Starting a Career in the Construction Industry - by Stevie

Starting a Career in the Construction Industry
The demand for manpower in the construction industry is increasing by the minute. A lot of homeowners are seeking professionals to help them in making their dream home a reality. Unknown to many, the construction industry is a diversified business that contributes to about 10% of the country’s GNP.
Construction jobs are not only challenging and fulfilling, but is also rewarding, monetarily speaking. It’s a multi-billion industry. The key movers in this kind of business are construction mangers or constructors. These refer to the managers and leaders that have enough experience, knowledge and skills to plan, design and construct any structural project. These projects may be civil, industrial, commercial or residential.
To get into the construction industry, it is highly recommended to get a degree in serves as a solid foundation towards your goal as a construction manager. Through schooling, you will gain enough knowledge on construction design, techniques and business management, among others
Construction Management graduates are in demand in the construction industry. Expect a good starting salary. You can either work as a general contractor or a subcontractor. There are a lot of options where you can take on a job including construction firms, architectural companies, construction suppliers or government offices.
On entry level, there are a lot of constructional jobs that you can choose from. You can be an assistant estimator, cost or field engineer, scheduler, project engineer, assistant project managers or work in the firm’s admin department. The possibilities are endless. Promotions are fast-paced in the construction industry. With just the right amount of dedication and years of experience, it is not long before you can be known as an expert constructor.
By the time you reached your goal as a construction manager, there are a lot of things expected from you. You must be available 24 hours a day to handle all kinds of responsibilities and emergencies. You should plan, design, direct and coordinate single or multiple construction projects at any given time. As a construction manager, it is your responsibility to schedule and organize all construction processes. You are also tasked to select and to look over trade contractors and suppliers. Construction managers are not usually directly involved in the actual process of constructing a structure, although there may be companies that may require you to do so.
In civil constructions like building roads, bridges or buildings, on top of the managing part of their job, construction managers are also responsible for the safety of the people that worked at the construction site and the general public.
Construction managers are also required to work and coordinate with other people including architects, engineers, suppliers and other people involved in the project. Commercial and industrial structures may require you to work with these people in terms of site preparation, sewage systems, structural framework, building systems and electrical, among other things.
The ultimate goal of any employee is to do the exact same job they are doing along with the prestige of having their own company. It is every construction manager’s goal to have his or her own construction company. You start small and set up a home building company in your own neighborhood. The years of experience and the knowledge you gained in your construction job can make a stable and solid foundation in starting your own construction company. With enough patience and dedication, there is no limit to the number of homes and structures you will be building in the not-so-distant future.

Stephen is the webmaster at http://www.constructionworld.us the online Home Builders Directory

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Refreshing your CV to help your search for new construction jobs - by Corinne Dauncey

It is a good idea to refresh you whole CV when next searching for a construction job rather than just adding in your last employment. Most people fall into this trap and it risk their CV’s becoming outdated.

The job you are applying for will require particular skills and abilities so you can tailor the CV accordingly. You will gain more construction experience and relevant skills that you can use to highlight how suitable you are.

Firstly, work out exactly what types of skills, experience and abilities will be required in the construction jobs you are applying to and then look at your own. If you are changing to apply to construction manager jobs from for example, electrical construction jobs, you will need to extract specific skills and the experience you have gained that are relevant to the new role and highlight your strengths in these.

Move onto an education and training and pick out the construction related areas that will be relevant to the role and include these in your CV.

Then think about any additional activities and hobbies that you may have that will help sell yourself in. For example, if you are applying for a builders job and have been working on building a house with a friend, explain what you have done highlighting what you have learnt and how you have developed.

It is extremely important that you tailor your CV to the construction jobs you are applying to and ensure you make the changes necessary to make you stand out. If the reader can see your skills match exactly what they are looking for, you will not have any problems finding new construction work.

The Construction Job is a specialist job board carrying thousands of construction jobs from the UK and Europe. These jobs include construction engineer jobs, construction manager jobs and general construction career opportunities.

