Engineering Construction Technician

Engineering construction technicians help to build and maintain process plants, including factories, power stations, water treatment plants, and oil and gas installations.

They are part of the team involved in constructing and maintaining the buildings themselves, as well as the complex machinery they hold.

A technician may work in:

• instrument and control maintenance - working with systems that measure flow, pressure and temperature
• mechanical maintenance - looking after equipment such as valves, pumps, transmission systems
• electrical maintenance - working with equipment such as high voltage power systems and motors
• non-destructive testing (NDT) - testing materials such as pipework and components to detect flaws
• project control - making sure that project managers have all the information they need to make decisions
• preparing detailed designs for use in construction
• buying equipment and materials for construction
• recruiting project staff.

Technicians work in a team alongside other engineers, construction workers, craftspeople and project managers.

They usually work a standard number of hours a week. They may need to work longer hours to meet project deadlines. Offshore technicians work shifts of 12 hours on and 12 hours off while offshore. They then have two weeks' rest onshore.

Technicians work on construction sites, which may involve working outdoors in all weather conditions. Depending on their role, some spend time in offices and laboratories.

Salaries start from £13,300 for trainees and may be up to £40,000 for senior technicians.

Engineering construction technicians need to be:

• able to produce and work from technical drawings
• good at identifying and diagnosing faults
• interested in engineering and practical work
• competent in maths, physics and IT
• accurate
• good at working in a team
• alert to site safety issues
• good communicators.

Over 60,000 people work in engineering construction in the UK and skilled engineering technicians are generally in demand.

Many technicians enter through an Advanced Apprenticeship in engineering construction. It is preferred that entrants have at least three GCSEs (A*-B) including English, maths and a science subject. Other qualifications may be accepted.

Apprentices work towards a relevant NVQ Level 3.

Technicians may go on to train in other branches of engineering, or move into management. There are many opportunities to work on overseas projects.

Further details