with everyone's needs.