Overview of Civil Construction
Civil construction is an important industry to our society that provides vital infrastructure across the country. A career in civil construction can be design-based or hands-on, and it can be extremely personally rewarding to see the results of your work first hand.
Civil engineers and civil construction workers design, build and maintain the infrastructure that we often take for granted. Roads, waterways, sewers, gas pipelines and power supplies are all the responsibility of the civil construction industry.
Studying Civil Construction
The type of civil construction course you undertake will depend on the career pathway that interests you. For those who enjoy practical and hands-on work, apprenticeships and traineeships can lead to careers in plant operation and construction. These courses are much like other trade apprenticeships where most training is on-site with a small off-site theoretical component.
A Diploma or Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology (Civil) can be studied at TAFE and can lead to managerial roles within civil construction.
A Degree of Civil Engineering is required to work in the design and management aspects of civil construction. These senior roles attract larger salaries and increased responsibility.
Careers in Civil Construction
Civil constructions careers are generally split between those performed on-site and those performed in an office. On-site positions in civil construction include road markers, pavement layers, foremen, leading hands, pipe layers and foundation constructors. The design and management roles in civil construction are taken up by civil engineers, health and safety inspectors, project managers and geotechnical engineers.
Skills needed in Civil Construction
To work in civil construction you must have good communication skills. You must be able to listen to and give directions and ensure that tasks are carried out with precision. If you are involved in the physical aspect of civil construction, you should have a solid degree of physical fitness, while as an engineer or manager you must have an analytical mind, an attention to detail and problem solving skills.