Construction

At Gable Hall we offer BTEC Tech Award in Construction and the Built Environment at KS4.

Who is this qualification for? - The Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Construction and the Built Environment is ideal for you if you are a pre-16 student working at level 1 or level 2 and would like to find out more about construction. This course offers a practical introduction to life and work in the construction industry. The qualification, which is 120 GLH, is the same size and level as a GCSE.

The construction industry - The construction industry is one of the UK’s most important sectors. In 2018 it employed, directly or indirectly, around 2.4 million people and accounted for £117 bn of the value to the UK economy. The range of jobs available is large, covering traditional craft trades, large civil engineering infrastructure projects, housebuilding, design and consultancy, and the professions such as architecture, management and surveying.

What does the qualification cover? - This course will give you the opportunity to develop knowledge and technical skills in a practical learning environment. You will develop your knowledge of construction methods, materials and design, applying mathematical and scientific principles to solve problems in a construction context. You will also develop key skills, such as planning work, interpreting technical information and designing to meet a client brief. you will get the opportunity to apply hand skills, safely use tools, measure and check the quality of work completed.

Everyone taking this qualification will study three components, covering the following content areas:

1. Construction technology: Understanding common types of construction used to build low- rise buildings, material technologies and the essential maths and science that Designers and Builders use day-to-day, sustainability and how buildings’ sub-structures and superstructures are constructed.
2. Practical craft skills: covering the principles of safe working, selecting and using materials and tools, planning work in trades in either carpentry or brickwork and evaluating the quality of work produced.
3. Construction and design: exploring how the design of different building can meet their function, and how to practically design buildings to meet the needs of the clients and the environment, including the various constraints on the design. Learners will be able to integrate knowledge across the qualification into their response to a design brief.

Where will this take me? - Once you have completed the qualification, you will have developed a practical understanding of the construction industry. You will have built useful skills, which are not generally covered in GCSE courses, and you will have developed a good understanding of whether the construction industry is for you, and if so, which part of it you might want to study further.

If you decide to go on to further study of construction, the best option for you will depend on the grades you have achieved in this and the other qualifications you have taken, and what you enjoy doing. You could progress to a Level 2 Technical Certificate or to a Level 3 programme, such as A Levels, a T Level or a BTEC National, either on its own or in combination with A levels.

What other subjects go well with Construction? - This course builds on and uses the knowledge and skills you learn in your GCSEs, particularly in Design and Technology, Mathematics and the sciences. It can also be complementary learning for Information Technology. This course is different from studying GCSEs, as, by taking
part in different types of designing and building activities, it gives you the opportunity to apply your knowledge, skills and the techniques you learn in practical ways.

Assessment Overview

With a Tech Award you will:

• Get a taste of what a sector is like.
• Gain transferable skills and confidence that will help them in the world today and prepare them for their futures.
• Receive an introduction to vocational study.
• Have opportunities to apply learning from their GCSE subjects to every day and work contexts.
• Build applied knowledge and skills that show an aptitude for further learning, both in the sector and more widely.

Embedding learning through application - Tech Award qualifications are designed to help learners:

• Explore what it’s like to work in the sector and gain the underpinning knowledge and skills required to work in it.
• Develop key knowledge, skills and behaviours, and learn about essential tools, techniques, and equipment.
• Apply their learning to real-life contexts and vocational scenarios in both learning and assessment.