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Project management for construction - by Anne Harvester

Excellent project management for construction engagements is crucial for any new building or renovation, especially considering the growing complexity of major construction projects and construction-related laws. For these reasons, almost all positions opening up for construction management jobs require not only a specialized degree, but a good deal of experience in the industry.
Although it was not always the case, there are many universities that now offer construction management courses as well as degrees. In fact, there even a number of accredited online universities that offer project management for construction degrees. These degrees, which can be specialized in a number of ways, are a wonderful way to learn all the skills you need to know for jobs in construction management that are difficult to learn during internships or apprenticeships on-site.
Project management for construction engagements can be an all-encompassing job. Oftentimes managers in these roles are ultimately responsible for every aspect of the construction project. This includes managing all employees and contractors, all equipment used and the project budget. That is why is important to choose a project management for construction degree that can teach you a broad skill-set.
Some of the degree coursework that can give you an edge in the job market includes training on the latest software programs and technologies used in the industry and classes on any of the following topics: building codes and standards, contract administration, accounting, financial management, value analysis and project control and management.
It is ideal if you can find a university that will help place its project management for construction students into internships or apprenticeships during the degree program. This will give you the chance to learn a little bit about every aspect of construction and how you can effectively manage the employees and contractors you will need to work with, including architects, civil engineers and day laborers. This type of hands-on experience is exactly what most employers are looking for, and can oftentimes lead to full-time positions once you have graduated with your degree.
Although project management for construction can be a challenging career path, there are many reasons that it is worth the effort. There are more and more project management for construction jobs being filled every year, and according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average salary for project management for construction positions averaged $63,500 in 2002. These great salaries are also often accompanied by health benefits, bonuses and the use of company-owned vehicles. All of these factors indicate it is a great career to aim for that can be just as rewarding as it is challenging.

Anne Harvester works as assistant to a project manager for construction projects. She discusses what goes into project management for construction, how to choose a construction management degree, and what jobs in construction management are available.

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Polish Construction and Assembly Output in the Period 2005-2008 will Grow on Average by 13% a Year - by Richard Lucas

Polish construction and assembly output in the period 2005-2008 will grow on average by 13% a year, most strongly in those regions with the highest share of domestic construction and assembly output, according to PMR forecasts. The Mazowieckie, Slaskie, Wielkopolskie and Dolnoslaskie voivodships are forecast to see the fastest growth in residential and non-residential construction and in civil engineering. (PRWEB) September 23, 2005 — Construction and assembly output in the period 2005-2008 will grow on average by 13% a year, most strongly in those regions with the highest share of domestic construction and assembly output, according to PMR forecasts. The Mazowieckie, Slaskie, Wielkopolskie and Dolnoslaskie voivodships are forecast to see the fastest growth in residential and non-residential construction and in civil engineering. Recovery in the construction sector in all voivodships According to the PMR report The Polish construction sector “ Regional analysis and forecasts for 2005-2008 the already visible recovery in the construction sector will improve the situation for construction firms active in all regions of Poland. PMR forecasts construction and assembly output in the period 2005-2008 to grow on average by 13% a year. By comparison, in the period 2001-2004 construction and assembly output fell on average by 3% a year. Growth will appear in all segments of the construction market with the strongest growth in non-residential construction. Sales of civil engineering and residential services will grow only slightly slower, says Szymon Jungiewicz, senior construction sector analyst at PMR. The largest rise in construction and assembly output is expected to be noted in the Lubelskie vovoidship “ a relatively small region in terms of construction and assembly output sales, where in the period 2005-2008 average growth is forecast to exceed 19%. This is expected to be the result of a faster rise in investment outlays than in previous years, from which companies specializing in non-residential and engineering works will benefit most. In the following voivodships “ Malopolskie, Slaskie, Dolnoslaskie, Pomorskie and Lodzkie “ average rises in construction and assembly output in the period 2005-2008 should range from 16-19% a year. In the Mazowieckie voivodship “ by far the most developed economic region in Poland “ a strong rise in construction and assembly output is expected at an average annual level of just under16%. The weakest growth is expected in those voivodships with the lowest share of the domestic construction and assembly sector: Oplskie, Swietokrzyskie, and also Kujawsko-Pomorskie. Further growth in the significance of the most developed regions Those voivodships with the largest share of domestic construction and assembly output will continue to strengthen in the period 2004-2008, while those least developed in terms of construction and assembly output will fall. The share of the most economically developed voivodships in domestic construction and assembly output is expected to grow from the 32% noted in 2004 to 34% in 2008. PMR analysts expect the Wielkopolskie and Slaskie regions to experience special circumstances, in 2005 noting falls, followed by very dynamic growth in subsequent years in the construction sector. Production will also grow in the Malopolskie and Dolnoslaskie voivodships. Thanks to this improvement in the share of the above mentioned four voivodships, excluding Mazowieckie, construction and assembly output is expected to rise from 35% to 37% of domestic construction and assembly output in 2008. Mazowieckie, Slaskie, Wielkopolskie, and Dolnoslaskie to note fastest growth Analyzing the trends in the key segments of the building market in the period 2005-2008 “ in residential construction, non-residential construction and civil engineering “ one can state that all of these segments will develop fastest in one of the five most developed construction sector regions of Poland: Mazowieckie, Slaskie, Wielkopolskie, Malopolskie and Dolnoslaskie. In the years 2004-2008: - Residential construction will grow fastest in the Mazowieckie and Malopolskie voivodships, where developers are particularly active - Leaders in terms of rates of growth in construction and assembly output connected with non-residential construction will be: Mazowieckie, which is already the centre of the commercial property market, and Slaskie, Wielkopolskie, Dolnoslaskie and Lodzkie - Most civil engineering works are expected to take place in three voivodships: Mazowieckie, Slaskie and Wielkopolskie; currently, construction companies from these three regions combined realize 53% of all national civil engineering works, which is due to the large investment in transport and industrial infrastructure in these the fastest growing economic regions of Poland. The value of construction and assembly output in selected regions is for companies registered on the terrain of the given voivodship. You are welcome to contact the author of the report: Szymon Jungiewicz, Construction Analyst PMR Publications tel. (+48 12) 410 21 18 More information about the report: Marketing Department Tel. (+48 12) 428 03 61 About PMR: PMR Ltd. www.pmrcorporate.com is a publishing, consulting and market research company providing information, advice and services to international businesses interested in Central and Eastern Europe. With highly skilled staff, top ranked web sites and 10 years of experience, PMR is one of the largest companies of its type in the region. PMR ul. Supniewskiego 9, 31-527 Krakow, Poland tel. /4812/ 428 03 60, fax /4812/ 413 40 12 www.pmrcorporate.com

