Definition

The construction industry is Britain’s largest industry, employing nearly 2 million people. The industry is responsible for every type of work involved with building things - everything from houses, offices, shopping centres and sports stadiums to roads, water and gas mains, pipelines, dams, tunnels, bridges, railways, canals and more.

There are jobs at every stage in the life of a building - from designing and planning projects, to building, altering, decorating, restoring and maintaining them. Construction even includes demolishing buildings!

Construction in London

The Construction industry employs around 200,000 people in London. The city is home to some very large and complex construction projects, like the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport or the new home of English football, Wembley Stadium. If you’re interested in what the impact would be of London winning the 2012 Olympics see the section at the bottom of this article.

London is home to a population of over 7 million people, all of whom rely on the construction industry for their houses, schools, hospitals and places to work. Almost half of all jobs in London are in the areas of repair and maintenance. In particular there are large numbers of carpenters, joiners (joining parts of wood together) and electricians (around 40,000) in London.The construction industry is made up of many small companies (in London 96% of construction companies have less that 13 employees) and over a third of construction workers are self-employed.

Click here to find out more about construction in London.

Jobs and careers

There is a big demand for construction employees in Britain – the industry needs almost 90,000 new workers every year. There are a many different careers to consider, depending on what you enjoy doing, what you're interested in, and the skills you have. All offer rewarding working experiences and the opportunity to make a lasting difference to the world around you.

Jobs and careers

There is a big demand for construction employees in Britain – the industry needs almost 90,000 new workers every year. There are a many different careers to consider, depending on what you enjoy doing, what you're interested in, and the skills you have. All offer rewarding working experiences and the opportunity to make a lasting difference to the world around you.

A career as a tradesperson

Tradespeople are employed for their expert skills. They often work with their hands, using specialist tools and equipment. It is a predominantly male area of construction (1% of tradespeople are women) but women are increasingly being attracted to this area of work, for instance in plumbing, as you can see in the case study of Heathrow Terminal 5.

Examples of trades include working with wood, roofing, trowel trades, interiors and finishing, plant operation (using heavy equipment), demolition, scaffolding, plumbing, electrician, steel work, and heritage (traditional craft skills).

A career in the construction professions

These are areas of construction that often require high level skills in areas like science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They are likely to involve a greater level of responsibility, decision-making and management skills. Roughly twelve percent of those working in design and management occupations are women, and the number is increasing.

Examples of professions in the construction industry include being an Architect, a Building Engineer, a Building Services Engineer, a Building control surveyor, a Building surveyor, a Civil engineer, a Construction manager, a Facilities manager, a General practice surveyor, a Geospatial modeller, a Geotechnical engineer, a Hydrographic surveyor, a Landscape architect, a Land surveyor, a Project manager, a Quantity surveyor, a Structural engineer, or a Town planner. If you want to find out exactly what these job titles mean have a look at the CITB job profiles section.

Click here for more information about all the different types of jobs in construction - professions, trades and more.

Click here for more information about careers and key employers in construction.

Colleges

We've looked at what construction is, why it's so significant in London and what type of jobs and careers there are in the industry. But to go into construction you do need skills and qualifications.

It's possible to train for a large number of these jobs at a London college.

This is site can help you search for the subject area you’re interested in, or a college that specialises in construction.

CoVEs

There are several colleges in London with CoVEs in construction. This means they have a proven level of excellence in teaching in this area. See the boxed list on the right.

Skills

With all these jobs, maths and design skills are very desirable to employers, and for higher level jobs and qualifications, they are often requirements. Good management skills, and the ability to work in a team, are also much sought after qualities.

Apprenticeships

If you are interested in a career in the trades you can train towards a qualification at a London college either full time, part time, or combine it with work on an Apprenticeship.

Studying to a higher level

For a career in the professions it will probably be necessary to study to a higher level. It’s possible to study for foundation degrees or at a CoVE at London colleges.

Click here for more information on studying and working oin construction

London's 2012 Olympic bid