Career Choices in Construction

Not really, you seem to be doing everything right. Sometimes you just need a bit of luck to get your first role; having the SMSTS and First Aid makes it easier to apply for jobs that come up since these are the hurdles that trip most people up.

Don’t be deterred from applying for roles you think you can do. I see a lot of jobs advertised where they are saying you should have a degree, so many years experience and so on. Be assured, that ideal candidate isn’t going to be applying. You might be the best option but only if you put your hat in the ring in the first place.

Short term I would do the SMSTS as soon as you can as well as a the 3 day first aid course. Neither of these qualify you as an assistant site manager but you’ll find it difficult to get your first role without them.

Getting your ‘first role’ is often a matter of just applying for assistant manager positions as they become available. Being the best candidate on the day counts more than anything these days and it’s often the quickest way to get your foot in the door.

Long term, I would recommend you do the HNC in site management or HNC in construction as this will give you the best grounding. And, ideally, I would do the CIoB Level 4 certificate with a view to becoming a full member.

Obviously, time and cost are limiting factors but the sooner you start the sooner you’ll get where you’re going.

Civil engineering is a different discipline altogether so your background is unlikely to have much bearing on the future. I assume you didn’t pick the course at random and had some thoughts as to why this would be right for you?

The course tutor or dpt head is probably the best person to talk to really? However, once you start you will find that from talking to other people on the course (many of whom will be feeling just as lost as you will be) that there is a world of opportunity you were hitherto unaware of.

As you progress and find your feet, you’ll find you have strengths in some areas and weaknesses in others (as does everyone) and what you think about your future will be completely different to what you think now – in a good way, hopefully.

In short, if this is the course you have decided upon than go for it with 100% effort. Learning new skills and meeting new people is always daunting but the result is almost always positive in the long run.

Site supervisor roles are generally tied to a particular trade so you’d be advised to pick a trade you’re most comfortable with and do the relevant NVQ for it.

When you’ve done this you can do the Level 3/4 NVQ Diploma in Construction Site Supervision

Future prospects should be very good since there is already a dire shortage of qualified and experienced managers at all levels. As the role becomes more technically focused, the need for qualified people will only intensify.

Maths and English are generally essential with any science subject being advantageous.

Work experience is difficult because of the health and safety aspect but shouldn’t be a problem with an office base environment within, say, an architectural or surveying business.

It is a good idea to start young and should be advantageous in the long term.

Trade experience is a positive although employers don’t specifically look for this and, in some extreme cases, it can be a negative factor. Some, not all, large firms like to mould people into their way of thinking which is why they make a big effort to recruit younger graduates with no experience at all rather than older people with a background in the industry.

However, you shouldn’t let this put you off as there are now a lot of smaller firms that are really struggling to find qualified surveyors of any age and this is where you should concentrate your efforts. If I were you I would start contacting local surveying firms about getting some relevant experience.

Don’t expect the first firm you contact to bite your hand off though, it will take persistence but, eventually, it should lead to something.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors also have a student membership level and I’d advise you to join as soon as possible; working towards membership really needs to be your first priority.

There are some schemes aimed specifically at ex-military personnel but it would still be difficult because there isn’t one single point of contact to get you started.

However, you could start looking at the MOD’s Career Transition Partnership (CTP) website

Also, Hire a Hero is a charity set up to help ex-forces make the move into civilian life and they may be able to advise further.

You could also try contacting some companies locally. It is a case of being in the right place at the right time, of course, but definitely worth a shot.

More information:

Baseline UK – Ex-Military Recruitment
Network Rail – Military into Rail

After completing the HNC you could go on to do the degree in site management; whether this would be worth your while though would depend on your circumstances at the time?

Personally, I think going the CIoB route is going to be your best course of action although it is possible to do both.

To do the SMSTS course requires no qualifications, btw, so I would do this as soon as you are able. I would also do the 3 day first aid course as well since the SMSTS and First Aid are now the two most common prerequisites for getting any kind management role.

The HNC is generally respected in the industry as a mid-level qualification that gives people a good grounding in commercial construction, it’s certainly advantageous to have it – especially in a design role where a broad understanding of construction techniques is essential.

Entry level positions are always available but depend a lot on being in the right place at the right time. The more places you contact, the better your chances.

A degree will always be an advantage but, for CAD/BIM role I would think experience and practical ability are far more important? In the right situation, further qualifications may not be necessary at all but, again, it is often a matter of luck.

Traditionally, people studying for higher level qualifications in construction were already working in the industry in some capacity. College courses were often run at night time, once or twice a week. Over the years, this changed as more people were starting their careers straight from school as management trainees and apprentices. Since most were sponsored by their employers it became common for courses to be run on a day-release basis only.

The unintended consequence of this is that those already in the industry, many of whom have unsympathetic employers or who are classed as self-employed, have found it near impossible to hold down a job and study at the same time. Those, like yourself, from outside the industry face similar difficulties.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that there is a critical shortage of suitably experienced and qualified managers in the construction industry and this situation is unlikely to change in the near future. Big construction companies are putting all of their efforts into recruiting people straight from school or University. The vocational courses they do support are role-based and require you to be already in a trade or management to begin with.

You will find some construction courses available to study online but they are not industry accredited and are really only useful for gaining industry knowledge which, outside the context of any associated job role, is likely to be not much help to you.

If you are determined to continue I would suggest contacting local construction companies and ask if they’d be willing to take you on as a trainee, just as a means of getting your foot in the door, and take it from there?

Also, to people in similar situations as yourself, I always suggest Health Safety as a way of breaking into the industry since you can realistically do the courses while doing some other job. The NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety is an industry recognised qualification and can lead to further opportunities. It’s not for everyone but there is a demand for people who have this.