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Online Construction-Document-Management Software Improves Communication with Multiple Consultants - by Kay Paumier

New enhancements to the Construction Communicator™ (www.constructioncommunicator.com) online construction-document-management system improve communication with multiple consultants Fremont, California (PRWEB) April 14, 2006 — New enhancements to the Construction Communicator™ (www.constructioncommunicator.com) online construction-document-management system improve communication with multiple consultants. Construction Communicator, which is targeted at mid-sized construction projects, enables owners, contractors and architects to further automate contract administration. The easy-to-use online software helps construction professionals to manage Requests for Information (RFIs), submittals, change orders and other construction documents that affect the day-to-day progress of the job. New Features Help Architects Manage Consultants’ Document Reviews and Responses The new features include the ability to easily assign RFIs to lead consultants for “action” and to others for “information” or “comment.” This helps the architect or construction manager coordinate work among different consultants. It also helps consultants prioritize their work by presenting RFIs that require responses ahead of the documents that are informational or only require comment. To further expedite communication, automatic emails can also notify consultants whenever RFIs require their attention. This provides a back-up method of communication for those consultants who infrequently log into the system for a specific project. The email includes a link that automatically logs the consultant into the appropriate construction document on the web. The screen indicates whether the consultant needs to respond or comment. Each consultant response or comment is stored individually. Blind-copy emails can be sent to owner representatives or to others who need to monitor certain documents. “These new features are in direct response to customer requests and continue our commitment to make online contract administration simpler and more effective,” said Richard Sampson, president of Richard Sampson Associates, developers of Construction Communicator. “We firmly believe that, if you surf the web, you can manage construction documents online.” Pricing Pricing for the Construction Communicator subscription service is on a per-user basis. Three pricing levels are offered to suit smaller (maximum of 15 users), mid-sized (maximum of 49 users) and larger (maximum of 100 users) organizations. Charges cover licensing, maintenance, technical support and Internet hosting. The system is offered without email notification, which can be added at any time. Company Information Construction Communicator was developed by Richard Sampson Associates, Inc., a construction-management and consulting firm with more than 20 years experience in the planning, design, funding and construction of building projects. For more information or to take a free test drive of Construction Communicator, visit www.constructioncommunicator.com Construction Communicator is a trademark of Richard Sampson Associates, Inc. Note to Editors: Screen shots of Construction Communicator are available upon request or at www.constructioncommunicator.com/visuals.html

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New York Construction Accident Lawyer can prove to a friend in need - by Paul Justice

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This was the case recently in Bronx, where it was found that Construction workers worked over forty hours a week on a multitude of apartment complexes. It was discovered that this work was done on over a dozen apartment buildings on the Grand Concourse, Gerard Avenue and other locations in the Bronx. The two companies responsible for the no payment of over time are Finkelstein Morgan L.L.C., and J. Siebold Construction Corporation. The two companies have reached an agreement with the state attorney, that no litigation will be pursued if Morgan and Siebold pay $1.23 million. "New York’s construction workers are the backbone of this city’s economy, but these companies sought to stiff almost 300 Bronx construction workers out of the overtime pay they earned and deserve," The state attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo said.<p>
Fortunately for the construction workers in the Bronx working on this project were compensated for lost wages. However, their many many cases where construction workers are being shortened pay. This is where a <a href="http://www.nbraccidentlawyer.com">New York construction accident lawyer</a> would be able to provide much needed support for the workers. A New York construction accident lawyer can also deal with accidents on the worksite resulting from faulty equipment, poor safety hazards, and sub par training programs. Accidents on the job caused by negligence on the part of someone else can be deemed liable for paying damages to the victim. Overall if you have any problems dealing with accidents at the construction site, or other wage problems, contact a New York construction accident lawyer to help you gain the settlement you deserve, not what is offered.

