Who works in construction, and how do the professional, technical and craft roles form a team?
Job roles and careers in construction, grouped into professional, technical and craft roles, and how they work together as the design and build team.
A CCEA GCSE Construction answer on the main job roles in construction, grouped into professional, technical and craft roles, the duties of each, and how the design and build team work together on a project.
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What this dot point is asking
CCEA wants you to know the main job roles and careers in construction, to group them into professional, technical and craft (trade) roles, to state the duties of each, and to explain how they work together as the design and build team that delivers a project from idea to finished building.
The answer
The three groups of roles
Professional roles
The architect designs the building to meet the client's needs, produces the drawings and specifications, and makes sure the design satisfies the building regulations. The civil or structural engineer designs the structure so that it is strong and stable, calculating foundations, beams and loads. The quantity surveyor works out the quantities of materials and the cost, prepares the budget and controls spending throughout the job. The building surveyor inspects existing buildings, reports on their condition and advises on repairs and alterations.
Technical roles
The architectural technician (or technologist) turns the architect's design into detailed working drawings that the trades can build from. The site manager (or site agent) runs the construction site day to day: organising the work, ordering materials, managing the workers, and keeping the job on time, on budget and safe. The estimator prices up the work before it starts so the firm can bid for the contract.
Craft and trade roles
These are the skilled people who carry out the physical work:
- Bricklayer - builds walls and structures from bricks and blocks, laid in mortar.
- Carpenter and joiner - cuts, shapes and fixes timber: floor joists, roof timbers, doors, windows and staircases.
- Plasterer - applies plaster to walls and ceilings to give a smooth finish.
- Electrician - installs and tests wiring, sockets, switches and lighting.
- Plumber - installs water supply, drainage and heating pipework and fittings.
- Painter and decorator - prepares and finishes surfaces with paint, paper and other finishes.
How the team works together
A project usually flows from the client (who wants the building and pays for it), to the design team (architect, engineers, technicians who design it), to the construction team (site manager and the trades who build it), with the quantity surveyor controlling cost throughout. The trades cannot start until the drawings are ready, the drawings must reflect the engineer's structural design, and the whole job must stay within the budget the quantity surveyor manages.
Worked example: matching tasks to roles
Examples in context
- Example 1. Building a new house
- The client describes what they want. The architect designs it and the technician draws it. The structural engineer sizes the foundations and roof. The quantity surveyor prices it. On site, the site manager organises the trades: bricklayers build the walls, carpenters fit the roof and joinery, the plumber and electrician install the services, and the plasterer and decorator finish it.
- Example 2. Ordering materials runs out
- If the bricklayers run out of bricks, work stops. Ordering materials in time is the site manager's responsibility, which shows how a technical role keeps the craft roles working.
- Example 3. A career path
- A learner might start as an apprentice bricklayer (craft), gain experience and qualifications to become a site manager (technical), and study further to become a construction manager or surveyor (professional). The three groups are also a ladder of progression.
Every role depends on clear communication and on the others doing their part. A delay or mistake by one role affects the whole team, which is why drawings, schedules and meetings keep everyone working to the same plan.
Try this
Q1. Name one professional role and one craft role in construction. [2 marks]
- Cue. Professional, for example architect or quantity surveyor; craft, for example bricklayer or electrician.
Q2. State one duty of a site manager. [1 mark]
- Cue. Organising the work, ordering materials, or managing the workers on site.
Q3. Whose job is it to control the cost of a construction project? [1 mark]
- Cue. The quantity surveyor.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA style4 marksName two job roles found on a construction site and state one duty of each.Show worked answer →
Any two clearly different roles, each with a correct duty:
- Site manager: organises and supervises the work on site, orders materials and manages the workers.
- Bricklayer: builds walls and other structures from bricks and blocks using mortar.
Other acceptable pairs include architect (designs the building and produces drawings), quantity surveyor (works out and controls the cost), carpenter or joiner (cuts and fits timber), electrician (installs wiring and fittings), and plumber (installs water and heating pipework).
Markers reward one mark for each correctly named role and one mark for a correct duty, so two roles with duties give the full four marks.
CCEA style6 marksDescribe the role of an architect and the role of a quantity surveyor in a construction project.Show worked answer →
Architect: designs the building to meet the client's needs and the regulations, produces the drawings and specifications, and may oversee the project to check the work matches the design. Reward points for designing, producing drawings or plans, meeting client needs and regulations, and supervising the design.
Quantity surveyor: works out the quantities of materials and the cost of the project, prepares estimates and the bill of quantities, controls spending and values the work as it is completed. Reward points for measuring quantities, estimating and controlling cost, and managing the budget.
Markers reward up to three points for each role, looking for the design role of the architect and the cost-control role of the quantity surveyor.
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