Foundation Degree in Construction

 

Are you:

• Currently employed in the construction industry?
• Without formal qualifications?
• Willing to spend one day a week studying for your future?
• Wanting to cash in on a careeer in the constrcution industry and get the benefits described above?

Then consider the foundation degree in construction. The course offers:

• Opportunity to study in the work place, 50% of modules are work based learning modules
• A university tutor allocated to each student to help you complete your studies
• Specialist options avaialbe to reflect your chosen construction career path
• A qualification (and for most students a pay rise) within 2 years
• Progression onto other courses which lead to internationally recognised qualifications of the royal institution of charetered surveyors and chartered institute of building

Can you meet this challenge?

What are the course details?

This course – one of the few Foundation Degrees in construction in the West Midlands – and developed with significant input from a range of construction employers – provides an ideal opportunity to gain a credible foothold in the industry. It doesn’t matter if you have no formal qualifications, because maturity and experience are taken into account when you apply.

This Foundation Degree gives you the key skills and knowledge expected of a trainee/assistant construction professional in subjects such as: construction technology, environmental impact, construction project management, health and safety, effective team-working, and much more. The course allows you to use your existing work skills and knowledge to contribute to your study. If the company you work for is eligible, you may be entitled to financial help from the West Midlands Centre for Constructing Excellence towards the tuition fees.

How could this course help my career?

It could lead to roles such as construction manager, site agent, quantity surveyor, building control officer or building surveyor, to name but a few.

You could also consider topping up your qualification in some cases within just one year of full-time study to a full Honours degree at the University of Wolverhampton, and may lead to membership of key professional bodies such as CIOB and RICS.

What are the entry requirements?

If you have sufficient experience working in the construction sector, and can show you have what it takes to study at this level, you are welcome to apply.

If you have formal qualifications, we accept the following:

• A-Level (A2/Advanced GCE)
• BTEC National Certificate/Diploma
• AVCE (Double award) at ‘DD’
• Access to HE certificate
• Equivalent Level 3 qualifications, eg. NVQ level 3
• Mathematics and English GCSE Grade C or above, or Key Skills

Communication and Application of Number at Level 2, or equivalent levels of attainment.

When do I need to attend?

The course is flexible, and your current work can contribute to your studies. You can study part-time (day/evening) over two years, fitting your course around your regular weekly commitments.

Samples of Modules

YEAR 1

Construction Economics & Statutory Control
Did you know that the UK Construction industry employs 1 in 10 people? Do you know what type of projects need planning permission and what is the difference between outline and detailed permission? This module gives you the answers to these questions and many more.

Construction Project Management 1
Have you ever watched Grand Designs on Channel 4?, most of the projects featured use a Project Manager to successfully manage those schemes – this is where you start to learn those skills.

Environmental Technology
Green is in. So this module will convey the current hot topics of environmental issues, their impacts and alternative environmental technologies available to sustain and improve the urban environment.

Procurement & Practice
What is the agreed contract for delivering the 2012 Olympic Games? Did you know it's NEC3? Learn about how projects are delivered in this module.

Professional development
A work based learning module, which helps you identify, practical examples you have chosen of the big wide world of construction and where you will fit in as you progress up the construction career ladder of opportunity.
It introduces students to the world of their future career and professional destination.

Specialist Options
Study a module, which helps in your quest to become a quantity surveyor, designer or site/project manager. Learn the initial stuff in these modules.

Construction Methods
A work based learning module, which enables you to identify areas of construction, which you work in every day, and identify their good points and bad points and suggest ways for improvement.

YEAR 2

Sustainable Construction Practice
More eco-friendly stuff here in this module. It looks at sustainable construction practices including meeting environmental legislation, the eco impact and design, renewable energy sources and life cycle assessment.

Specialist options
The next step up in your specialist area – learn even more technical skills to help you in your career.

Construction Project Management II
This module builds on the introduction to the art and science of project management and starts to give you project management posers for you to solve.

Group Project
Team working is part of construction life – here you work in a group to deliver a project to a client based on a live site that you will develop for the Client.

Professional Practice
Another opportunity for you to display all those professional skills gained over the course – you pick a work based situation to help you prove those skills do work on live projects.

Work based research project
Ever thought of something in the work place which could be done differently? Here’s your chance to try and suggest improvements in the way something is done in your company – with the help of a University Tutor of course.

Further Information

For any general enquiries regarding the course, please contact Bernadette Quick:
Tel: 01902 32 2251
Email: b.quick@wlv.ac.uk
Visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/sebe