Paul Justice gives advice to clients who are looking for attorneys to handle injury related cases such as Car accident, automobile accidents. To know more about New York accident lawyer, car accident lawyer New York and New York construction accident lawyer visit www.nbraccidentlawyer.com

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New Home Construction Loans 101 - by Natalie Aranda

When you are ready to build your first home or that dream home that you have been wanting for so long you will probably wind up needing help with the financial part of the building process. The funding for your new home is available through new home construction loans. Both owners and builders can use Construction loans are a homebuilders dream funding. This loan may or may not include the cost of the land used to build your home on. These loans set up a line of credit that will pay suppliers and sub contractors as the building process goes along. This will make both workers happy because they do not have to wait until the completion of the home to be paid for their services. A new home construction loan will be set up in monthly stages or into stages where specific portions of the building process are finished. During these stages, a construction draw will be organized that will state the amount of funds that were used during that specific time period. The construction draw is then given to the lender so that payment to the building workers can be executed. A residential mortgage is required before you apply for a construction loan and must be presented to the lender you choose before the building process begins.

A stated income construction loan is a loan in which the funding will be provided to help you build the home of your dreams. This type of loan does not require any verification of your income. With stated income construction loans you are either having trouble verifying your income or you choose to not submit that information to the lender. Either scenario is acceptable with this type of construction loan. An individual who is self
employed is a great example of a borrower of a stated income construction loan. These loans work just like other construction loans and your assets and employment will both be verified. The interest rate of these loans may be higher than that of other new home construction loans because of the risk involved with borrowers whose income is not verified. The down payment for such a loan may also be higher than that of a traditional construction loan. The advantage of a stated income loan, besides the no verification of income, is that these loans are approved at a faster rate than other new home construction loans.

Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer. She writes about business, finance, marketing and customer service.

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National Association of Women in Construction Launches Promotions for Women in Construction Week - by Cassandra Lopez

Women in Construction Week focuses on helping to build careers, build lives and build the future for women in construction. NAWIC exists to enhance the success of women in the construction industry and every year dedicates a week in March to do just that. Fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) (PRWEB) December 23, 2005 — The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), www.nawic.org, is pleased to announce the launch of its promotions for the ninth annual Women in Construction (WIC) Week March 5-11, 2006. This week focuses on helping to build careers, build lives and build the future for women in construction. NAWIC exists to enhance the success of women in the construction industry and every year dedicates a week in March to do just that. NAWIC promotes WIC Week nationally to raise awareness of the possibilities the construction industry holds for potential employees. “With the labor shortage the construction industry will soon be facing, we want everyone to see how important the industry is to our futures,” says Kara Roberson, NAWIC’s communications director. This year’s theme is “NAWIC Builds: Building careers, building lives, building the future.” The theme highlights NAWIC’s brand (“NAWIC Builds … Education … Careers … and Futures”) and the desire to build the lives of all women in the construction industry. NAWIC has close to 200 chapters across the United States. Last year more than 140 of those chapters participated in WIC Week. NAWIC’s Marketing Director, Cassandra Lopez, says, “I was very pleased with the level of participation in 2005 and hope to see one hundred percent participation from all of our chapters in 2006.” Anyone interested in participating in events with local chapters is welcome to contact the National Office at 1(800)552-3506 for more information. WIC Week was created to increase the visibility of women who work in the construction industry through programs like Construction Career Days and Block-Kids. Chapters will be celebrating the week with a variety of activities from award banquets and membership drives, to community service activities and hands-on workshops, all designed to promote construction and the value of women’s contributions to the industry. “Through recognizing women’s contributions to the industry during this week we are able to give back to the community,” says Lopez. About The National Association of Women in Construction Founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1955, NAWIC is an international association serving approximately 5,800 members in nearly 200 chapters in the United States. Questions or bio requests can be directed to Marketing Director Cassandra Lopez at (817) 877-5551. NAWIC’s core purpose is “to enhance the success of women in the construction industry.” Media Contact: Cassandra Lopez, Marketing Director The National Association of Women in Construction 327 S. Adams St. Fort Worth, TX 76104 817-877-5551 www.nawic.org # # #

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Modular Home Industry Leading In Construction Innovations - by Scott Best

Modular homes are becoming more standardized in their over all construction making them more appealing to potential buyers. This standardization, that makes retrofit and repair constructions for the home owner easier and more convenient have made modular homes look even better when it comes time to construct a new home.

