Construction Support Technician Apprenticeship

The Construction Support Technician role is found in and throughout the construction and built environment sector, including construction contracting and associated supply chain subcontractors. Construction Contracting Operations Technicians operate in a range of settings including estimating, planning, buying, site, quantity surveying and design and build roles. Site and office environments include industrial, commercial, residential, refurbishment, heritage, retail and public sector projects. Construction Support Technicians may be employed by large contracting organisations such as major national housebuilding contractors and civil engineering contractors, as well as by a significant number of small and medium sized contractors and subcontractors such as building services companies, insulation contractors, groundworkers, roofing companies, plasterers and decorators together with a host of other specialised construction areas.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for supporting construction contracting teams with the inputting and progression of digital project information linked to resources using industry standard and specialist software in office and site environments. They will develop key information and enhance timely interaction with professional site and technical teams from internal and external organisations, linked to projects either at development, construction or maintenance phases.

They effectively recognise site hazards and safe working practices with thorough knowledge of relevant health, safety and environmental legislation to ensure compliance with company site procedures and processes. They will be able to analyse, extract and produce a variety of contract and project documents that will enable the effective operation and progression of construction contracting activities. They will ensure timely communication linked to the progress and completion of all tasks that they are set, with a clear mandate to identify any issues as and when they arise; wherever possible resolving those issues using their own initiative.

You need to be highly motivated and working in the construction industry. Your job role and responsibilities should allow you to provide evidence for the knowledge, skills and behaviours of this apprenticeship standard. DCG assessors will check your job description and advise accordingly. 

In addition, you should have at least one of the following:

• A minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 (higher C) or above, including English and Science. You will need a grade 5 or higher in Maths.
• A BTEC qualification at Level 2 with an overall grade of Merit or higher.
• An Intermediate Diploma in a relevant subject area to a Merit or Distinction grade. The candidate should also have GCSE English at grade 4 or above and GCSE Maths at grade 5 or above.

Offers of a place on the course are dependent on your achieved qualifications and a successful interview.

Please note that, in line with the Consumer Act and as articulated in our Student Protection Plan, we reserve the right to close a course if there are insufficient students to make the course viable.

This apprenticeship includes the Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Civil Engineering. Please visit the relevant course page for this BTEC on DCG’s website for more information.

Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours

A Construction Support Technician will know:

• Appropriate construction principles, mathematical and technical knowledge of site technologies such as methods used to design, plan, build or maintain built environment projects
• Statutory health, safety and welfare policies, procedures and regulations, including safe working practices and how to comply with them
• Workplace health, safety and welfare requirements including site and office-based protocols and legislation
• Use of appropriate construction terminology during verbal communications, tailoring communication to the audience
• The different types of built environment contracts, project documentation, technical drawings and procurement processes in order to support the production of resource lists
• Appropriate digital construction processes and systems and their use in the sector such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) or other computer-based software packages
• Project tendering, measurement and costing systems to assist with the planning of schedules of work and to provide early warning of problems for all contract phases on site
• Equality, diversity and inclusion, and its impact on built environment solutions
• Appropriate surveying methods and techniques used to develop information to contribute to the measurement, evaluation and review of project performance
• The code of conduct of relevant professional bodies and institutions and their professional obligation to make a contribution to society
• Ethical principles as applied to construction and the built environment
• Written communication techniques and the production of technical reports
• Information technology: Management Information Systems (MIS), word processing, virtual communication, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and cyber security

A Construction Support Technician will be able to:

• Apply and integrate appropriate mathematical and technical knowledge in the completion of built environment site and/or office processes to contribute to the coordination of construction projects
• Comply with health and safety regulations and procedures, identify and document risks and hazards, apply statutory and company environmental and safe working practices, and produce construction project risk assessment and method statements
• Communicate verbally to internal and external stakeholders using a range of techniques in line with company policies
• Interpret and abstract contract documentation to develop site solutions
• Apply digital construction processes to produce resource lists from tender and contract documentation
• Use project tendering, measurement and costing systems to assist with the planning of schedules of work and to provide early warning of problems for all contract phases on site
• Plan, carry out and manage own work in line with management requirements, assessing tasks, scheduling work, achieving deadlines, reviewing performance and keeping records of work undertaken
• Apply sustainable principles and low carbon processes in order to implement site environmental solutions
• Use information technology for document creation, communication and information management, complying with GDPR and cyber security requirements
• Plan and undertake continued professional development (CPD) to maintain and enhance competence in their own area of practice
• Communicate in written form to internal and external stakeholders using a range of techniques and reporting mechanisms in line with company policies, using construction and built environment terminology

Behaviours required:

• Puts safety first for themselves and others, ensuring compliance with health, safety, environmental and quality requirements and policies
• Takes personal responsibility for sustainable outcomes when carrying out duties, using environmental good practices
• Takes ownership of own work, knowing own limitations and when to ask for support
• Committed to keeping up to date with industry best practice and own professional development

Delivery will entail a combination of work-based learning with the help of an assessor and learning at the College by completing a BTEC qualification on a part-time basis. Please visit the course page for the BTEC qualification on DCG’s website for more information.

You need safety boots and Personal Protective Equipment, such as a hard hat and overalls, which should be supplied by your employer. You will need to purchase a scientific calculator and technical drawing equipment. For voice-over PowerPoint presentations you will need access to a microphone. 

You will also need access to a computer or laptop with Internet, Windows 7 Operating System or above, Microsoft Office 2010 or above, and the ability to run Revit or AutoCAD Architecture which can be downloaded for free from Autodesk for students. 

The purchase of appropriate books and e-books is encouraged and guidance on which books to purchase will be given by subject specialists.

Once the apprentice has achieved the BTEC and Level 2 English and Maths, completed a digital portfolio and satisfied the off-the-job training requirements of the Employer Gateway, an End Point Assessment will take place which will be delivered in the following order: 

• Technical project report with question and answer session
• Professional discussion underpinned by portfolio

For the assessment of the BTEC qualification, please visit its course page on DCG’s website.

Performance in these End Point Assessment methods will determine the overall apprenticeship standard grade of Pass or Distinction.

The purpose of the BTEC qualification included in this apprenticeship is to develop students as professional, self-reflecting individuals able to meet the demands of employers in the construction and built environment sector and to adapt to a constantly changing world. The qualification aims to widen access to higher education and enhances the career prospects of those who undertake it. Graduates can perform key modern methods of construction tasks, understand processes and operations, and work effectively.

You could progress to a Level 4 apprenticeship in a related discipline, drawing on the broad knowledge base you will have gained from this course.

Completing this apprenticeship standard will pave the way to employment and typical job titles include Buying and Procurement Technician, Contracting Quantity Surveying Technician, Contracting Site Technician, Estimating Technician, General Construction Technician, Contracting Operations Technician, and Planning Technician.

For more information, contact Derby College Group on 0800 0280289 or enquiries@derby-college.ac.uk