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Getting On In Construction (A Quantity Surveying Degree?)

Construction continues to be one of the largest business sectors in the world today. It builds from a wealth of skill sets which include Design, Architecture, Building Skills and Health & Safety factors. With so many inter-related roles and disciplines, training and qualifications vary enormously.

In the construction industry there are three levels to consider. The main on-site labour is often referred to as un-skilled or semi-skilled, primarily due to the lack of formal industry qualifications.

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 people have trained to design and/or manage the overall process and as such are the most qualified within their field.

When you want to consider your options you may want to refer to some of the training companies and links featured here, so make sure that you book-mark this page (Ctrl-D).

Training in Construction in the UK

Skilled jobs demand some form of further education study - predominantly in subjects connected to the vocation itself. These skills can either be gained through working apprenticeships or via one of the dedicated colleges. In the United Kingdom during 2007, there were over 8,000 training positions started in construction alone. By 2009 over 600,000 workers were involved in the construction industry with 10,000 more people going through training than two years previously.

In the industry there are three standard construction sectors. One is in the domestic market, and the other two are in the commercial sector.

Initially we have the building construction section. Generally this is where a new structure is attached to a building. On the whole they tend to be small in scale and take a few weeks at most. Heavy/Civil Construction is essentially the domain of the medium-sized 'build-for-profit' companies. And lastly comes industrial construction which covers all the vast structures and developments in the country. Often the people behind these industrial construction projects are huge profit based companies.

The scale of building work undertaken from Building to Industrial Construction is very extensive. 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. New university graduates are usually expected to hold a Master's Degree to become Chartered.

However, anyone graduating with a Bachelors Degree can go on to become an Incorporated Engineer at that stage.

Building Services Engineer

B S Engineers are also known as M and E Engineers. You normally need to have a mechanical or electrical engineering degree to be considered for such a position. Graduating M and E Engineers can join the CIBSE at Graduate level to increase their contacts and networks of professionals.

Project Manager

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 Surveyors

To become a surveyor, you must first qualify in an appropriate QS degree. Further training and accreditations can be accessed from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, "the pre-eminent organisation for professionals working in the land, property and construction sectors in the UK and around the world".

Structural Engineers

Anyone working as a structural engineer on major projects will have their say about the environment we live in. SE's often work alongside architects and designers on the construction of structures. Structures have to look pleasing, but structural engineers also have to calculate loads and stresses, and be confident the foundations and frameworks are sufficiently strong to be safe and effective.

Architects

Anyone who wishes to become an architect should allow for seven or more years of study and work experience to become fully qualified. Professional status is monitored and assessed in the UK by RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects.