Apprenticeship glossary

Civil engineering

What does Civil engineering mean?

Designing and building infrastructure like roads, railways, bridges and water systems. Network Rail and Balfour Beatty both offer civil engineering apprenticeships.

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Industry Construction and infrastructure apprenticeships Planning, building and looking after the roads, railways, bridges, buildings and power and water networks the country runs on.
Chartered Surveyor
A professional title for surveyors. Some construction degree apprenticeships, like quantity surveying routes, are designed to lead to it.
Quantity surveyor
Someone who manages the costs of a construction project, from estimates to final accounts. Balfour Beatty and Morgan Sindall both offer quantity surveying apprenticeships.
Apprentice
Someone doing an apprenticeship: an employee who is paid to work and train towards a recognised qualification at the same time.
Apprenticeship
A real, paid job where you also train towards a recognised qualification. In England at least 20% of your normal working hours are spent training, and you don't pay tuition fees.
Clearing
The UCAS process for finding a university place after results day if you don't have one. Apprenticeships don't use Clearing: you apply to each employer directly.
Closing date
The last day you can apply for a role. Some employers close early once they've had enough applications, so don't leave it to the last minute.

Definitions are our own plain-English summaries. Where we give figures, they come from the official sources listed on the linked guide or profile. Rules can change, so check the official source before you make decisions.