On a design and construction management apprenticeship course, your primary role in this profession involves helping guide, oversee, and coordinate the design and/or construction processes for building and infrastructure projects, bridging the gap between designers (such as architects and engineers), construction teams, and project stakeholders.
In your daily activities, apprentices in this field will help collaborate with the project team, including bid management, estimating, pre-construction management, project planning, and programming. On-site, the focus shifts towards construction information management, ensuring the smooth flow of design information to support efficient construction processes, as well as facilitating cost control and the review of constructability.
Apprentices on this course will help develop design proposals aligned with project specifications, manage design information, and relay it to on-site construction teams. You will also prioritise risk assessment in all designs, compliance with health and safety regulations, and adherence to project specifications, budget, and timeline, sometimes necessitating compliance with legal consents and regulations.
What you’ll learn
On a design and construction management apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:
- Recognise, evaluate, and question client requirements and user factors, as well as resource assessment and consideration of environmental impact.
- Identify, manage, and mitigate hazards and risks while integrating health and safety aspects into early-stage design and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
- Assess and guide regulatory and legal prerequisites and limitations, including construction design and management (CDM) and building regulations.
- Prepare, present, and reach agreements on proposals for client briefs, along with developing design schedules aligned with the brief’s requirements.
- Understand the significance of collaborative teamwork and leadership in pursuing common objectives while fostering and sustaining relationships with other stakeholders.
- Generate and manage design-related information and oversee the control of associated documentation.
- Assess and select appropriate materials, components, and systems, devising design solutions and planning related construction activities.
- Choose from various procurement methods and contracts while comprehending their advantages and disadvantages.
- Understand and practice value management, including value engineering, to optimise the project’s cost-effectiveness.
- Grasp the nature of risk and its impact on project management.
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need:
- Five GCSEs at 9-4 (or A*-C on the old grading scale), including English and Maths.
- Level 3 qualifications, such as A-Levels, NVQs, a BTEC or a Level 3 (Advanced) apprenticeship.
Assessment methods
The programme is assessed in various ways before completing the End Point Assessment, including online test, project and professional discussion.
Restrictions and requirements
- Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the end-point assessment.
Duration and level
- Duration: 48 months
-
Level: 6 – Degree Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship standard
More information about the Level 6 Design and Construction Management standard can be found here.
Apprenticeship end point assessment
For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.