Building society: civil engineering career guide for graduates

Civil engineers are responsible for designing and constructing the many jaw dropping structures we see both around the UK and worldwide, from “The Shard” and the 2012 Olympic Velodrome - together with the current project to change this into housing and usable space - right through to the Sydney Opera House and the world’s longest sea bridge at Jiaozhou Bay in China.

But civil engineers don’t just only create iconic structures - they are also responsible for maintaining and adapting the infrastructure ‘behind the scenes’ that we depend on every day– our roads, railways and bridges, our energy and water supply, our waste networks and our flood defences.

The UK’s ability to compete in the global race and generate and sustain economic growth depends on these networks functioning effectively - after all there would be little economic activity without energy generation and distribution, a water supply, waste management and the transportation of people and essential goods into and around the UK by rail, road, sea and air. Put simply, infrastructure forms the backbone of society and the economy.