Civil Engineering Technicians

ANZSCO ID 312212

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
3,200
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
89%
Female Share
12%
Average age
40

Summary

Civil Engineering Technicians conduct tests of construction materials, prepare sketches and tabulations, and assist in estimating costs in support of Civil Engineering Professionals and Engineering Technologists.

Specialisations: Civil Engineering Assistant, Civil Laboratory Technician, Geotechnical Laboratory Technician.

A Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in civil engineering or another relevant field is usually needed to work as a Civil Engineering Technician. Some workers have a university qualification.

Tasks

  • Prepares sketches, charts, tabulations, plans and designs for civil engineering works such as drainage, water supply, sewage reticulation systems, roads, airports, dams and other structures.

  • Performs and directs fieldwork and laboratory testing.

  • Interprets work assignment instructions, applies appropriate procedures and selects equipment.

  • Collects and analyses data and carries out computations.

  • Estimates material costs and ensures finished works are within specifications, regulations and contract provisions.

  • Inspects civil engineering works, and organises and supervises maintenance and repair work.

  • Conducts field and laboratory tests of construction materials and soils, and collects data for traffic surveys.

Characteristics

Job Type
Technicians And Trades Workers
Skill Level
High skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 89% of people employed as Civil Engineering Technicians work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 23 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 44 hours per week in their main job. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
31.1%
2
Public Administration and Safety
30.7%
3
Construction
18.9%
4
Manufacturing
5.0%
5
Other industries
11.8%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

23.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

16.9% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

32.6% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.6% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

13.6% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

3.0% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

2.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.9% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Civil Engineering Technicians All Jobs Average
NSW 23.4 31.6
VIC 16.9 25.6
QLD 32.6 20.0
SA 6.6 7.0
WA 13.6 10.8
TAS 3.0 2.0
NT 2.0 1.0
ACT 1.9 1.9


  • Around 54% of Civil Engineering Technicians live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Queensland has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
40
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
12%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Civil Engineering Technicians is 40 years. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 12% of the workforce. This is 36 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Civil Engineering Technicians All Jobs Average
15-19 1.9 5.0
20-24 8.5 9.3
25-34 26.7 22.9
35-44 22.0 22.0
45-54 20.4 21.6
55-59 9.5 9.0
60-64 7.5 6.0
65 and Over 3.5 4.2
Median Age 40 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in civil engineering or another relevant field is usually needed to work as a Civil Engineering Technician. Some workers have a university qualification.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Resources and Infrastructure Industry VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Civil Engineering Technicians All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 5.3 10.1
Bachelor degree 15.2 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 25.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 28.6 21.1
Year 12 14.3 18.1
Year 11 3.3 4.8
Year 10 and below 7.7 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians who interact well with others, are reliable and provide good customer service.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 55%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 48%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 48%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 46%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 46%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 45%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 45%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 43%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 41%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 41%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 41%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 41%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 39%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 39%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 39%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 39%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 39%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 37%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 73%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 68%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 67%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 64%

    Building and construction

    Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.

  • 60%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 57%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 55%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 51%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 49%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 48%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 47%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 45%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 43%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 39%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 31%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 25%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 25%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 21%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 17%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 14%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 54%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 54%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 54%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 54%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 54%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 54%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 52%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 52%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 50%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 48%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 45%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 45%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 43%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 36%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 77%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 76%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 72%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 71%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 71%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 70%

    Drafting, laying out, and specifying parts

    Detailing and describing how devices, parts or equipment are to be made, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.

  • 69%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 69%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 67%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 66%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 65%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 65%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 61%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 58%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

  • 58%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 56%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 56%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 54%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 52%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 49%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 86%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 76%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 71%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 38%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 33%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 14%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 76%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 67%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 62%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 60%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 57%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 52%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 98%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 91%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 90%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 89%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 87%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 86%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 85%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 85%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 84%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 75%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 75%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 74%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 74%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 73%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 73%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 72%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 71%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 69%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 66%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 65%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 17-3022.00 - Civil Engineering Technicians.


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