Overview of the role

Providing technical support to engineers and other construction professionals.

Details of standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the construction and engineering sectors, with civil engineering technicians employed in a variety of organisation types and sizes.  Civil engineering technicians will typically work for:

  • Clients, for whom construction projects are carried out, with technicians supporting with the preparation and production of civil engineering information, project plans and resourcing, for consultants and contractors
  • Consultancies, typically appointed by the client, to design, prepare or modify civil engineering designs, with technicians supporting the planning, design, coordination, management and monitoring of civil engineering projects, often in the pre-build phase, providing information for the client and contractor
  • Contractors, typically appointed by the client, to coordinate the construction phase of a civil engineering project, with technicians supporting the planning, management, monitoring and coordination of the build phase of civil engineering projects, complying with and providing information on the directions provided by the client or consultant

Civil engineering technicians support in the design, creation and connecting up of the world around us, making the villages, towns and cities work for the people that live in them, and are playing an ever increasing role in safeguarding and improving the environment into our future.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to support the planning, design, building, management, maintenance or dismantling of the built environment (such as buildings, structures, parks and public spaces, schools, offices, museums, hospitals) and infrastructure, such as transportation (road, rail, bridges, tunnels, ports and airports), water and waste management, marine and coastal engineering (irrigation systems, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), flood, river and coastal defences), water and power supplies (utilities, hydropower, power stations, nuclear plants, on and offshore wind farms). 

Civil engineering technicians assist in the preparation and production of plans, designs and documentation to relevant codes of practice and industry standards, such as Construction Design and Management (CDM) or the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), to statutory and regulatory requirements, and in compliance with health, safety and wellbeing requirements.

They will use and apply engineering principles and techniques, carry out calculations and data analysis, prepare and produce sketches, diagrams, and models, to support technical problem solving and in the delivery of civil engineering designs and technical solutions.  They use a range of tools and techniques, including digital techniques (such as CAD or BIM) to aid the visualisation, communication, measurement and assessment of civil engineering projects. 

Civil engineering technicians will also be challenged to consider how they will support improvements to, or mitigate the effects of their work, on the environment, with civil engineering projects having to respond to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, climate change acts, and environmental policies and legislation, including net-zero emissions, and an increasing drive for sustainability.  

Civil engineering technicians will contribute to the planning, design, programming, and delivery of engineering activities to agreed timescales and budgets, using quality systems and risk assessment procedures to monitor and manage projects and their risks. Technicians may also assist in site inspections or surveys, report progress against project plans, or check specified technical aspects of site activities. 

In their daily work, employees interact with their line manager, typically a senior civil engineer or site manager, to confirm programmes of work and agree individual responsibilities, which in turn support the delivery of wider plans across civil engineering teams; these teams could include engineers across a range of disciplines, from various employer types (e.g. clients, consultancies, contractors), and project managers, where their collective outputs will be used to produce civil engineering solutions that are fit for purpose, safe, secure, environmentally sustainable, and meet customer and industry specifications. 

Technicians shall also have a mentor who will support them in the development of their career plans, maintenance of their personal and professional development, and in some cases, progression into more advanced roles, such as civil engineers or technical specialists.

Technicians may also be exposed to other professional disciplines, such as surveyors, environmental practitioners, architects, planners or legal teams. As well as liaising with internal colleagues across a variety of multidisciplinary areas, some technicians will also be responsible for working with customers, suppliers, and stakeholders or with representatives from appropriate regulatory bodies.

Civil engineering technicians, depending on their employer, will spend their time in an office environment, working on site, working remotely or a combination of these. There is also potential for visiting customers or suppliers.

Employees are responsible for assisting in the delivery of accurate and quality civil engineering solutions, ensuring they are within agreed time and resource limits, compliant with industry and regulatory standards, such as the Common Safety Method (CSM), and to specification. Civil engineering technicians must also comply with health and safety regulations, welfare, wellbeing, and environmental and sustainability policies. They will typically report to an engineer or project manager, normally as part of a cross functional team, the size of this team and responsibilities varying with the scope of the project and size of the employer.

