What Skills Will I Learn in a Building and Construction Course?
Building and construction certificates, or a Diploma of Building and Construction are popular choices for many tradies looking to extend their skills and open new career paths.
With so many building and construction courses online to choose from, it’s easy to get lost as to what course is best for you.
We’ve decided to help you identify the skills you’ll need so it’s easier to narrow down your search.
Trade-Specific Skills
Ideally, you’ll leave your course with trade-specific skills that will lay the foundations of your career.
With specific construction courses online for almost every trade, the exact skills will vary greatly between courses.
Having said that, if you’re taking on a course at the start of your career, you might choose a broader entry point offering a taste of the wider industry before you specialise.
Take the time to investigate each course on your shortlist and understand the learning modules, skills you’ll gain, and any practical experience offered through placements, traineeships, or apprenticeships.
Each part of your course is a chance to build connections, network and learn from a wide variety of mentors.
Even through construction courses online, you’ll be able to learn from other students through online forums and portals. You’ll also be assigned a tutor or mentor to help answer any questions you have.
Find out how much more you could be earning as a registered builder through BAA.
Management Skills
For those seeking supervisory roles, or who are already accomplished in their trade, construction management courses are the logical step.
Succeeding in construction management hinges on your broad understanding of a number of trades and how they interact to deliver an end result.
You’ll also take on more of a strategic role, ensuring that the project is delivered on time, on budget, and to the specifications agreed upon. In essence, you’ll be in charge of ensuring everything runs like clockwork from conception through to delivery.
After your course, you’ll be equipped with an understanding of how to interpret drafts and plans, coordinate teams, negotiate with stakeholders, as well as relevant legislations, regulations and codes.
Extending your skills and increasing your accountability is, for many people, one of the main reasons to study construction management. The salary attached to construction management is also a big motivator to enhance your career.
Work Ethic & Organisational Skills
As with any formal study, building and construction courses online require a certain amount of your time and are often a substantial commitment.
If you do choose to juggle study with your current employment, then you’ll need a course that is flexible to suit you.
Although it may seem obvious, organisational skills are harder to nail than you might think. By working and studying at the same time, you’ll learn to communicate clearly and concisely, and how to ask for the right information.
You’ll also develop research skills that will facilitate initiative when you’re on the job, and encourage further learning down the line.
This means you’ll be prepared to make a great first impression when you move into an apprenticeship position and receive more direct mentoring.
Later in your career, one of the best reasons to study construction management is to identify or optimise any skills lacking that could otherwise support your career move.
These skills will be particularly important if you decide to start your own business, as you will need to be able to make and meet deadlines and liaise with a range of tradies and clients to achieve a great result.
Find out how much more you could be earning as a registered builder through BAA.
Future-Proofed Skills
Construction management courses barely resemble what they did 20 years ago.
Today, technology is an integral part of day-to-day how work is completed, from the tools you use to the software that coordinates projects and forecasts job requirements.
One particular innovation is the emphasis on green or environmentally friendly building and construction practices.
This can range from the makeup of materials used, to how to recycle rubble, new applications for waste, and challenges with new architectural designs.
There is also likely to be developments in eco-friendly maintenance techniques, and constructing buildings that anticipate and are adaptable to future needs.
While technology will evolve further, a building and construction certificate will still provide valuable insight into best practices of the industry. With ongoing professional development, you’ll be able to stay up to date without the steep learning curve.
Regardless of whether you choose a building and construction certificate, or one of the many other building and construction courses online, you’ll walk away with more than just a qualification.
You’ll have developed the foundation skills to build your own career.
Find out how much more you could be earning as a registered builder through BAA.