Get Started in the Construction Work: Opportunities for Job Seekers
Getting started in construction work
Want to work in an industry that offers stable employment and room to grow?
Step into the construction industry, where there is a demand for workers and opportunities to get qualified for free.
Here’s how.
Types of work in construction
Jobs in the construction industry fall into 3 broad categories.
You can do unskilled jobs such as labourering without doing any training or getting any qualifications.
The next level up are skilled jobs that require trades certificates such as carpenter, plumber and plant operator.
And if you’re willing to do further certificates, diplomas and degrees, you could pursue a career in construction such as site supervisor, construction manager and builder.
5 ways to get jobs in the construction industry
1. Start early with a pre-apprenticeship
If you’re still at high school and thinking about getting work in construction, you could do a pre-apprenticeship.
The Certificate II in Construction Pathways (CPC20220) is a great place to start as it introduces you to different trades and jobs in the construction industry.
This pre-apprenticeship can give you credits towards your VCE and help you step into an apprenticeship.
2. Do an apprenticeship
One of the most common ways of getting a foot-in-the-door of the construction industry is by doing an apprenticeship.
In an apprenticeship you learn a trade while working for a real employer and earning a full-time income on an apprentice salary.
Employers like to hire apprentices hoping that you will stay with them after the apprenticeship.
So if you do an apprenticeship you could have a job ready for you once you have earned your certificate.
The most popular apprenticeship is the carpenter’s apprenticeship also known as the CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry.
As a carpenter’s apprentice, you can work on many different construction sites and use your knowledge to do more advanced jobs in the future.
3. Study… tuition-fee free!
As the number of people in Melbourne and Victoria grow, so do the need for new homes, buildings and roads.
This is why construction workers are currently in demand, especially professionals like builders, site supervisors, construction managers, and more.
So if you’ve been considering work in construction, you might be eligible to get a tuition free qualification.
Become a builder or construction leader by doing a free Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) (CPC40120) or Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) (CPC50220).
4. Start your own business
Instead of looking for jobs in the construction industry, you might like to work for yourself and become your own boss.
Both the Certificate 4 and Diploma of Building and Construction teach you how to run a residential building business of your own.
But to do projects worth more than $10,000, you will need to become a registered builder with the VBA.
Do your qualifications at Victoria’s favourite building school and we’ll hook you up with a free Builder Registration Mentoring to help you succeed in your VBA application.
5. Take a pathway to a career
If you want a career in construction, then you might consider studying construction at university.
A construction career is a higher level of work compared to a job and is more challenging and more regarding.
While a career such as construction project manager, building designer or surveyor is less hands-on than a trades job, it comes with greater responsibility.
The pay-off for a career in construction is normally a higher salary and work that is less physically demanding.
Don’t have the grades or requisites to go to university?
Do a pathway to university with us by doing a diploma and getting guaranteed entry into one of these Victoria University courses:
- Bachelor of Building Surveying
- Bachelor of Building Design
- Bachelor of Building (Construction Management)
How to find work in construction
If you’re thinking about jobs in the construction industry then you’ve got plenty of options.
You could start early by doing a pre apprenticeship during high school or even leaving school to work as an apprentice.
Once you’ve got your foot in the door with a job as a labourer or tradie, you could take things further by building a career in construction.
Do a certificate 4 or diploma to become a construction supervisor or to run your own business.
Or take a pathway to university to become a professional such as a construction project manager, building surveyor or designer.
Thinking of doing a Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) (CPC50220)? Chat to a course advisor about your options on 1300 534 363 (LEGEND) or request a callback today.