Technicians are able to use their own judgement when undertaking the occupational duties and applying their technical knowledge, skills and behaviours in a range of contexts and environments.  They also have a responsibility to plan and organise their own work and contribute to the management of projects using a variety of business processes, procedures, and methods of working. They are also responsible for their own continuing professional development and recognising their own obligations to society. 

Typical job titles include:

Assistant technician Civil engineering technician Civil infrastructure technician Civil/structural technician Construction technician Design technician Engineering technician Highways technician Junior site technician Site technician Structural technician

Entry requirements

Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their Apprenticeships.  Apprenticeship candidates will typically have at least 5 GCSEs at Grades A*-C / 9-4 including Maths (Grade B / 5 or 6), English and Science or their equivalent. 

Occupation duties

Duty KSBs

Duty 1 Contribute to civil engineering solutions by preparing, producing and modifying engineering diagrams, drawings or models, documents and engineering specifications, to industry codes of practice, regulations, standards, and procedures

K1 K2 K6

S1 S2 S5

B1

Duty 2 Assist in the development of civil engineering solutions, by collecting and interpreting technical information and data, carrying out calculations and analysing the outputs

K1 K3

S1 S2

B2 B3

Duty 3 Utilise digital technologies and techniques, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) or Building Information Modelling (BIM), to prepare, produce and present civil engineering designs and visualisations in accordance with approved design procedures and systems

K4 K6

S3 S5

B1 B2

Duty 4 Ensure compliance with health, safety & welfare requirements, apply safe systems of work, such as Common Safety Methods (CSM), and identify hazards and mitigate risks in their own work

K5

S4

B1

Duty 5 Comply with relevant legislation, regulations, policies, strategies, and technical guidance, such as such as Construction Design and Management (CDM) or Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), ensuring they are interpreted correctly and communicated appropriately

K6

S5

B1

Duty 6 Comply with environmental policies and practice sustainable principles, supporting the civil engineering projects they work on to assist in the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and net-zero carbon emissions

K7

S6

B1

Duty 7 Use the quality management and assurance systems available to plan, manage, monitor and contribute to the delivery and implementation of civil engineering projects to specification, budget and agreed targets, respecting the need for the security of data and information

K9 K11

S7 S9 S11

B4

Duty 8 Communicate and liaise effectively with own project team, customers, internal or external stakeholders

K10

S10

B4

Duty 9 Work reliably and effectively independently and as a member of a team, taking responsibility for their own work

K9

B2 B4 B5

Duty 10 Ensure compliance with equality, diversity & inclusion (EDI) and ethical standards

K8 K11

S8 S11

Duty 11 Maintain own learning and skills development by carrying out continuing professional development in line with professional codes of conduct and/or industry specifications and obligations

K12

S12

B6


KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Appropriate engineering principles, underpinned by appropriate mathematical, scientific and technical knowledge and understanding, relating to civil engineering and the construction process Back to Duty

K2: Appropriate civil engineering techniques and methods used to design, build and maintain infrastructure and buildings, the standards, contracts and specifications used, and their impact on the construction process Back to Duty

K3: Key principles, techniques and methods of data and technical information collection, analysis and evaluation used in delivering civil engineering models, designs, and technical solutions Back to Duty

K4: Technical drawings, modelling and designs, using computer-based software packages, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) or Building Information Modelling (BIM), and their use in the sector Back to Duty

K5: Statutory health, safety and welfare policies, procedures, and regulations, including risk management, in relation to civil engineering project delivery Back to Duty

K6: Industry policies, standards, regulations and codes of practice, such as Common Safety Method (CSM), Construction Design and Management (CDM) or Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), that must be adhered to in the civil engineering environment Back to Duty

K7: Environmental policies and the principles of sustainable development, including those relating to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and net-zero carbon emissions, and their impact on the civil engineering projects Back to Duty

K8: Understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion, and its impact on civil engineering solutions Back to Duty

K9: Project management, quality management and assurance systems and continuous improvement as applied to civil engineering Back to Duty

