Civil engineering technician

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Civil engineering technicians give technical support to engineers on construction projects.

Salary Range: £14,000 to £45,000

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How to become a civil engineering technician

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
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University

You can do a foundation degree or higher national diploma in civil engineering.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

More information

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College

You can take a college course that would teach you some of the skills needed to become an engineering technician. Relevant courses include:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Construction and the Built Environment
  • Level 3 Diploma in Civil Engineering
  • T level in Design, Surveying and Planning

Some knowledge of computer aided design (CAD) software would be useful, for example AutoCAD, PDS or Civil 3D, although courses will usually include options in CAD.

Entry requirements

You may need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level

More information

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Apprenticeship

You can complete a civil engineering technician advanced apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More information

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Institution of Civil Engineers for professional development opportunities.

Further information

You’ll find more advice about careers in engineering from the Institution of Civil Engineers.

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What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You’ll need:

  • maths knowledge
  • knowledge of engineering science and technology
  • design skills and knowledge
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of building and construction
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
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What you’ll do

Day-to-day tasks

Depending on your specialist area, your day-to-day duties may include:

  • assisting with initial site surveys
  • arranging lab analysis of soil, rock and materials samples
  • creating engineering design plans, by hand or with computer aided design (CAD) software
  • preparing estimates of labour costs, and the amounts and type of material
  • drawing up timescales for the delivery of supplies, equipment and labour
  • negotiating with suppliers to get value for money
  • inspecting projects and supervising progress
  • reporting problems to site managers and preparing reports for engineers

Working environment

You could work in an office or on a construction site.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

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Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to supervisory or site management roles, or specialise in particular areas of the job, like construction design or estimating.

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