So what's in it for you?
Well, choosing a future in construction is a very smart move. For a start, you won't be going it alone - thousands of young people enter the industry each year in the UK, joining a team of specialists who are working together to build us a brighter future.
Whatever job you choose within the construction industry, your work will be admired by people for years to come and there are very few jobs you can say that about.
You may already have a good idea what kind of job you want to do. Take a look - you'll find it's not all about bricks and mortar!
On the job
It's all very well reading up on what you think you want to do, but in truth, there's no better way to test the waters than to gain real work experience. Thankfully, construction offers a variety of areas for you to find work experience in - to help you decide which is the right career for you. Most schools run work experience schemes and may be able to arrange one for you.
The type of experience you get and the company you do the experience with will depend on the area of the industry you are hoping to get into. It is the perfect way to really find out if your chosen career is right for you, and meet people who already work in it!
You may feel that a large company will be far more beneficial than a small firm, but there are advantages to both. A smaller establishment will show you the overall running of a business, as well as the skills of the particular trade you are interested in. In a larger one you will work with many types of people, in many different trades, pulling together to complete a project. You will get to see the 'ideas factory', building skills, management and surveying.
During your work experience you will probably be asked to carry out routine tasks and administrative duties, as well as attend site visits and accompany the professionals (such as architects, engineers or surveyors) on their jobs.
All work experience is worthwhile. Hopefully it will encourage you to follow a career in construction, but if you leave the placement feeling the job is not for you, at least you found out before it was too late!
Most schools and colleges run work experience schemes and will organise a suitable placement with a co-operating employer. The web site www.designajob.co.uk offers work experience opportunities in the construction industry, and helps to find one which will suit you most. You could organise the experience yourself, by researching companies in your area that interest you, and contacting them explaining your situation. There's lots of work experience available for young people wishing to get into construction, so get out there and find out what it's like to be part of the UK's fastest growing industry!
girls allowed!
Almost 200,000 women work in construction, proving that it's definitely not just "jobs for the boys!". The opportunities are up for grabs - you've just got to reach for them!
Did you know?
- 1 in 14 of the UK workforce is employed in construction - that's nearly 2 million people!
- Women have been working in construction since the Middle Ages!
- Women account for around 1% of tradespeople and 11.6% of those working in design and management occupations.
- Every year the construction industry offers career opportunities for enough people to fill a football stadium (86,000 each year for the next 4 years).
What can you expect?
- You can work towards a wide range of professional, recognised qualifications.
- Plenty of scope to move up the career ladder…it doesn't matter what level you start at.
- You can put your creative skills to the test in many different scenarios.
- A huge variety of work.
- Once qualified there are plenty of opportunities to work abroad.
- The freedom to start your own business (a staggering 35% of the construction industry are self-employed!).
- The satisfaction of knowing that you helped to build something that will last for generations to come.
- Opportunities to make a real difference to the environment you live in.
Different routes into construction
There are many routes into the industry, but most people choose to enter at a craft, technical or professional level. You can either do an apprenticeship and learn on the job or go to university and enter construction at graduate level. |
