Construction

Title of qualification achieved at the end of the course

Pearson BTEC Construction and the Built Environment, (L1/2 Tech Award)

What will you learn/How will you be taught?

The course structure is based on 3 Components:

Component 1: Construction technology (written exam 1 hour 30 minutes to be taken May/June Year 11.

Component 2: Construction in practice, (Practical internal assessment).

Component 3: Construction and design.

The lessons are structured as follows (per fortnight):

2 lessons (one per week) of theory (homework will be set in these lessons);

1 double lesson of focussed practical work – developing your designing and practical skills;

4 lessons on extended projects (including Component 2 and 3 Internal Assessments) – these lessons will develop your investigative, design and problem-solving skills.

What does the qualification cover?

The Tech Award gives learners the opportunity to develop sector-specific applied
knowledge and skills through realistic vocational contexts. Learners will have the
opportunity to develop applied knowledge and practical skills in the following areas:
Construction technology (Component 1)
Construction in practice (Component 2)
Construction and design (Component 3)

Components 2 and 3 supports the acquisition of practical skills and techniques used in industry for safe working practices to create a practically constructed outcome to a specification in either brickwork or carpentry and joinery, and, quality control procedures to ensure an aesthetic, well-finished and accurate product. The development and application of skills such as interpreting a brief to extract relevant information that will impact design ideas, principles of design, constraints of design, and sketching skills and techniques.

This Tech Award complements the learning in GCSE programmes such as GCSE Design and Technology by teaching additional and specific skills in either brickwork or carpentry and joinery, and by providing a more applied area of study when looking at the different types of technologies being used in a real-world setting for low-rise construction.

Students should expect no more than 20 hours of practical across the year.

Students will experience a range of hand and computer-based design software and will end up using these skills to complete their Internal Assessments.

There is likely to be an additional cost for PPE if this subject is chosen.

Why study this subject?

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 Study of this sector at Key Stage 4 will complement GCSE study through providing an opportunity for practical application alongside conceptual study. There are also strong opportunities for post-16 progression in this vital sector.