The Brew Cabin

what qualifications or tests do you have to take to become a civil engineer other than confined space/deep drainage/plant citb?or is it just time served?i am a ground worker doing all the civils on the site i am working on and it is very interesting and i want to go in to it further,can you advise me in the right direction?

To become a qualified civil engineer, you have to complete a 3-year degree course at a university.

I'm wondering if you really mean a civil engineer or just a ganger or even a setting-out engineer. A Civil Engineer is trained in analysing and understanding largem, civil structures, such as roads, pavements and sewers, but also bridges, dams tunnels etc. You rarely see a civil engineer actively working on site, as most of theuir time is spent in an office.

A setting-out engineer or technician is less highly qualified and tends to spend more time on site, and specialise in one particular aspect, such as road construction.

I think your best bet for clear information is to have a chat with your local CITB office.

thanks for the info,but what is the job title for someone who installs all the foul/topwater /chambers/roads etc etc?is it still a ground worker??

Yes, a groundworker, or highways contractor. I think the term you are looking for is a "Civil Engineering Contractor", which is not the same as a "Civil Engineer".

The CivEng Contractor actually constructs the roads, sewers, bridges, dams, abutments etc., that are dreamt up and designed by the Civil Engineer. One does the thinking, and the other does the grafting (with a fair bit of thinking thrown in!)

once again your god like skills have led me in the right direction,what courses can you take to further oneself in the said career?you see im trying to emergrate to oz and id like to get in on the points system,but there isnt a placing for a groundworker,any advice mate.i no your not a adviser for jobs or owt but the more tickets i have the better the chances are?local citb are not responding as quick as you do?and your advice is solid.

Why am I not surprised that the CITB aren't responding with anything that could be loosely considered as 'haste'? Maybe it's 25+ years of dealing with the CITB that has made me so cynical! ;)

If you can get as many 'sewer' courses as possible, such as Confined Spaces, that would be a great bonus to your CV, and then the Streetworks course is a damned handy certificate to have, especially if you get it at Supervisor level. Other than that, any courses in kerbing, flagging, blocklaying, concreting and/or bricklaying would be a definite feather in your Oz-bound cap.