When it comes to the labour force, heavy emphasis is placed on studies and education. To be eligible for different professions, there are certain levels of qualifications you would need. The reason for this is so that employers can vet for the right people who will most certainly be competent in the jobs they seek.
Despite this, in most industries, education is not the only component of progression. There are other factors which contribute to the makeup of building a career. Some are more important than others, and placing importance in appropriate amounts to each component is key to successfully developing a career in an industry.
One industry that embodies this is the building and construction industry. Its standing as one of the more prominent industries in Australia is a testimony to this, as an endless amount of people look to enter the industry and take up trade in different areas of interest. Such is the importance of the industry as it has a direct impact on the economy when you look at infrastructure’s value to society.
One component of career progression in construction is ease of access. With many industries and professions, you need to start from a certain point in learning to then go on a path to eventually having a career. You couldn’t just begin midway and go from there. Construction differs. In building and construction, you don’t need to start from scratch.
To simplify this, Australia follows the Australian Qualifications Framework, which specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. There are 10 levels, ranging from Certificate I all the way to the Doctorate level. With regards to construction and progression, you don’t need to start all the way down at Certificate I. In fact, many areas within construction allow you to start from higher levels such as Certificate III and IV. This is just one of the many components that go into boosting your career.
Whilst it is easy to list every single component of career building, it would make more sense to highlight the more critical ones. For example, you can learn from studying a book, but pure application is not something that is generally learnt from only reading. You would need to be able to apply your knowledge in a real-life scenario.
This is where hands-on experience comes in. gaining experience first hand involves taking part in activities that look to use the things you learnt in education in a practical sense. By developing your skills, you can significantly improve your skills and leverage them in the job market, ultimately allowing you to choose jobs that fit your own needs and interests.
Hands-on experience is more commonly referred to as an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship, or a traineeship, involves combining on site training with studies. You are paid for on the job learning, which is an added plus!
We’ve stated what an apprenticeship is and its importance. Now, here are five ways in which a building and construction apprenticeship can boost your career.
Be recognised as a reliable professional
As we have mentioned previously, education is not enough to develop a prosperous career in building and construction. Whilst you may be book smart and knowledgeable from a theoretical perspective, it doesn’t do much to furthering your career because this is a requirement for virtually all participants in the industry.
What an apprenticeship seeks to do is strengthen your knowledge and expand your capabilities as a professional. You can be relied upon to undertake projects with confidence and consistency of quality.
After all, what is always brought up as an absolute need in the industry is highly developed professionals of quality. There is a long term shortage of people who are skilled in many different areas of construction. This could be for a variety of reasons such as inadequate training and education, or simply due to a lack of focus.
What this indicates is that employers are desperate for people in the labour force who are thoroughly trained and do not require extra supervision. Undertaking an apprenticeship while completing your studies is the gateway to this. By completing an apprenticeship, you are signalling to employers that you are dependable.
Expose yourself to other professions
There are many roles and jobs in construction. Some intersect based on the tasks you engage in on a daily basis, and some have no relation at all. The constant among different jobs in construction is that a construction project will generally have people involved with varying backgrounds and expertise.
As a construction apprentice, there is much to take from this. For one, you will get the opportunity to collaborate with a number of different professions. You can gain extra experience by seeing them perform first hand, which helps to solidify your knowledge and make you more prepared for when you become registered in your area.
You can also develop long term relationships with these professions, and this is something that can be made into an advantage for the future. Think about the different people you could pool for a project in the future when you are fully solidified within the industry. This would have been borne from your efforts to connect with these professions and maintain contact.
Speed up your education
Many who go down the route of mainly focusing on education often have a realisation that this path isn’t efficient. Even though you could technically keep rising through the Australian Qualifications Framework by completing courses of increasingly difficult nature, it doesn’t do much good in terms of landing a job.
The truth is that most participants in the building and construction industry have qualifications up to the Diploma level. There is a significant amount of people hovering around the Certificate III and IV mark. This proves that you don’t need to go all the way in terms of education to be a recognised expert.
But what most of these people did is take part in apprenticeships. An apprenticeship is not supposed to accompany education, but be weighed in an equal amount to it. It is just as important as completing courses. After all, employers look favourably to those with actual experience.
Learn from the best
Another benefit of doing a construction apprenticeship is the chance to work with many experienced individuals. You can fast track your development in an efficient manner by working under some of the best in the industry.
What this allows you to do is gain information faster, develop better habits and techniques in less of a timeframe, and enter the industry with confidence and experience that will serve you well in applying for jobs.
Earn money while studying
Another important point to mention is that as an apprentice you can get paid for your work. It is unfortunate that in some industries, work experience is unpaid. This can mean you need more motivation to continue combining it with your education.
Construction takes a different approach. You can get paid for your apprenticeship. At face value, it might seem like this is not a direct way to boost your career. But in reality, getting paid for the work you do in training means you have a steady income, which can give you a peace of mind while studying for qualifications. You can even put more time into your education to hone your knowledge and become a more well rounded professional.
A construction apprenticeship will no doubt have a positive effect on your career prospects. By undertaking hands-on work while studying, you can expect to boost your career.
Parker Brent is an accredited provider of courses in Building and Construction. For more info, enquire for more details here.
