Can you see yourself designing the next high-spec building or football stadium? Building the foundations for a housing estate? Designing an eco friendly house? then the Building, Construction and Architecture sector could be for you.

The construction sector is all about the creation of the built environment covering all stages of the construction process, from creating the initial ideas and design to building the structure.

Architect’s work on a variety of projects, ranging from designing a new build, restoring old buildings, they can also work on boats, ships, cruises, the design possibilities are endless. Architects are involved in the building project from day one and see it right through to the end.

The Building Services Engineering sector involves designing, installing and maintaining facilities that allow the rest of us to live in comfort and safety. It offers hundreds of exciting and challenging job opportunities such as plumbing, electro-technical, heating and ventilating and air conditioning and refrigeration.

National

• There are over 60,000 Building Services Engineering Businesses in the UK.
• There are 2,535,490 construction employees in the UK in around 311,180 enterprises.
• 92% of organisations in the construction sector employ less than 10 people and less than 1% has 250 or more employees.
• 55% of the workforce is employed in manual occupations.
• More than 35% of people in the sector are their own boss running their own companies.
• There are around 31,000 qualified architects in the UK.

Yorkshire and Humber

• There are 16,590 people employed in the electrotechnical industry, there are 9,329 people employed in the plumbing industry, 5,741 people employed in the heating and ventilation industry and 2,870 people employed in the air conditioning and refrigeration industry.
• 45% of firms employ women and employees from ethnic minority groups in technical roles.
• 64% of employees need their craft workforce to be trained to Level 3.
• By 2030, 25,000 jobs could be created in South Yorkshire with £18m of government cash being provided for construction/building projects.

• Good with your hands
• Must have great attention to detail
• Able to work both individually as well as in a team
• Able and willing to follow all safety instructions given by a person in authority
• Must have good communication skills and the ability to take direction and advice
• Willingness to continually train and upgrade skills/qualifications
• Must be IT literate
• Be creative
• Must be a good problem solver
• Must have good organisational skills
• Must be able to work under pressure and work to deadlines
• Must have good time management

There are many career paths within this sector. Depending on the type of job you choose the level of qualifications will vary, for example to be an architect it will take up to 5 years of study, plus 1-3 years work experience before you become fully qualified. They have to keep their skills and knowledge updated through continuous personal development (CPD).

Other popular entry routes are: Apprentices, Advanced Apprenticeships, higher education through college/university to study NVQ’s, National Diplomas, Higher National Certificates/Diploma’s and Degree’s in your chosen subject/field of work are available for the majority of job roles. Due to the wide choices of courses available, it is advisable to check what preferred methods of entry are required for your chosen career.

Make sure you choose a career that matches your skills and qualifications.

www.doncasterchoices1419.org.uk
Find out what courses and training is available in your area.

www.nextstep.direct.gov.uk
A general careers website with information on a wide range of careers.

www.regionaltrainingprospectus.co.uk
A guide offering careers and training advice, ranging from helping you choose a college to finding an Apprenticeship in your region.

www.bconstructive.co.uk
Information about career opportunties in the Construction Sector