Education

Higher Options career talks: construction

From engineering to apprenticeships, there are lots of options for school leavers

Higher Options – Careers in Construction

Mon Apr 8 2024 - 00:00

[ Higher Options career talks: from architecture to zoology ]

Think about jobs in construction and you’d be forgiven of assuming it’s physically demanding, male-dominated work in all kinds of weather.

However, Ronan Murphy, apprentices training manager with building and contracting firm John Sisk says it’s an outdated notion.

“The industry has changed so much,” he says. “It is not the physical, manual handling and lifting job that it was years ago, and we are starting to see more women coming through into the industry.”

Career paths

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Joanne Cluxton, head of human resources at Mercury, which manages construction and engineering projects, agrees and points to the diversity of career paths.

“There’s so many opportunities in construction,” she says. “Sometimes students hear construction and think they’ll be out on a site labouring, but that isn’t the case any more. There’s ample opportunities with things like digital technology, sustainability, HR, finance and legal. There are so many opportunities to learn and grow.”

Changes

John Sweeney of Colleen Construction says it is a dynamic sector with plenty of opportunities to progress.

“There’s a lot of diversity,” he says. “Construction changes very quickly and you’re learning all the time. You get to meet a lot of people, you’re always networking and you make great friends. It’s a fabulous industry and there is room for career progression and development.”

Attitude

Ronan Murphy believes the best attribute “is your attitude”. Sweeney adds that being a team player, proactive, and having the ability to see a project through to the end are all qualities he looks for in prospective apprentices.

Further information:

For students who want to find out more about what apprenticeships are available, apprenticeship.ie is a good start, while Fetchcourses.ie and Qualifax.ie also have details of courses in the further education and university sectors.

Interview conducted in 2021

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