CGC Ebook 5.0

Built Environment

Sector Outlook The built environment offers a variety of job roles involving the design, construction and management of man made structures. The industry overlaps to some extent with construction and engineering but largely offers opportunities in architecture, urban design, surveying, town planning and landscape design. The construction and built environment industry is the largest employer in the UK employing more than 10% of the UK workforce. Employers are looking to attract candidates who are practical, creative, good at problem solving, and keen to improve the world around us. It’s worth knowing that for architecture you will need to train for at least 7 years and complete a minimum of two years in practice before being considered as a registered professional. However, if you don’t want to train for a lengthy period of time you could consider a career in either urban design or town planning. Urban design is a new exciting discipline that is very much in demand as it involves the design of groups of buildings, landscapes and urban spaces. Town planners are also in demand so now is a great time to enter the profession. If you want a career that can offer you either variety or the opportunity to specialise then you could consider land surveying and analysis. Opportunities exist within construction, property, map-making, offshore engineering and the use of electronic methods for mapping landscapes. A high priority for many employers today is to embrace new construction technologies as we move towards a low carbon based economy so you could improve your chances of employment by gaining specialist skills. It’s also worth knowing that the Government has an infrastructure pipeline of £700 billion pounds of investment over the next 10 years on 600 projects covering housing, schools, hospitals, transport, energy and communications. So there is plenty to get involved with. To find out more contact the Construction Industry Council (www.cic.org.uk). The Council can provide you with information and guidance on careers in the built environment and provide you with resources, films and career route maps. To help launch your career speak to people who work in the industry, attend careers fairs and try to get relevant work experience.