Just some of your
CAREER choices
Discover a career in
the civil industry as a…
SITE
SUPERVISOR
These key people ensure the safety, efficiency and logistics of a particular worksite. They ensure what happens on site is planned, and that everyone who needs to know things does. Leading Hands report to them.
THE ROLE
You work for an Owner, Construction Manager or Project Manager and will stay on a particular site, to ensure its day to day operations are running correctly. You will use your
5 to 15 years of experience as a civil contractor to ensure suppliers, subcontractors and your own staff know what they are doing, and where they have to go.
THE CAREER
WHERE WILL YOU WORK?
Everywhere! You could be working on roads, bridges, dams, pipelines, railway lines, tunnels, farms (including wind and solar), golf courses, houses and building sites… the options in civil go on!
WHO WILL EMPLOY YOU?
You will have a lot of options. Small, medium and large businesses, local councils, and government agencies all use Site Supervisors to manage their sites.
HOW SAFE IS IT?
Very, very safe. At this stage you may still be doing some hands-on work, but you are largely moving toward ensuring others are kept safe.
IS THE WORK TECHNICALLY HARD?
You are starting to move up the chain, so the work is getting technically harder, with more things to think about and manage. Your employer will train you on the job in each task, and extra courses can be undertaken to build your skills.
IS THE WORK PHYSICALLY HARD?
The work is getting less demanding now as you do more management tasks.
Just some of your
CAREER choices
THE TRAINING
IS THERE TRAINING PROVIDED, AND DOES IT COST YOU?
There is more, and your employer will train you and pay for it. You can do civil-specific management qualification also do short courses in civil that you are interested through the Institute of Civil Infrastructure.
IS THERE A QUALIFICATION?
Yes, if you want. It’s not essential, but you can receive a Nationally recognised qualification such as a Certificate IV in civil construction supervision of operations.
REQUIREMENTS
WHO IS SUITED TO THE JOB?
People who like working outdoors and who enjoy practical tasks, but who also enjoy solving problems.
HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO START?
You can start in the industry from the earliest legal minimum working age but will need 5 to 15 years of experience to get to be Site Supervisor (depending on the size of the site you are looking after)!
WHAT SUBJECTS AND GRADES FROM SCHOOL DO YOU NEED?
There are NO minimum score results, or subjects, required. Core math subjects are advantageous.
ARE THERE ANY PREREQUISITES TO STARTING?
You will need 5 to 15 years of experience in the civil industry working on sites. To keep others and the environment safe, you must first know the work yourself!
THE FUTURE
IS THERE A FUTURE CAREER?
Yes! The Site Supervisor is largely a management role. Site Supervisors can go on to senior roles such as Project Management; estimating; or contracts management. This is a great starting point to launch into another career path. Most senior people and business owners in the industry have been site supervisors at some point. .
WILL YOU HAVE TO MOVE AROUND?
It’s your call when you choose between jobs as some employers have projects
in different locations. If you do move, your expenses are often covered by the employer.
CAN YOU GET MORE SKILLS LATER?
Yes, if you want to. There are Certificate IV’s, Diplomas and management courses you can do. It’s your call what you do and how far you go!
CAN YOU GO TO UNI ONE DAY?
Yes. The practical skills you learn will be very useful for engineering related courses.
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
You will need to get experience learning how a site works safely before stepping up to a Supervisor. To do this many work for a bit as a Site Hand to learn the ropes. However, it’s also possible to start in the industry as an Apprentice plant operator.