Civil Engineering Construction Technology Essential Skills

Prepare construction schedule from detailed drawings and structural features of highways, bridges, or drawings maps used in civil engineering projects. Use knowledge of heavy civil construction processes, procedures, uses of building materials, aggregates and engineering practices to work in the construction of roadways, municipal and state infrastructure, underground utilities, energy, horizontal site development, materials production and application, and construction of water and wastewater infrastructures.

Sample of Reported Job Titles

Construction Project Engineer, Project Manager, Project Foreman, Associate Heavy Civil Engineer, Field Engineer, Construction Project Manager, Estimator, Heavy Civil Construction Pipe Layer, Heavy Civil Construction Pipe Foreman, Horizontal Construction Superintendent, Paving Superintendent, Underground Utilities Drilling Manager, Bridge Superintendent/Project Manager.

Tasks

Identify the different types of heavy civil construction projects that include earth moving operations, transportation, infrastructure, utility installation, material production, transportation, water and wastewater plant work, and site development;
Learn and describe the regulations that impact employee job site safety;
Demonstrate the ability to read and interpret construction documents including drawings, details, materials, specifications, quality standards and apply to field work;
Demonstrate pipe work installation skills using different pipe products;
Explain the importance of pipe work as it relates to underground infrastructure;
Interpret blueprints, benchmarks, elevations, scaling, survey, and apply this information in civil construction projects;
Explain material production and uses for asphalt, concrete, aggregates, and precast as well as modes for transporting these products;
Acquire leadership skills, business communications, basic construction finance to become both an internal and external leader for an organization;
Differentiate heavy equipment types based on usage, weight, classification, safety, and maintenance;
Demonstrate skills in quality control using best practice, inspection methods involving civil construction projects;
Keep accurate notes, records, sketches, daily reports, field books, and sketches to describe and verify the planned work as well as the completed work that they will incorporate in the project's record documents
Follow all Company Policies/Procedures regarding security, discrimination & harassment-free environment, compliance to Code of Ethics, Business Conduct.

Tools Used In This Occupation

Tape measurers: 25’ – 300’
Engineering ruler
Foot/scale ruler
Hammers: carpenter, sledge
Dirt work hand tools
Grade rods
Johnson auto levels kit - 200'
Pad laser
Concrete tools, hand floats trowels
Concrete vibrator
Concrete mixer
Construction site PPE
Traffic safety equipment
Fall protection equipment
Trench protective equipment
Jump jack tamper
Cutoff saw
Mini excavator
Skid Steer
Backhoe
Drone

Technology Used In This Occupation

Microsoft Office Suite Software
AutoCAD
Pad Laser
Pipe Laser
Total Station
Large format printer
Drone software

Knowledge

Design: Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Building and Construction: Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various roads, bridges, and preparation of vertical construction sites.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, calculus, geometry, statistics, and their applications.
Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Abilities

Ability to lift 50 pounds.
Ability to stand for extended periods of time, and safely maneuver around the nearby presence of various construction equipment and vehicles, on an active construction site.
Prepared to regularly encounter moving mechanical parts, high precarious places, fumes or airborne particles, and a variety of outside weather conditions.
Able to climb temporary or permanent stairs, and ladders.
Able to bend, squat, kneel, crawl, crouch, balance and stoop, reach on a regular basis.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Visualization Comprehension: The ability to communicate using codified hand signals.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

Work Activities

Working on infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, horizontal construction and preparation of vertical construction sites.
Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how equipment, or processes are to be used to construct, assemble, modified, maintained, or used.
Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new construction applications, ideas, processes, or contributions.

Work Context

Electronic Mail: How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Face-to-Face Discussions: How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Outdoors: How often does this job require working outdoors in various environmental conditions?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate: How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Spend Time Standing: How much does this job require standing?
Telephone: How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Work With Work Group or Team: How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Time Pressure: How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
Contact With Others: How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Coordinate or Lead Others: How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
Freedom to Make Decisions: How much decision-making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks: How important is repeating the same physical activities or mental activities over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?

Interests

Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with real-world materials like wood, stones, asphalt, concrete, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually, there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs, and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Work Styles

Attention to Detail: Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability: Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation: Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Analytical Thinking: Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Adaptability/Flexibility: Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Independence: Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Work Values

Support: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Working Conditions: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and outdoor working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety, and Working Conditions.
Achievement: Occupations that satisfy this work value are results-oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.