Trends, Career Opportunities And Skills Required In The Construction Industry In Australia Essay.

Trend of Construction Industry in Australia

The construction industry is an important driver in the economic activity of Australia. This industry is the third largest industry in terms of finance and it contributes to 8% of the country’s GDP. There are more than 33,000 professionals who are engaged in this industry. This industry adds capital stock and wealth to the nation and it also highlights the improvement which is necessary for the future prosperity and income of the country (industry.gov.au 2017).  In this paper, I will highlight the trend of the construction industry in Australia, The career opportunities which will be available, the skills, knowledge and experience which are required to expand my career, gap and SWOT analysis.

The construction industry in Australia grew by 2.8% in terms of output and it is employing 1.1 million workers in 2015-16. It produces $134.2 billion of output in the year 2015-2016. The total volume of construction activities continued to show an increasing trend in the early 2015 but the engineering construction activities fell by 20.3% in the first quarter of 2015. On the other hand, the residential construction activities grew by 11.4% in the first quarter of 2015 and it was supported by growth in the multi-dwelling construction activities. The construction activities are increasing in South Wales, Queensland and Victoria and it is declining in the other parts of the country. These three states comprise 74% of construction employment. This growth depends on the residential construction which has shown a rapid growth of 10.6%. On the other hand, the non-residential growth construction activities also grew at 1.3% according to 2015-16.  In 2014, the construction industry generated $204.5 billion and engineering construction was the largest activity in this sector (ibisworld.com.au 2017).  Moreover, the value of residential construction also increased by $6.5 billion in 2014. From 2012-2014, the growth of engineering construction declined by $16.7 billion. From 2008-2012, the total volume of construction work increased by $71.3 bn which implied average annual growth of 16.3%. The employment in the construction industry is characterized by a solid recovery and growth from 2013-2014. In comparison with the other industries, 85% of the construction workers are full time employed and 15% were part time employed. Moreover, 89% of the construction workers are male compared to 54% across the other industries. The male counterpart is high in building completion activities and building structure services (ibisworld.com.au 2017).

The housing market in Australia is rapidly growing and the government is investing a huge amount on the infrastructure, thereby leading to increase in the employees earning. There are various career opportunities I the construction sector such as civil construction, domestic construction and commercial construction. I must choose generator as the job cluster to focus on construction activities.  It is only an individual who can choose the best job for himself or herself. If I choose civil construction, I will get employed on the rails and roads which are growing in Victoria. On the other hand, if I choose to get engaged in the domestic constructional activities, it will help me to enhance my personal relationship with others. I have chosen civil engineering as my career prospect. The skills inherent in me have motivated me to choose a career in civil engineering (Australia and Australia 2015).

Career Opportunities in the Construction Sector of Australia

The various soft skills which are possessed by me are discussed in this section. I am an active listener and try to pay full attention to what people are saying. Moreover, I can speak properly and always try to sort out the issues and problems faced by others. I can also manage my own time and the time of others accordingly. I am also able to make important decisions and judgements on any issue with which people approaches me. I can also negotiate with the contractors and actively look for new ways to help people (Hening and Koonce 2015).

To develop a career in construction activities, a blend of managerial and technical skills is very necessary. The managerial aspect of this job is more or same irrespective of the job role whereas the technical aspects may vary accordingly. A civil engineer must have advanced skills in mathematics and must be able to apply the appropriate formulas and principles to solve the problem in a proper way. As the budgets and costs are a major part of my responsibility, I must be skilled in analyzing the financial spreadsheets. I must also know the practical application of the scientific rules and methods so that I can carry out the project in a smooth and efficient way (Brunhaver et al. 2017).

The results of my personality test depicts that I am an extroverted individual. This characteristic is very important because I have to interact with different clients, understand their ideas and deliver proper solutions to them. In terms of energy, I am a keen observer and keep a close watch on all the people around me and the happenings (Alier 2015). I also rely mostly on my feelings than my thoughts. I open up to people what I think is good or bad. I share my thoughts and opinions based on my feelings. This sometimes may also lend me up in problems. I must not get emotionally attached with the problems around me. I need to be emotionally stable which will help me to take important decisions.  I also critically analyze and think carefully before handling or resolving any issue or problem (Fox and Wendel 2015).  I judge the problem very carefully before resolving or deriving a proper conclusion. Moreover, another strong characteristics which I posses is that I am always positive about any particular issue. I always try to be optimistic irrespective of how critical the task may be (Schuhmann, Magarian, and Huttner-Loan 2014). This has motivated me to go ahead with the particular job or work which I am assigned with.

Personal Soft Skills

SHAPES will help me to own myself better and will assist me in achieving my desired goals and objectives in my life. My own performance is affected by my current skills. I am extrovert and can deal with all people in an effective way. Moreover, my academic qualification will also help me to go ahead with my career. My habits and attitudes will help me a lot to enhance my skills and be a successful civil engineer. I can critically think and handle complex problem without getting stressed or nervous. I always try to study and analyze a particular issue before handling the problem. This has immensely helped me in my career. Moreover, I am constructive and innovative and always try to explore new ideas and thoughts. This attitude has helped me to go ahead and face any challenge in a brave manner. In terms of my preference, I always prefer to visit new places and meet new people. My past experience of working as a site engineer in a company will help me to grow ahead in my career. There are various strategies which will help me to develop my career. I can do internship with various companies as a site engineer. I can also develop different case studies related to my job. (Cottrel 2015)

According to Honey and Mumford’s learning style I adopt activist learning style. I always prefer to work in flexible and spontaneous environment generating new ideas and trying out new things. I like to speak to people and want to learn more from different experiences such as discussions, team work and workshops. I prefer team work because it helps me a lot of learn new and innovative things from others. Moreover, I am not biased and like brainstorming. I am open minded and welcome new ideas and thoughts (Manolis 2013)

The Visual Auditory and Kinesthetic learning style are the dominant learning styles based on modalities. These styles are the best way to define a person who is interested in learning new things. I can be categorized as a visual learner because I prefer learning by reading and writing. I am interested in visualizing faces and places by using my imagination and sometimes I get lost and emotionally attached to the particular person or place around me (Cottrel 2015). I also like to jot down my ideas so that it will help me in my future. I can analyze the charts, diagrams and tools more easily than written notes. Moreover, the visual demonstrations and videos help me I my field work and carrying out the projects successfully. I also find it easy and fascinating to recall the things and the work which I have previously seen or done. I always try to follow the instructions which are provided by others so that it will help me to carry out my task properly (Ibrahim and Hussein 2015) 

Technical Knowledge and Skills

 Gap analysis helps to determine the skills and knowledge which are required for meeting the objectives of a project. I lack certain technical knowledge which is essential to develop my career in this field. I do not have any experience with micro station and civil 3D. I do not have the leadership skill which is very important in this career. Sometimes, I may have to handle a team and manage the contractors and other engineers effectively. I must also know how to manage the project. In certain task, when it is a huge project it is not possible for me to handle the entire task solely. I need to hire other contractors who will help me in the project. I may also have to make a difficult choice with the project to complete it with a limited budget and time frame (Silvius and Schipper 2014).

6.0 Conclusion

Thus, it can be said that to build a successful career in the construction sector in Australia, a person must be skilled and must possess proper knowledge to capture the market. Various soft skills and technical knowledge are mandatory to build a successful career in civil engineering. Maintaining proper co-ordination with the client and delivering the project on time and within the stipulated budget are the main goals of a successful engineer.

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