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Employment Opportunities

Like many industries, the South Australian building and construction industry depends on the general level of the economy and activity can be cyclical in nature. Our records indicate that new graduates are normally able to gain employment within a short time of graduating in state, interstate or overseas locations where there is a high level of construction activity. Many graduates find full-time employment having first worked with a company during their period of professional practice in year three of the program.

• Construction manager and construction supervisor
  Construction managers (controlling a major project) or construction supervisors (controlling several smaller projects) are the builder’s senior representatives on the site. They are responsible to the project manager for all site activities.
   

• Project manager
  The project manager is the senior executive managing the technical and administrative functions of the construction team. Sound technical knowledge and practical experience are essential for this position, which entails decision-making on a wide variety of construction problems.
   

• Estimator
  The estimator is responsible for the pricing of building work so that a competitive tender can be prepared. This tender is the price for which the firm would be willing to construct a project, in accordance with the plans and specifications. In the preparation of a tender the estimator has to calculate the probable cost of labour materials and plant required. It is necessary to visualise, in detail, the construction work required and the estimator therefore needs to have a thorough appreciation of all phases of building and construction. The analysis of the cost of work completed, as a guide to future estimating, is also part of the estimator’s work.
   

• Quantity Surveyor
  The professional Quantity Surveyor gives cost advice on all forms of proposed building and civil engineering contracts during the design stage. This cost advice is then used in the cost planning techniques applied during the documentation period of the contract. During the documentation stage the quantity surveyor will be required to prepare a Bill of Quantities to be used for tendering purposes. This work involves the measurement of all building works and services from the architects' and engineers' drawings and specifications. Once the contract has been let to a building organisation, the quantity surveyor is responsible for the cost control of the project. 
  
  Familiarity with the many and varied types of building contracts used at the present time and a knowledge of basic accountancy procedures are essential so that cost reports, reconciliations, statements and other documents prepared by the quantity surveyor can be easily understood by project managers and financiers. Being a quantity surveyor can be a very rewarding career for students interested in the economic management of construction projects as described above. There is a strong demand for quantity surveying graduates so employment opportunities are good.
  
  There is high demand for quantity surveying graduates so employment options are very good.
   

• Building Surveyor

  A Building Surveyor plays an important professional role in the dynamic activities of constructing and operating buildings. Building Surveyors assess the plans and specifications of building projects and provide advice on the extent of their compliance with the current building controls.
   

  These controls cover such terms as the location of the building, its use, the adequacy of the buildings structure to withstand hazards such as wind, fire and earthquake, and the checking of the design to ensure that it complies with the laws relating to the safety, health and welfare of the buildings occupants.
   

  Building surveyors also inspect projects regularly during and after construction to ensure that the project is constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications that have been approved. They achieve this by ensuring that the nations building stock is built and maintained to the highest standards and meet stringent fire safety regulations. Building surveyors can be employed by federal and state authorities, councils or by private consultants.
  
  A career in Building Surveying can develop into the related activities of Facilities and Asset Management which involves the acquisition, operation, maintenance and disposal of assets including buildings and the infrastructure of the built environment.

 

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