Overview

The “Built Environment” is the most visible growth sector, because, quite simply, it’s all around you.

The shed won’t need much –  some planning where it’s going to go, make some kind of a level base, the shed itself chosen, purchased and delivered, and some tools and skills in putting it together and making it waterproof. Maybe a coat of paint.

Housing, schools, factories, ports, airports, shopping centres, even parks – all need to be designed, planned, and built, from the biggest skyscraper to the humble garden shed – it’s just a question of scale, and expertise.

But bigger buildings need years in the planning, design, agreement, lots of different professionals working together to make sure the finished product meets regulations, is safe, is pleasant to work or lie in, and is as environmentally friendly as possible –  it can be a huge, intricate and interesting job.

Every big building or renovation project requires a range of people and skills, such as architects, designers, planners, estimators, sales and marketing teams, accountants, health and safety staff, legal, project managers, as well as tradespeople, to mention just a few. 

These are lots of professional roles with their own qualifications and career paths, providing a rich source of varied and interesting careers, which are often well paid too.

This sector also links closely to the environmental agenda, to ensure we use the best materials and methods to minimise damage to our environment, and also to social planning to help provide structures which are pleasing to the eye and efficient to live and work in.

It’s a whole lot more than just building things!

In the Liverpool City Region about (number from LMI) people work in jobs in this sector –  these jobs are vital to creating and maintaining the infrastructure and buildings to meet the needs of people and businesses in the Region. 

In the Liverpool City Region we have many big developments like Liverpool One and the new Everton Stadium, the new Mersey Gateway Bridge, Glass Futures in St Helens, the new Southport Theatre, Wirral Waters, and many more – we see them being built but don’t see the wide range of interesting and essential activities that happen to make them possible, many of which are done well before the first brick is laid.

For a better list of major projects in the Region have a look at “Building Back Better” on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority website

Working in this field is soften vary varied, moving around between different projects and areas, for example, a project can be a ‘new build’, a renovation or a refurbishment. Larger construction companies specialise in particular ‘markets’ or sectors – for example, healthcare projects such as the New Liverpool Royal Hospital, schools, housing, or industrial developments.

Some businesses work in a range of sectors while other companies provide expertise in just one or two areas, and there are many companies which focus on elements of the work itself, such as architects, estimators, accountants, or other professional roles which may work across a wide range of different projects.

In this sector, the priorities are to ensure that their projects are attractive, safe, sustainable, environmentally appropriate, and completed on time and within budget, and all of these competing priorities need to be negotiated in a way which is acceptable to stakeholders and other users.

This requires liaising with many other organisations, such as local councils, suppliers, sub-contractors, consultants, quantity surveyors, and many other partners all of whom must work together, but all of whom bring different skills and disciplines into the mix and who offer interesting and diverse job opportunities.

So as you can see, this is a very wide and interesting area to work in, offering good salaries and progression routes, to find out more have a look at the videos and links on this site, or contact a careers professional.