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How a Building Design Technician makes a difference

When you imagine a building being constructed, you probably think about its exterior and maybe the shapes of the rooms inside. But there is much more to a building than simply its bricks and mortar.

For a building to really come to life, it needs to be connected to resources and services people use, and to meet safety, security, efficiency, and environmental standards. You could be the technician who designs these resources, services, and standards into many kinds of buildings, giving people a high quality of life.

Useful skills
Attention to detail
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Problem solving
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Precise
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Technologically minded
Skills & attributes

The type of work a Building Design Technician will do

  • Supporting the design of building services system
  • Making sure designs meet the relevant building and environmental standards
  • Capturing data and carrying out calculations to define the best design solution
  • Using data analysis and digital modelling software
  • Understanding the risks involved with different services and controlling the risks within your designs
  • Project management of your designs and proposals
  • Presenting your ideas and solutions to other people

What you can bring to the Building Design Technician role

An interest in architecture and design and creating great environments for people to live and work in.

A talent for producing technical diagrams and drawings.

The ability to absorb detailed information from complex documents and act on what you’ve learned.

What you can bring to the Building Design Technician role

A knack for using technology and creating detailed content on computers.

A thorough approach to your work, whether you’re creating designs or producing written reports.

The confidence to engage in debates and discussions, ask questions and put forward your ideas.

What you can bring to the Building Design Technician role

The skill to think through a problem from different angles before deciding on the best way forward.

This role could also be right for you if you have any of the following interests:

- building, making and fixing things

- art, film, fashion and design

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities for a Building Design Technician

With experience you could become a design engineer, or a site manager with responsibility for overseeing design implementation.

Another option is working in design and construction management and leading a technical team. Alternatively, you could move into a head of facilities position and manage building operations.

How to become a Building Design Technician

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job. But if you're interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:  

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Options available after GCSEs:

More options available after that:

  • A Higher Technical Qualification, such as a Higher National Certificate in Architectural Technology for England.
  • An apprenticeship as a Construction Design and Build Technician.

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

As a building design technician you plan how heating, ventilation and cooling, electrical power, water, and drainage systems all operate in a building. You need to consider comfort and control, safety and security, efficiency and sustainability, and access, to make it easy for systems to be fixed and maintained.

Other job titles...

This role can also be known by some other job titles including:

Building Services Technician
Building Services Engineering Technician

How a CNC Technician makes a difference

Computer numerically controlled (CNC) technicians make precision parts for the engineering and manufacturing industries. That’s the industries that make vehicles, aerospace and defence equipment, machinery, or industrial equipment.

The accuracy of parts is essential to make sure engineered products are stable, safe, and achieve their best performance. You could be the technician who makes the parts that improve how trains, planes, cars, and aerospace equipment performs.

The type of work a CNC Technician will do

  • Programming the CNC machine tool with data from technical drawings
  • Working out the most efficient order to carry out machining tasks
  • Setting the cutting speeds and tolerance levels
  • Operating the machine
  • Assessing work against quality and technical standards
  • Maintaining equipment
Useful skills
Attention to detail
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Logical thinking
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Technologically minded
Skills & attributes

What you can bring to the role

An interest in engineering science and technology.

An enjoyment of using and maintaining machines and tools.

The ability to focus, assess different options and make accurate decisions.

What you can bring to the role

A natural tendency to look at a problem from all angles before deciding on the best way forward.

Confidence using computers and different software.

What you can bring to the role

You could also be right for this role if you have any of the following interests:

- building, making and fixing things

- exploring problems and finding answers

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities for a CNC Technician

The complexity of the parts you produce will increase as you become more experienced and you may be consulted about how to design products, due to your knowledge of how they’re made.

You could progress to leading a team of CNC technicians or become involved in training others.

How to become a CNC Technician

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Options available after GCSEs:

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

You’ll be responsible for machinery, switching it on and off and completing safety checks, before operating it to make precision parts. You will also be responsible for selecting the right tools for each stage of work and making sure the parts you produce are the highest possible performance and safety standards. 

Other job titles...

This role can also be known by some other job titles including:

CNC Machinist

How a CAD Technician makes a difference

Machinery, goods, components, and structures are all developed using computer-aided design (CAD).

CAD brings ideas to life, tests concepts and produces detailed drawings that direct how things need to be made.

There are different software packages for designing different types of product or structure. The accuracy of the drawings produced helps people to imagine what’s possible. You could be the technician who helps to make great ideas a reality.

The type of work a CAD Technician will do

  • Using 2D or 3D software to produce sketches, models and drawings
  • Checking that drawings meet quality and technical standards
  • Finding and fixing inaccuracies or mistakes
  • Communicating with engineers, designers and project managers
  • Reading and interpreting engineers’ drawings
  • Undertaking calculations to work out angles, weights and costs
  • Keeping accurate records of different versions of your design work
Useful skills
Logical thinking
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Critical thinking
Skills & attributes
Useful skills
Technologically minded
Skills & attributes

What you can bring to the CAD Technician role

An interest in design.

Excellent listening and understanding skills.

The ability to think carefully about a subject or idea, ask questions and act on what you’ve learned.

What you can bring to the CAD Technician role

A natural tendency to think about a problem from different angles before deciding on the best way forward.

An enjoyment of collaborating with others.

Confidence with computers and an aptitude for learning how to use new software.

What you can bring to the CAD Technician role

You could also be right for this role if you have any of the following interests:

- art, film, fashion and design

- exploring problems and finding answers

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities for a CAD Technician

You could become a design manager leading a team or project, work as a freelance designer or, with further training, become a design or software engineer.

With experience you could also become an engineer, registering with the Engineering Council to get Engineering Technician status.

How to become a CAD Technician

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Options available after GCSEs:

More options available after that:

  • A Higher Technical Qualification such as a Higher National Certificate in Manufacturing Engineering for England.

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

Building information modelling (BIM) is a growing field of work in the construction industry that you could get involved in. BIM doesn’t produce a single visual of a building, it produces detailed insights on how a building will be used and the resources it requires, at every stage from design through to construction and live operations. This analysis enables more control over the use of resources.

Other job titles...

This role can also be known by some other job titles including:

Design Technician
Structural Technician
BIM Technician
Digital Design Technician
Engineering Design Technician