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Fact Sheet: Civil Engineering Technician: A Job Profile
Fact Sheet: Civil Engineering Technician: A Job Profile
Fact Sheet: Civil Engineering Technician
A job profile:
As a civil engineering technician, you would provide technical support to civil engineers on engineering
construction projects. Projects could fall into the following categories:
structural – bridges, dams, buildings, offshore platforms and pipelines
transportation – roads, railways, tunnels and airports
environmental – public water supply networks, irrigation, drainage, waste disposal and sewage
treatment
maritime – ports, harbours and sea defences.
Your duties will include:
assisting with initial site surveys
arranging for lab analysis of soil, rock and materials samples
developing engineering design plans, by hand or with computer aided design (CAD) software
preparing estimates of labour costs and the amount and type of materials
drawing up timescales for the delivery of supplies, equipment and labour
negotiating with suppliers to get value for money when buying resources
inspecting projects and supervising progress
reporting problems to site managers and preparing reports for engineers.
Opportunities:
Work Location
A civil engineering technician’s location of work varies depending on site location, opportunities for civil
engineering technicians occur with employers in towns and cities throughout the UK.
Employers are firms of engineering consultants, building and civil engineering contractors, local authorities,
and gas, water & electricity companies. Other employers include the Civil Service, manufacturing industry
and the armed forces.
Hours of Work
Typical hours would be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but you could work shifts, including weekends and
nights, when on site. You might also be part of an on‐call rota to deal with out‐of‐hours problems.
You would work in all weather conditions, and would be expected to wear a safety helmet and protective
footwear on site.
Becoming a Civil Engineering Technician ‐ Entry Requirements, Training & Personal Qualities:
Entry
A common way into this career is through an engineering Apprenticeship scheme. The range of
Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills
employers need from their workers. For more information, visit the Apprenticeships website.
Training
To get on to a scheme, you may need four GCSEs (grades A‐C), including maths, science or design and
technology, or equivalent qualifications.
Alternatively, you could take a college course which would teach you some of the skills needed. Relevant
courses include:
Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment
BTEC National Certificate and Diploma in Civil Engineering
Foundation Degree in Civil Engineering
BTEC HNC/HND in Civil Engineering.
You could find a range of opportunities in civil engineering, including public and private sector building
works, power and water networks, and transport and mining projects. You can even work abroad as a
technician.
Personal Qualities & Skills
As a civil or structural engineering technician, you'll need:
IT skills.
To enjoy practical tasks.
Good communication skills.
To be a good teamworker.
Number skills, as you might have to do a lot of figure work, eg, calculating, measuring and
estimating.
To pay attention to detail as your work needs to be neat and accurate.
Good organisational and administrative skills.
Career Progression
With experience, you could progress to supervisory or site management roles, or specialise in particular
areas of the job, such as construction design or estimating. If you continue to train, you could eventually
qualify as a civil engineer.
Useful Websites to Explore:
CITB‐ConstructionSkills NI ‐ www.citbcsni.org.uk/careers
Institute of Civil Engineers ‐ www.ice.org.uk
Engineering Training Council (Northern Ireland) ‐ www.etcni.org.uk
Construction Industry Council ‐ www.cicskills.org.uk
Institute of Structural Engineers ‐ www.istructe.org.uk