A challenging but fun career as a Civil Engineering Technician
Take a look around the community you live or work in and you will see the hard work put in by a professional construction team. The people responsible for making sure these structures are safe and easily accessible are Civil Engineers, and the Civil Engineering technicians that help them get the job done. Civil Engineering Technician jobs and Civil Engineering jobs need to be filled by qualified people or you run the risk of these buildings falling down with people inside of them.
It’s time to introduce you to Engineering Technician jobs in South Africa. Let’s start off with the Civil Engineer.
Civil Engineering jobs
The term Civil Engineering is a very broad way to define a wide collection of industries in the manufacturing and construction of things which we use and interact with on a daily basis. This includes everything from harbors to bridges to the house that you live in. They have to make sure that every single structure is built in accordance to the guidelines set out by the legislation of the country you are building in and that the structures are safe and designed to the client’s specifications. Most of the work will involve planning, designing and implementing large scale construction projects and developments.
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What kind of person do I need to be?
The type of person who is suited to Civil Engineering jobs is someone who can envisage things that are not there and is someone with an eye for detail. You will have to look at a piece of paper with plans and drawings every day and be able to envisage it come to life. If you can’t do this, then you will have a very hard time predicting issues that may arise or being able to communicate the design efficiently to your employers and staff.
A Civil Engineer needs to do well in both maths and science as you will be applying things taught in these fields every single day on the job. You need to be a quick decision maker and manage your staff properly. Taking time to make decisions and not managing your staff properly can lead to massive increases in building costs and therefore a loss in profit.
Lastly, you must be prepared to work strange and long hours and in stressful situations. There will often be deadlines that you have to meet or issues that arise that will cause you to have to work extended hours.
How do I become a Civil Engineer?
To be qualified for Civil Engineering jobs, there are three ways to get into the industry:
1) Acquire a National Diploma or BTech in Civil Engineering at any University of Technology in South Africa
2) Complete a four year Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Depending on the university you go to, you can either do a Bachelor of Science (BSc Eng), Bachelor of Engineering BEng (Civ) or (BIng Civ). All of the major universities in the country offer at least one of these courses.
3) The last path is to get a Civil Engineering degree and then work in a Civil Engineering firm for at least three years.
Once any of these education paths are completed, you will then have to register with the ECSA (Engineering Council of South Africa), who is the body that regulates professional engineers, to become a Professional Engineer. This step is crucial if you want to work on any project that will have an impact on the public. If you are not registered then you will not be allowed to work on these types of projects.
Now that you know what a Civil Engineer is and does, let’s explain Engineering Technician jobs.
Civil Engineering Technician jobs in South Africa
In a nutshell, Civil Engineers are assisted by Civil Engineering technicians so Civil Engineers can perform their daily tasks more efficiently. You will be directly involved in the design and construction process of the project you will be undertaking. The technician will manage construction and maintenance under the direction of fully qualified Civil Engineers. A lot of your work will involve taking on the job measurements, estimating costs of the materials involved and drafting design schematics. You will be doing a lot of survey work and perpetration for the Civil Engineers to run with.
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You will have to be the same kind of person as a Civil Engineer, as explained earlier on the article, as this is ultimately what you are preparing yourself for in the future.
Civil Engineering Technician jobs will be the most common in very large projects where the Civil Engineers can’t cope with the work load themselves and will require the help of a technician. This could include projects like bridges, highways and public utilities like power plants or water treatment centers.
How do I become a Civil Engineering technician?
It’s probably worth noting that in qualifying for Civil Engineering Technician jobs in South Africa, you are on your way to becoming a proper Civil Engineer. You have two avenues to qualify as a Civil Engineering technician.
1) Receive your National Diploma in Civil Engineering at NQF level 6. This is a three year course that can be completed at any University of Technology across South Africa and through select Universities like UNISA.
2) The other way is to do a one year National Diploma in Civil Engineering and then receiving 2 years of related workplace experience, then registering with the ECSA as a Professional Engineering Technician after the ECSA has reviewed your professional work.
Interested in studying towards a qualification or are you already qualified for Engineering Technician jobs? Register your CV on Job Mail now and start applying for a wide range of vacancies that are suited to your skills – from Civil Engineering Technician jobs to Civil Engineering jobs, you will find these and many more on JobMail.co.za.
