Service Leavers are an attractive proposition to construction industry employers, as Pathfinder discovered...

If you’re already working in a construction trade, or using your resettlement package to help you to swap your fatigues and berets for high viz and hard hats when you leave the Forces, you’ll be gratified to know that the range of opportunities available in the construction industry at home are varied.

Paul Sykes, Head of Recruitment and careers at CITB-ConstructionSkills explains:  “Our industry has a lot to offer those leaving the military. There is a wide variety of career options, ranging from project management to carpentry, IT to bricklaying, computer aided design to engineering, and accountancy to town and country planning. It’s a professional industry, offering scope for making an impression on the world we live in. Add to this the bonus of earning a decent wage and having opportunities to travel and work your way to the top, and it’s obvious that the construction industry is worth a look.

“Certainly, ex-Forces will be an attractive prospect to construction employers. Life in the Services will have developed many of the qualities necessary for a successful career in our industry. Strength, the ability to work independently as well as part of a team, motivation and a willingness to work in sometimes challenging environments, and sometimes unsociable hours are all things which would stand you in good stead on a construction site. People leaving the military will also be at an advantage to other older entrants to the industry as Government funding for apprenticeships for those over the age of 19 is scarce, so the resettlement package will certainly help.

“The economic recession has hit the UK’s construction industry hard and recent times have been difficult. However, the industry will start to recover in 2011 and employers will need enthusiastic, talented workers ready to work on a range of projects vital to the infrastructure of the UK, from roads and high speed rail to developing building solutions that are going to reduce the impact we have on our environment. In order to avoid the sort of chronic skills shortages we saw after the last recession, we need the best and brightest to start considering a career in the Construction industry now.

“You’ll be joining one of Britain’s largest, and most important industries. Just as the British Armed Forces are respected around the globe, so is our construction industry. Britain has a reputation for world class design and architecture and you’ll be making sure this isn’t just part of our past, but part of our future too”

There are three main routes for people wanting to get into the construction industry - craft, technical and university.

Craft

If you know which area of construction you are interested in – like plumbing or bricklaying – apprenticeships allow you to learn, work, earn and get qualified all at the same time. Many people start apprenticeships young, leaving school at 16 to begin training at college – regardless of existing qualifications. However, anyone can take on an apprenticeship at any time, though funding for those over the age of 19 is scarce. This is where the resettlement funding will come in handy. Apprenticeships last between one and two years where you work towards a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ), based partly on-site and partly in college. Crafts include painting and decorating, roof slating and tiling and carpentry and joinery. Apprenticeships are well supported and many companies have excellent structured learning schemes.

Technical

If you’re technically minded and want to work in construction, you’ll be playing a key role overseeing projects or helping to plan them. Technicians have to apply practical knowledge but do not necessarily carry out manual skills. Studying for a technical career can be done by going to a further education college full-time or by working in a company and studying part-time. Technical careers include things such as working as a buyer or Computer Aided Design (CAD) operative.

Professional

Military personnel who already have an appropriate degree, for example qualified building surveyors from the Royal Engineers can expect a high level of responsibility when they enter the industry. Career progression within construction is closely linked to the sector’s professional bodies which include the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Chartered Institute of Building and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Personnel entering the industry in this way will benefit from structured career paths with institutions that have membership worldwide and are recognised internationally. Examples of graduate construction jobs include assistant site manager, junior architect, site engineer and planner.

National Construction College

To most people, ‘training’ within the industry only covers apprenticeships and the support of young people during their S/NVQ courses. However, it also refers to the ‘upskilling’ of those that already have construction related skills, that you may have gained in the Forces. This doesn’t just include full-time college courses, but also half-day training seminars, all of which are provided at the National Construction College (NCC) – the training arm of ConstructionSkills. The College provides a variety of training spanning nine key areas, including plant operations and general construction as well as more business orientated skills training. NCC's facilities are unique. Designed to replicate real construction sites, the training takes place in simulations of work sites that allow trainees to gain the relevant skills under the best possible conditions.

Further Information

If you’re interested in getting a qualification to start a career in the industry, visit www.bconstructive.co.uk to find out more.