<a href="/index.php?id=2352&cHash=e222bc5232&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=12395">Anthony's Profile</a>
What is a Construction Engineer?
The Technical Department is involved in all developments from inception through to completion. The department acts as a primary focal point for a housing developer in providing practical, cost-effective and also an aesthetically desirable product. The department provides a technical involvement in the initial pre-purchase site evaluations, the preparation and submission of planning applications, both engineering and architectural designs and a continuing involvement in projects right through to their final completion including the handover of roads, sewers and communal open spaces.
Construction engineering is important because it provides much of the design aspect from the office to the field. Construction engineers follow the plans of architects and sometimes design actual structures. After the structure has been designed the engineers make sure it has been built correctly by testing and overseeing the construction.
Your work as an engineer in construction would fall into four key areas:
Planning and design – using computer-aided design (CAD) software to draw up plans, showing the dimensions and layout of projects
Fabrication and assembly – cutting and welding pipework and ductwork, 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, for example, conveyor lines, control panels, and pipelines, pumps and valves
Inspection and testing – checking for faults in machinery, testing newly installed systems to make sure they work properly.
Your other responsibilities may include supervising a team of craftspeople, scheduling work and dealing with some administrative records. You may also deal with related areas, such as estimating, buying and quality control.
How can you become a Construction Engineer?
BTEC Certificate/Diploma in Operations and Maintenance Engineering (contains options in mechanical, electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering)
BTEC Certificate/Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
City & Guilds Certificate in Engineering (2800) Level 3.
You could also apply for an Apprenticeship through the ECITB scheme, click here for more information
Skills Needed
A strong aptitude for maths, science and IT
A working knowledge of CAD software and good freehand design skills
The ability to read technical plans
Good Problem solving / Logic skills
Communication skills