Construction

Posted by admin on in Career Advice tagged with

Degree of Distinction

Studying at university can be the foundation for a great career in construction.

Degree of Distinction
Studying at university can be the foundation for a great career in construction.

Norwegian Nina Lovstad is a final year student at Heriot Watt University, studying quantity surveying – a role which involves calculating the cost of building projects and helping ensure they’re completed to budget and schedule. After a post-school gap year that included working as a classroom assistant and travelling around Thailand, Nina was looking for a new challenge. “I wanted to combine a technological course – but one that wasn’t too technological – with an English-speaking environment,” she explains about coming to Scotland.

“I’m really enjoying the course,” she says. “As you progress it becomes more interesting and useful.” Thanks to industry sponsorship, Nina had valuable work experience during the course and expects to join the same company after graduation, when she’ll start working towards gaining chartered status. “You have to do two years training before becoming a chartered surveyor,” she says. “That’s obviously the most immediate goal for me.”

She has no regrets about her career choice. “I’d certainly recommend it as a career,” she explains. “Because you work on a project-by-project basis, the work will change depending on what you work on. Every day can be very, very different.”
“Most young people think there are just two jobs in construction, joinery and architecture,” says Alison Ward, part of the education team at industry training body ConstructionSkills (Scotland). Which is why she spends most of her time visiting schools across Scotland, talking to students about the numerous opportunities in construction for graduates.

Scottish universities offer a good choice of “built environment” degrees. These tend to be in four main fields: construction management and surveying (the organisation of projects and the preparation of building sites), architectural engineering (how everything works within the environment of a building), civil engineering (the design, development and construction of projects) and urban studies (town or regional planning and estate management). Graduation with a degree is a major step towards official recognition by the relevant professional
bodies.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?
You do need to have good grades for most construction degrees; for example, the School for the Built Environment at Heriot Watt University looks for a minimum of 260 Ucas points – that’s AABB at Higher level – although they don’t specify which subjects you should study. It won’t hurt, though, to have English, math and a science subject or two under your belt!

WHAT ARE THE COURSES LIKE?
Although courses are necessarily classroom based, most will include site visits, field trips, work placements and talks by invited professionals – so you can relate what you’re learning in the classroom to the practical reality of the construction site. Courses are largely modular in structure, assessed through written exams and practical course work.

ARE YOU A CONSTRUCTION GRADUATE?
“You want to be somebody who is very good at communicating, a good team player, who likes to have challenges and can rise to a challenge, so if there’s certain deadlines or certain meetings or problems or programmes that have to be met, then they can rise to that challenge and meet them.” Dr Fiona Grant, School for the Built Environment, Heriot Watt University.

PROSPECTS
“There’s a huge amount of work going on,” says Dr Fiona Grant, programme director for the construction management and surveying courses at Heriot Watt University. “There are large projects happening – we’ve got the Olympics coming up, the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow, and ongoing infrastructure work. We also have to supply a huge amount of houses over the next few years, so demand for construction graduates is going to be there for a good few years. Anybody who comes into this profession and qualifies, they’re limited only by their own goals. You can end up working worldwide if you want to or you could be in charge of your own company or work section quite quickly after graduating.”

INSPIRING SCHOLARSHIP
Too few kids think about construction as a serious career option. “We aren’t up there with lawyers and doctors – unlike in the rest of Europe,” says Alison Ward of ConstructionSkills (Scotland). This is the main reason behind the ConstructionSkills Inspire scholarship. Established four years ago, this offers you the chance to leave university with a much sought after degree in a built environment subject, 10 weeks work experience with a potential employer and – because of up to £9,000 in grants – almost no debt! Entries close every March for courses starting the following October. For more information visit
www.bconstructive.co.uk/scholarship.

UNIVERSITY VS EXPERIENCE
Once upon a time a degree was seen as the Holy Grail for employers and employees alike. However, with more and more students opting to go to university some have argued that this has devalued a university education and opting to do an apprentice may well be a better option.

Corinne Dauncey, Careers Expert from international job portal, TipTopJob.com warns school leavers to seriously consider whether a degree would be of benefit to them before writing off alternative options altogether.

College careers advisors are under extensive pressure to encourage pupils to go on to university as it affects their rating and status and students should be aware of this when deciding whether to further their education or opt for an apprenticeship which combines work with training, experience and study for a recognised qualification.

There are three options to consider when leaving school – university, an apprenticeship which combines work with training and study for a qualification, or going straight into a job.

The average student leaves university with debts of around £15,000. When comparing this to the wage of an apprentice earning on average £8,500 a year, who during the same three year period will have learnt many valuable and transferable skills without racking up debt, it soon becomes clear that doing an apprenticeship has more than one advantage.

Unlike many degree courses, apprentices learn as they work and are taught practical skills that are relevant for the industry that they have chosen to work in. Apprenticeships are not for everybody they do suit people whose interests are outside of essay writing and taking exams. Corinne Dauncey from TipTopJob.com recently advised jobseeker, Adam Powell who is 19 years old and now working for a leading car manufacturer as a Trainee Mechanical Engineer.

Adam, who is just about to finish his first year of training, did not consider himself academic and knew that university would not be right for him. He was interested in cars and mechanics and as he already had a natural ability to work on vehicles for friends and family he knew that this was an avenue that he should persue.

He said: “Being an apprentice at BMW is hard work but already in the first year I have learnt so much about car mechanics. It has given me a great starting point for a career and offers progression inside the company once qualified. I could have gone straight into a job but it seemed sensible to receive training at the same time as working and earning money. I am looking forward to finishing my apprenticeship and beginning full time employment with a view to working up the ladder and taking advantage of the career progression available.”

Commenting on Adam, Corinne Dauncey said: “More and more university graduates are coming to me for help as they simply cannot find a job. Although they have a degree and a certificate to prove it, what they tend not to hold is the experience that alternative methods such as apprenticeships offer them.

“This said, university is not to be written off. Despite spiraling debt and increased competition, employers are still attracted to employees with degrees as it shows dedication and commitment as well as having the ability to work independently. Most employers want someone with the right skills to do the job and whilst a graduate may not hold this in terms of experience, they will be able to adapt quickly – something that is picked up without realising when at university.”

Choosing between an apprenticeship and degree is a decision not to be taken lightly and will rest very much on individual preference and the type of job that they want to do. Those who take the university route must prepare themselves for debt and be aware that they will be up against thousands of other graduates once they leave university. However, if they try and obtain work experience at the same time as studying then this will heighten their chance of employability as well as teaching them skills outside of the degree syllabus.

Those that choose to do an apprenticeship may receive instant gratification in terms of pay and on-the-job training however, the individual may find that they miss out on the experience had by their university friends, for example living away from home, meeting people from different places and, of course, Freshers week!

SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Salaries at all levels depend on location and employer.

ARCHITECT
Newly registered £29,000 to £32,000
Up to five years’ experience £34,000 to £40,000
Senior level £32,000 to £80,000

CIVIL ENGINEER
Recent graduate £17,000 – £24,000
Up to five years’ experience £25,000 – £45,000
Senior level £42,000 – £65,000

QUANTITY SURVEYOR
Starting salaries £17,000 – £27,000
Senior level £30,000 – £55,000

TOWN PLANNER
Starting salaries £16,000 – £23,000
Senior planning officers £25,000 – £37,000
Planning managers up to £45,000 and beyond

Tiny URL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/38wusqz