How to become a construction manager

Why should you become a construction manager?

When it comes to well-respected and high-earning trades, there are few better roles than that of construction manager. Essential for any large-scale building project, many trades simply wouldn’t be able to operate effectively without their input.

As a result, construction managers are some of the most essential and skilled tradespeople out there. They’re always in demand and that demand is never going to go away. Which is why becoming a construction manager is a smart decision.

To see if you could succeed in this role, read on to learn more about construction manager basics. This includes the needed qualifications for construction manager positions, and other essential skills the role requires.

What does a construction manager do?

When it comes to what does a construction manager do, the clue is in the name.

Simply put, tradespeople in this role are in charge of managing construction projects. They oversee the logistics involved in a project as well as tracking its process. For example, they may participate in or lead the creation of a construction phase plan.

As a result, construction managers can find work in all residential and commercial building sectors, making it a varied job. You’ll be chatting with architects one day, only to work with surveyors the next.

This also means that you’ll be working on both construction and client sites regularly, at all times of the year. Whatever is needed for you to do your job and meet a project’s specific needs.

Common construction manager tasks

Upon becoming a construction manager, you’ll quickly find yourself doing any number of varied tasks.

There are too many to mention here, but we’ve listed the most common and important ones below:

• Overseeing project logistics
• Delegating project work
• Organising regular team and client meetings
• Reviewing plan with architects, surveyors, and engineers
• Performing site checks and inspections
• Stock checking project material
• Organising your team’s work schedule
• Monitoring the progress of a project
• Carrying out quality checks on project work
• Filling progress reports for clients
• Doing regular site health and safety checks against common construction workplace hazards

Of course, these are merely the main jobs you’ll find yourself doing. As you grow in experience, however, the responsibilities on this list will certainly increase in scope.

What skills are needed as a construction manager?

Much like any trade, there are a variety of skills needed to manager in this sort of role. We’ve listed out the most important ones you need to be aware of, below:

• A high level of knowledge in both building and construction
• Numerical skills
• Organisation and attention to detail
• Leadership abilities
• Good teamwork and customer service skills
• Business management knowledge
• Initiative and the ability to make difficult decisions
• Excellent verbal communication
• Computer and IT skills

By cultivating all of these skills to some degree, you’ll certainly find becoming a construction manager that much easier.

How to train as a construction manager

In order to officially train as a manager in construction, you’ll need to go through extensive training for the role’s requirements. This means that you’ll either need to do a university course or an apprenticeship.

Which one you do is up to you, and it really comes down to personal preference. If you want the theory behind the role over an extended period, then university might be for you.

Alternatively, if you want to learn and earn on the job, then you might want to consider an apprenticeship.

What are the qualifications for a construction manager?

When it comes to the qualifications for a construction manager position, you have several avenues to pursue through university. We recommend applying for any of the following courses:

• Building studies
• Building engineering
• Survey or civil engineering
• Construction engineering
• Construction site management
• Estimating

Just one of these courses will be enough to get you started in your career. However, you can do multiple if you so desire.

Do you need qualifications to become a construction manager?

Technically, there are no legal requirements in order to be a manager in construction. However, without the right qualifications, you won’t get very far. Almost all jobs require some level of degree in order to apply.

On top of this, a lack of training will make it difficult for you to learn the necessary skills. This makes pursuing a construction manager role without qualifications highly difficult.

How to get more experience in this role

Once you’re trained in your management skills, it makes sense to expand your skills further. You can do this through working on projects, through an apprenticeship, or through further qualifications.

Alongside these, you could also consider specialising in certain areas of construction management, such as learning to become a building surveyor. Not only will this improve your knowledge, but it will open up other avenues of work for you.

Where to apply for construction manager jobs

There are plenty of places where you can apply for construction manager roles. Many can be found online through job sites, though checking in with local businesses is also a smart idea.

One other solution you could also try is to join an online directory like Checkatrade. Used by millions of customers every day, online directories are a surefire way to win new business.

Learn more about construction management with Checkatrade

And there you have it – you should now know everything about becoming a construction manager. But did you know that you can learn even more with Checkatrade?

With various discounts on training and other similar blogs to this one, you can level up your skills quickly.

Get in touch with our team today to learn more about what we can offer you.

And don’t forget to browse our other building blogs as well. Such as our guides on construction insurance, how to start a construction management company, and growing your construction business.

Construction management FAQS

Do I need a CSCS card?

Yes, because you’ll be working regularly on construction sites, a CSCS card will be essential. Without one, you won’t legally be able to do the main parts of your job.