Wondering how to become a Construction Manager in Australia? To start your career in construction management, you’ll need a combination of experience, knowledge and skills.
To help wrap your head around the steps involved, let’s first look at construction manager does, how to start on the right career pathway, what roles you can pursue, and how much you can expect to earn.
What does a construction manager do?
Before you learn how to become a construction manager, it’s important to understand what they actually do. Construction managers play a crucial role in building and construction projects. In short, they are responsible for managing projects from the start to finish. To break it down, here are some of the common duties:
- Setting calendars
- Coordinating workflow
- Reading blueprints.
- Supervising and advising staff
- Ensuring health and safety regulations are up to code
- Ensuring materials and machinery are delivered on time
- Handling subcontractors
- Liaising with homeowners and investors
As you might have guessed, construction managers are leaders. This means to be successful, you’ll not only need the right level of education and experience, but also the ability to successfully manage people. This includes the following:
- The ability to keep your cool under pressure
- Superior communication and problem solving skills
- Time management and organisational skills.
- Negotiation skills
Steps to become a construction manager
So, where does it all start? Like many professionals working in the building and construction industry in Australia, your first step will likely be an apprenticeship in your chosen field – e.g. plumbing, carpentry, bricklaying, or electrical. This is where you’ll learn the basics, hone your skills, build up your experience, and discover what you love about the industry.
Once you’ve successfully completed your apprenticeship, you can become a qualified tradie. From here, your next move into becoming a construction manager is to look into higher-level building and construction courses.
This is where we come in. For example, our CPC40110 Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) is an ideal next step. This course will give you the skills and knowledge needed to get your building license, as well as the experience to work as a construction manager on residential sites, or even start your own business.
If you want to continue to further your career, then it’s worth considering a course such as the CPC50210 Diploma of Building and Construction (Building). Once you have this qualification under your belt, you can pursue construction manager roles in both residential and commercial settings across a range of fields.
While employers look upon university level qualifications favourably, you can move into construction manager roles through a Certificate IV or Diploma. If you’ve got the relevant experience, a good work ethic, and an even better attitude you’ll have even more opportunities to rise up.
The different construction manager roles
Construction managers are some of the most sought-after professionals in the industry. This means you can expect to find work across many fields, and a role that suits you. There are also many specialised construction manager roles, such as quantity surveyor, civil engineer, or building surveyor.
For example, you might find yourself working on projects in:
- Civil engineering: roads, bridges, tunnels, airports.
- Commercial: shopping centres, banks, hotels, resorts, warehouses.
- Residential: housing, apartments, studios.
- Agriculture: drains, fencing, water supplies.
- Institutional: schools, hospitals, museums, police stations, town halls.
- Industrial: manufacturing plants, production warehouses, storage facilities.
If you’re hoping for a career that’s both varied and rewarding, it’s a safe guess that construction management is the role for you. Plus, it’s also one the highest-paid roles within the building and construction industry.
According to PayScale, the average salary for a construction manager in Australia is currently around $111,000 per year. However, the most experienced construction managers can earn upwards of $190,000 per year.
If starting your own business is more your thing, then there’s no limit on what you can earn. If you have the drive, the skills, and a solid team behind you then owning your own business means the sky is the limit.
Get in touch
For those looking to get ahead in this industry, construction management is a great career choice. If you would like to know more about our building and construction courses, or the steps you need to take to become a construction manager – give us a call and we’ll walk you through the details.
At CWBTS, we understand you might be a busy tradie by day, which makes traditional learning difficult. This is why we offer our construction courses online too, so you can get ahead in your career without falling behind in your life. For more information, get in touch here.
