If you’re considering a career in the building and construction industry, it’s time to put your doubts aside and start dreaming big.
Even when you’re starting out as a lowly apprentice, you can work your way up to high paying roles like construction manager.
As one of the biggest and most trusted building schools on the east coast, we’ve helped hundreds of people go from apprentice to manager.
In this 5-step guide we show you how you too can follow our pathway to a manager’s role.
Step 1: Become an apprentice
Just about anyone can become a trades apprentice.
Once you’ve turned 16 years of age, you could be eligible to begin an apprenticeship in your favourite area of construction from carpentry to concreting.
Even if you lack some of the basic reading and writing skills to start an apprenticeship right away, you can do a pre apprenticeship to brush up your skills for the actual apprenticeship.
An apprenticeship involves working for a real employer while completing a certificate 3 qualification at the same time.
If you’ve set your sights on becoming a site supervisor or construction manager one day, we recommend doing a CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry while working as a carpenter’s apprentice.
The certificate 3 in carpentry is one of the best foundations for a long and successful career in construction.
Step 2: Work as a tradie
If you want to do some of the more advanced construction certificates or diplomas, it’s good to get a bit of experience under your belt first.
Even though certificates and diplomas for construction managers don’t always require that you have work experience, many people choose to get it.
The reason for this is because when you become a construction manager you will be in charge of other tradies, so it makes sense that you should have trades experience too.
If you have entered the trades after leaving school early you might be required to have several years of experience as a fully qualified tradesman before doing further certificates or diplomas.
Step 3: Upskill
There are some great courses out there to help you up skill from a fully qualified tradie to a supervisor or manager.
In the CPC40120 Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building), you will learn how to become a supervisor or manager on low rise residential construction projects.
If you want to up your game even further and become a supervisor or manager for bigger buildings, then you might do a diploma instead.
The CPC50220 Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) gives you the skills and qualifications to supervise or manage residential, commercial or industrial buildings up to three storeys.
The beauty of upskilling with either the certificate IV or the diploma is that you can complete them while working full-time, so you don’t have to give up your day job.
The certificate 4 and diploma can be completed during the evenings in person, or through the very flexible Self Paced Online Training.
Step 4: Get a building licence
Both the certificate 4 and diploma in building and construction qualify you to get your builder’s licence.
You’re going to need your builders licence to do those high paid roles like site supervisor and construction manager.
You will need to get a licence from your state or territory building authority:
As a building school that specialises in training Aussie builders, CWBTS can help you get your building licence from your state authority.
Unlike other colleges and tafes who offer courses across many different Industries, we focus exclusively on building and construction.
Thanks to this focus on the building industry, we’ve specialised in training hundreds of tradies and have accrued strong industry connections with employers to help you on your path.
When you study building certificates and diplomas with us, our trainers will give you the support and guidance you need to get your licence.
Step 5: Become a manager
Once you’ve got your certificate 4 or diploma and your licence, you’ll be ready to start applying for construction supervisor or manager roles.
After all your hard work getting your qualifications, you can finally look forward to rewarding, challenging work with a higher rate of pay.
Pathways in construction
Whether you’re a school leaver or a career changer, you can follow a construction pathway to achieve your dreams.
By starting out as a modest apprentice, you can gain the foundation you need to upskill and advance your career.
Choose a trusted building school like CWBTS to guide you in your journey from apprentice to manager.
Speak to a CWBTS course advisor to learn more about pathways from apprentice to manager. Call 1300 4 CWBTS or request a call back today.
