A career in construction covers more areas of work than you could possibly have imagined, most of which obviously require technical skills but there will be a high degree also of ‘soft’ skills that are needed.
Where Could You End Up?
Depending on your preference and sector demand, you could work in the public or private sector, as construction will cover transport infrastructure such as roads, bridges and power, as well as schools, office blocks, hospitals, business units, and high street shops and stores. All of these could include new building, maintenance or alterations, whether major or minor.
Although construction continues to be a male-dominated environment, the number of woman employed in the sector continues to grow. And, even though we are in the middle of an economic recession, some growth is predicted for the industry.
There is a range of hands-on jobs available in construction. These include brick-laying, carpentry/joinery, plumbing, electrician, and site engineers, with lots of on the job training and supervision.
For graduates, there is an equal range of opportunities, including for architects, surveyors, engineers (civil and structural) and such services as the management and inspection of buildings. It will be an advantage if your programme of study at university included a ‘sandwich’ year where you worked in the industry as close to your chosen specialism as possible. This will offer you an exceptional opportunity to get some substantial experience in before applying for a full-time job.
For example, surveyors will provide expert advice to architects and engineers on the design of new buildings as well as on the maintenance of those which need repair or alterations. The work might involve monitoring of deadlines, appointing contractors and architects, reviewing health and safety of buildings and conducting cost benefit analyses of future adaptations.
Rising to the Top
For the more ambitious, there are plenty of supervisory and managerial posts available. As you would expect for these posts, ‘soft’ skills as well as technical skills are required. You will need to be totally on top of your job and wholly in charge of the people who work for you. You will need to manage tight building deadlines and strict completion deadlines. You should be able to show strengths in management and leadership, motivation, and particularly when things are going wrong because of serious and unforeseen problems on site. This then implies that you are good at decision-making and problem-solving.
You will need to be adept at dealing with sub-contractors and be able to cope with the often fraught process of site evaluation and constant review as plans change according to budgetary constraints and the demands of local planning permission.
Whatever role you take on, you will need to be good at English and Maths, as clearly written communication is important as well as the ability to perform complex calculations. And, you will need to demonstrate that you can absorb lots of complicated information quickly and also be up-to-date not only in technical skills and knowledge but also in respect of current health and safety rules, regulations and legislation.