Opportunities in Construction & Electrical Engineering Training
Currently construction is one of the leading industries in today's world. Careers within construction can be very diverse. Some involve design, engineering and architecture, others actual building skills. With so many inter-related roles and disciplines, training and qualifications vary enormously.
Essentially there are three layers of profession within the industry. The 'Unskilled' and 'Semi Skilled' workforce are generally the on-site labour with little or no formal construction qualifications. Foremen and Site Managers are known as "Skilled", mainly due to the level of technical skills they're qualified and experienced in.
Lastly, there are the more senior technical structures and management roles. Usually the most technically qualified to work in this industry, these are generally the people who manage, plan and design the entire process.
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).
Construction Sectors & Training Frameworks
Skilled jobs demand some form of further education study - predominantly in subjects connected to the vocation itself. Students can go through a college or by on-the-job training to get their required qualifications. During 2007, some eight thousand five hundred construction based scholarships were pursued in the Britain. 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.
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.
Let's begin with Building Construction. Fundamentally this is the process of adding to and enhancing domestic properties. A large number of these projects are comparatively small and are completed in under a month. Larger scale projects are mostly the domain of civil construction, which comes mid-way between building and industrial. Then there's Industrial Construction, which is a specialised but smaller division of the industry. Very large businesses and corporations are often behind plans such as these.
A greater range of skills and professions are needed to complete the civil and industrial construction projects. It's fair to say that as you go down from the large scale projects to the smaller one's the size of the budget involved also goes down from sometimes many millions of pounds to just a few hundred. So let's now go through a number of technical construction career paths:
Civil Engineer
A Civil Engineer usually holds a degree in a relative subject. In the UK, the Institute of Civil Engineers offers the Chartered Engineer accreditation programme as well. To become a Chartered Engineer, university graduates are likely to have a Masters Degree. Those with Bachelor's Degrees may, as a result, become Incorporated Engineers.
Building Engineer
These can also be referred to as 'M&E Engineers'. Building Services Engineers typically graduate with a Mechanical or Electrical Engineering degree. Chartered Engineer status is usually governed by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.
Project Managers
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
To become a surveyor, you must first qualify in an appropriate QS degree. More professional training (along with time spent in industry) can be gained from RICS, the industry body for standards and certifications.
Structural Engineering
Professional structural engineers make a significant contribution to the design of a built environment. As structures have to remain safe and serviceable for many years, the designs, materials and calculations all have to be expertly worked through.
Architecture
Entry in architecture is unlikely without a degree, and indeed practical supervised experience along with university studies will take approximately 7 years. On any construction project, an architect will remain a key player as their designs, ideas and plans are converted into physical structures and spaces.
