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Prospects in Construction & Quantity Surveyor Careers

In the current global economy, construction remains one of the stalwarts of the market. The industry encompasses disciplines such as design, architecture, engineering, management and building skills. Naturally such diversity means there are various training paths leading to all the different roles.

In the main people have three category levels to choose from when considering careers within the Construction Industry. First there are unskilled and semi skilled workers who have very little certification and represent the bulk of the on-site workforce.

Next are the managers and foremen who work on-site. They hold a good level of technical knowledge and are often referred to as "skilled" labour. Last of all come the Management and Technical Professionals. These people have trained to design and/or manage the overall process and as such are the most qualified within their field.

You can return to this section later and refer to the various sites and links to training companies by bookmarking this page.

The Basis for Training in the Construction Sector

Skilled professionals in the UK often need formal accreditations - especially in those areas of vocational expertise. These qualifications are either obtained directly through colleges, or through 'on the job' training. Just over two years ago, over 8,500 construction training positions began in this country. By 2009 over 600,000 workers were involved in the construction industry with 10,000 more people going through training than two years previously.

Generally there are three divisions of construction accepted within the industry. Each has a fairly unique team to plan, design, construct and maintain the relative project.

Initially we have the building construction section. This is the process by which structural improvements are made to established buildings. Most of these renovations are relatively modest and fairly low key.

Civil and Heavy Construction is the second type of construction between Building and Industrial. And lastly comes industrial construction which covers all the vast structures and developments in the country. Large scale profits encourage multi-national organisations to get involved in such builds.

As you go through the list from Building Construction to Industrial Construction, the size of the job increases massively. 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. We can take a look at some of the professions that work in construction -

Civil Engineering

Civil engineers generally hold particular three or four year engineering degrees. Equally important is the Chartered Engineer qualification earned through the Institute of Civil Engineers. Typically graduates must hold qualifications such as the MEng in order to reach the chartered rank. Graduates can become Incorporated Engineers through Bachelor Degree status.

Building Services Engineer

Building Services Engineers can equally be listed as 'M&E' Engineers. For this type of position it is customary for people to have a suitable degree e.g. 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 Management

PM's are normally also certified in other disciplines first, such as Quantity Surveying. There are a number of Project Management training courses offered by various institutions.

Quantity Surveyors

To qualify for construction work in quantity surveying, candidates must initially graduate at degree level or above. 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

For a career in structural engineering, you need a vocational qualification (NVQ) in an engineering or construction related subject, or a structural engineering degree. There are various membership levels should you wish to join the Institute of Structural Engineers, which reflect the diversity of recognised academic qualifications around the world.

Architecture

Becoming an architect generally requires a minimum 4 year Degree in Architecture with practical work experience and further training as well. The architect is actively involved throughout a whole project, from choosing the site to structure and landscaping completion.