School of PE Blog

Construction management jobs require aspirants to have a wide range of skillsets ranging from time management, people management to project execution. Construction managers are the key personnel who ensure that construction and building projects of mammoth sizes get completed on time with clockwork precision. Their job responsibility spans from planning for the construction activities to executing them without an iota of error.

Described below are some of the minimum requirements that are generally expected of an aspirant looking to become a construction manager.

Education

It is necessary for candidates aspiring for construction management jobs to have necessary educational background in Civil Engineering, architecture, construction management, etc. There are plenty of educational institutions and universities that provide training and distance education courses that enable any interested candidate to become a construction manager. A two-year course in regular college or distance education course will suffice to be academically qualified.

Training as an added advantage for construction management

Although there is no hard and fast rule that an aspiring construction manager must have completed internship, a certain period of training under a reputed building firm will be an added advantage. The training period should provide the candidate to put into practice concepts that were learnt during the civil engineering course.

Work experience

Candidates with practical work exposure tend to have better chances of finding jobs in multinational corporations than those without any experience. Work experience should be in the form of managing key aspects of construction of projects. Although project size is important, the learning of the individual will also be put to test to evaluate his or her employability worthiness. There are a good number of construction managers who have reached the position without any backup of civil engineering degree or certification.

Licenses and affiliations

Construction being a serious activity with several legal complications involved, it is becoming increasingly important for construction managers to have licenses and affiliations with authorized agencies. In most cases, the university from where the student completes civil engineering course helps in securing membership with organizations that recognize professional construction managers. In other cases, the student has to initiate actions to be recognized as a professional construction manager.

Managerial skills required for construction management

A professional construction manager must be a combination of multifarious skillsets. He or she must be good at preparing and presenting cost estimates, make quick logical decisions based on given scenarios, display leadership at work, manage people and get work done from them without delay and so on. In other words, a civil engineering graduate must also hone his or her management skills in order to secure a promising career in the construction industry.

Conclusion

Building activity across the world is not going to slowdown in the near future. The demand for highly skilled and civil engineering qualified individuals is set to surge and promises a high flying career with great growth prospects.