With materials for remodeling and repair easily available, those DIY projects are easier to handle. In the early days of modular home construction, many manufacturers used fit and finish materials that didn’t match mainstream construction, materials. They often used materials that were especially designed for fast and machine or special tool construction. Now more and more, because of new innovations in building materials in general, modular home manufacturers are using the same types of tool, equipment and materials that are used in finish for conventional construction methods. None the less, being able to use common materials and supplies has added one more facet to the booming market for modularly constructed homes.

The two very different methods of construction have actually closed the gap between themselves in that with the development of new tools and equipment that started out only being used in modular home construction facilities have now found their way into use in virtually every facet of both modular and conventionally construction methods. Contractors and developers seeing the benefits of those once thought of as only modular concepts now help to aid in the over all efficiency of conventional construction as well.

Contractors like the idea of the quicker methods of framing used in modular factories. Many of the new tools and fastener systems that were developed for factory constructed homes are now common items found at conventional home construction sites.

Many years ago, as new fasteners and finish materials started to emerge into the modular construction industry, they often didn’t meet the standards set down for conventional construction methods. Not to say there was any thing wrong with how modular homes were constructed; it was more an issue of how the construction process was handled and what types of materials and fasteners needed to be used under varying construction methods. Inside factory setting vs. outside exposed to the elements conventional construction.

As time progressed and the modular construction industry enhanced, improved and developed new materials, equipment, fasteners and methods, the gap between the standards closed. Today, many types of fast, yet durable methods of construction that were once only used in modular construction are not regularly used in conventional construction.

What was once done only with hammer and nails is now done with nail guns and glue. Nail gun and brad nailers were once exclusively used in the modular home construction industry. But as the types of equipment and strength of fasteners improved, they became increasingly popular in the conventional construction trade as well. The increase in speed and durability added greatly to the effectiveness of conventional construction.

Not only were faster durable framing techniques born from the modular housing industry, but also many other aspects of home construction as well. From drywall, electrical and plumbing all the way through to the fit and finish of cabinetry in some manner or fashion today employ methods that were first proven in the modular home construction industry.

So today, with the gap between the two methods, material and construction wise ever closing and the gap in costs still significant, modular homes are becoming a better choice for many homes buyers, with good reason

New methods and techniques are always on the horizon and the modular home industry, being in the forefront , always looking for ways to improve, will certainly bring to light new ideas and innovations that will only make modular homes even more durable, affordable and appealing to home buyers

Scott Best is a freelance writer in association with http://newmodularinfo.com
Read more of his articles at http://newmodularinfo.com/articles/

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Modular Home Construction vs. Traditional Home Construction - by Greg Ryan

Advances in technology and building processes have opened up a world of endless possibilities for modular home construction, providing strong competition with traditional home building. Highly controlled factory warehouses, similar to automobile factories provide a safe environment for modular home construction. Weather conditions are not a detriment to the materials, and quality control is located at each station for providing adherence to some of the highest standards for home construction in the business. Compare the benefits of modular home construction over traditionally built homes.

What are the differences between modular home construction and traditional home construction?

With modular home construction, materials are purchased in bulk directly from the supplier often at great savings, eliminating the middleman. Contractors using traditional construction purchase site-specific materials through building supply stores, increasing the cost of materials due to overhead and transportation.

Modular construction takes place primarily indoors, increasing efficiency and savings to the customer. Weather, theft and vandalism affect a stick-built construction site, plaguing customers with weather damaged materials and loss with traditional home construction.

Lot preparation can occur simultaneously with modular home construction, reducing the overall amount of time and money needed for completion. With traditional home construction, lot preparation takes place first, before any building can begin. Weather and contractor scheduling affect the duration of this process, thus extending the cost of material replacement and labor.

In modular home construction, strength and quality of the home exceeds on-site stick-built homes due to the requirement of moving the home from the factory to the home site. Traditional home construction uses 25% to 30% less lumber and nails/glue, along with less overall insulation than modular home construction.

Modular homes undergo rigorous inspection, following not only state and local codes, but also careful quality control at each stage of construction in the factory with modular home construction. Stick-built construction follows state and local building codes only. Inspectors are not on-site throughout the building process.

Find out more about modular homes at the Modular Homes Network. Find a modular home builder located near you.

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