K10: Methods of communication and when to use them, including how to write technical reports and using appropriate engineering terminology and conventions Back to Duty

K11: Ethical principles as applied to civil engineering and the security of data and information Back to Duty

K12: The values and standards by which they maintain their personal, professional and technical knowledge and skills through initial professional development (IPD) and continuing professional development (CPD) Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Apply appropriate civil engineering principles, techniques, and methods, including mathematical, scientific, and technical know-how, to civil engineering and the construction process Back to Duty

S2: Apply key principles, techniques and methods of data and technical information collection, analysis, and evaluation to support the delivery of civil engineering models, designs, and technical solutions Back to Duty

S3: Operate appropriate software packages for data gathering and analysis, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) or Building Information Modelling (BIM), to create technical drawings, models and designs using relevant conventions and engineering terminology Back to Duty

S4: Apply statutory health, safety and welfare policies, procedures, and regulations in the civil engineering environment, using risk management processes, procedures, and documentation Back to Duty

S5: Support and contribute to the production or modification of civil engineering technical solutions in accordance with relevant industry standards, regulations, and procedures and codes of practice Back to Duty

S6: Apply environmental policies and sustainable principles in civil engineering projects, recognising the need to reduce carbon use, lower emissions and plan for wider sustainability Back to Duty

S7: Plan, carry out and manage own work in line with quality assurance, recognising the wider implications to customer needs, and within cost and resource limitations Back to Duty

S8: Consider equality, diversity and inclusion in the delivery of civil engineering projects Back to Duty

S9: Apply document control processes and procedures using the approved processes, maintaining quality compliance when creating or amending engineering documentation Back to Duty

S10: Communicate using appropriate methods for the audience, and incorporate relevant and appropriate terms, standards, and data Back to Duty

S11: Apply ethical principles to civil engineering projects, including the secure use of data and information Back to Duty

S12: Plan, undertake and review their own professional competence, regularly updating and reviewing their CPD to improve performance Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Comply with health, safety and welfare requirements, industry standards, statutory regulations, policies and codes of practice Back to Duty

B2: Work independently, operating in a systematic, proactive, and transparent way, using resources effectively to complete tasks, knowing their limitations and when to ask for support or escalate Back to Duty

B3: Applies a structured approach to problem solving with attention to detail, accuracy, and diligence Back to Duty

B4: Is motivated when collaborating in teams, offering sensible challenge, reflects on and provides constructive feedback and contributes to discussions Back to Duty

B5: Maintains professional and ethical working relationships with internal, external, and connected stakeholders Back to Duty

B6: Takes responsibility for their own professional development, seeking opportunities to enhance their knowledge, skills, and experience Back to Duty


Qualifications

English and Maths

Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.

Other mandatory qualifications

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Civil Engineering (603/1217/8)

Level: 3

Ofqual regulated

Professional recognition

This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:

  • Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) for Engineering Technician
  • Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) for Engineering Technician
  • Institute of Highways Engineers (IHE) for Engineering Technician
  • Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) for Engineering Technician
  • Permanent Way Institution (PWI) for Engineering Technician


Additional details

Occupational Level:

3

Duration (months):

36

Review

This apprenticeship standard will be reviewed after three years

Status: Approved for delivery
Level: 3
Reference: ST0091
Version: 1.1
Date updated: 04/03/2022
Approved for delivery: 4 October 2017
Route: Construction and the built environment
Typical duration to gateway: 36 months (this does not include EPA period)
Maximum funding: £14000
LARS Code: 199
EQA Provider: Ofqual

Find an apprenticeship

Contact us about this apprenticeship

Employers involved in creating the standard: Adept Consulting Engineers, AECOM, Arup, Atkins, BWB Consulting, CH2M, Kier Highways, Mott MacDonald, Mouchel, MWH Global, Odyssey Markides, Peter Brett Associates, Tideway, Tony Gee and Partners, Waterman Group

Version log

Version Change detail Earliest start date Latest start date Latest end date
1.1 Funding band, standard and end-point assessment plan revised. 14/07/2021 Not set Not set
1.0 Retired 04/10/2017 13/07/2021 Not set

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