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Engineering construction technician

  • Hours

    38 per week

  • Starting salary

    £13,000 + per year



The work

Engineering construction technicians design, build and maintain buildings and machinery in industries like oil, petrochemicals, power and construction.

As a technician, your work would fall into one of the following areas:

  • planning and design – using computer aided design (CAD) software to draw up plans, showing the measurements and layout of projects
  • fabrication and assembly – cutting and welding pipework, and putting up the steel columns and beams of a building's framework
  • fitting and maintenance – installing and servicing equipment in factories and industrial sites, such as conveyor lines
  • inspection and testing – checking for faults in machinery, and testing newly installed systems.

Your other responsibilities could include supervising a team of craftspeople, scheduling work and dealing with administrative records. You might also do related tasks, such as estimating, buying and quality control.


Hours

You would usually work a basic 38-hour week. The exact hours might be flexible, depending on the type of work and deadlines.

You could be based in an office or on site. You would travel between sites and some contracts may involve working away from home for many weeks at a time.


Income

  • Starting salaries can be between £13,000 and £17,500 a year.
  • Experienced technicians can earn between £20,000 and £30,000 a year.
  • Senior technicians can earn over £33,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.


Entry requirements

You may be able to get into this career through an Apprenticeship scheme. To get on to a scheme, you would usually need at least three GCSEs (grades A-C), in subjects like maths, English, science, design and technology, or equivalent qualifications. See the Goengineer website for more details about technician Apprenticeships.

Alternatively, you could take a college course which would teach you some of the skills needed for the job. Relevant courses include:

  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Operations and Maintenance Engineering
  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Engineering (Electrical/Mechanical)
  • City & Guilds Certificate in Engineering (2800) Level 3.

If you want to specialise in design work, you could take a course like the City & Guilds Certificate in 2D or 3D Computer Aided Design (4353). The job profile for CAD Technician has more information about this option.

For more details about careers in this field, check the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) website. The Engineering Training Council (Northern Ireland) has careers and course information for that region.


Training and development

You could work towards an NVQ at Level 3, choosing one which most closely matches your job role. Options include:

  • Maintaining Plant and Systems (Mechanical or Instrument Pipefitting)
  • Constructing Capital Plant Steel Structures (Erecting)
  • Installing Plant and Systems (Mechanical, Pipefitting or Instrument Pipefitting)
  • Welding (Plate or Pipework)
  • Non-Destructive Testing
  • Design and Draughting.

The Level 3 NVQ includes the CCNSG Safety Passport (Client/Contractor National Safety Group). The passport covers 10 units, including health and safety law, fire precautions, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) principles and first aid. You can find information about the award and a list of training providers on the ECITB's CCNSG website.

You could improve your career prospects by taking a foundation degree or a BTEC HNC/HND in engineering. Courses have options covering manufacturing, operations, electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering. Visit the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website to search for courses at this level.

If your job involves welding, you could take further training in specialised welding methods through the Welding Institute (TWI). See the related job profile for Welder or contact TWI.

With experience and a level three qualification, you could improve your career prospects by registering with the Engineering Council to gain EngTech status. See the Engineering Council website for details.


Skills and knowledge

  • a flair for maths, science and IT
  • a working knowledge of CAD software
  • the ability to read technical plans
  • an understanding of construction methods
  • organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workloads
  • good communications skills
  • excellent problem-solving skills
  • an awareness of health and safety issues.

More information

UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC) (Opens new window)
Listerhills Park of Science and Commerce
40-42 Campus Road
Bradford
BD7 1HR
Tel: 01274 436485
www.ukrc4setwomen.org

Welding Institute (TWI) (Opens new window)
Granta Park
Great Abington
Cambridge
CB21 6AL
Tel: 01223 899000
www.twi.co.uk

Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) (Opens new window)
Blue Court
Church Lane
Kings Langley
Hertfordshire
WD4 8JP
Tel: 01923 260000
www.ecitb.org.uk

Tomorrow's Engineers (Opens new window)
EngineeringUK
Weston House
246 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7EX
Email: careers@engineeringuk.com
Tel: 020 3206 0400
www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk

Engineering Training Council (Northern Ireland) (Opens new window)
Interpoint
20-24 York Street
Belfast
BT15 1AQ
Tel: 028 9032 9878
www.etcni.org.uk


Opportunities

You can find opportunities throughout the UK, offshore and abroad.

With experience, you could progress to site management jobs or specialise in particular areas, for example engineering design, testing or procurement.

With further study up to degree level, you could eventually qualify as an engineer.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (Opens in a new window) there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.


Related industry information

Industry summary

The construction sector is represented by ConstructionSkills Sector Skills Council. Construction is the creation of the built environment covering all stages of the construction process, from creating the initial ideas and designs to actually building the structure and ensuring that everything continues to work after it is completed. The sector covers the following areas: building infrastructure (such as roads and rail); the building of public and private housing; the construction of public non‐housing (such as schools); industrial building; the construction of commercial premises (such as offices and retail units); together with the repair and maintenance of these constructions.

ConstructionSkills represents every part of the UK construction industry, from architects to bricklayers. The sector employs 2.35 million people, representing over 8% of the UK workforce.

Technicians in the construction sector support the work of engineers, architects, quantity surveyors etc. They have to use practical knowledge, but do not necessarily carry out manual tasks. Some technical support jobs include:

  • Estimator
  • Buyer
  • Roofing Technician
  • Architectural Technician

Careers in technical support suit people who are good organisers and strong communicators.

Key facts for the construction sector as a whole:

  • 92% of organisations in the construction sector employ less than 10 people.
  • 55% of the workforce is employed in manual occupations.
  • 37% of the workforce is self‐employed.
  • Much of the workforce is mobile.
  • More than 35% of people in the sector are their own boss running their own companies.

Jobs in the industry range from: estimator, buyer, building technician, roofing technician, architectural technician, civil engineering technicians, Computer Aided Design operative, construction technician, plant technician, site engineer, site inspector.


National and regional data

Fewer employers in the East Midlands and West Midlands who had tried to recruit skilled staff had encountered difficulties (9% and 16% respectively); compared with London and Scotland, where two in five employers had experienced recruitment difficulties (40% and 39% respectively).

East Midlands – There are an estimated 4,195 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 4,550 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are an estimated 70 people.

East of England – There are an estimated 6,570 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 7,780 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are an estimated 340 people.

London – There are an estimated 10,280 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise a little to 10,300 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are insignificant.

North East – There are an estimated 3,555 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 3,875 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are insignificant.

North West – There are an estimated 6,800 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is only expected to rise to 6,845 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are insignificant.

South East – There are an estimated 10,735 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 11,245 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are insignificant.

South West – There are an estimated 6,050 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to decline to 5,820 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are insignificant.

West Midlands – There are an estimated 5,380 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 5,690 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are insignificant.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are an estimated 5,055 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is only expected to rise to 5,195 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are an estimated 40 people.

Northern Ireland – There are an estimated 860 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 975 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are insignificant.

Scotland – There are an estimated 7,295 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 7,930 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are an estimated 205 people.

Wales – There are an estimated 2,665 technical staff in the construction sector in the region, which is expected to rise to 2,865 in 2014. Annual recruitment requirements to 2014 for the region are an estimated 30 people.

[N.B. Data derived from Constructionskills Labour Market Intelligence 2010‐2014.]


Career paths


Further sources


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