New Zealand Diploma in Construction (Level 6)

This qualification prepares aspiring and current construction managers and quantity surveyors with theoretical knowledge and skills for residential and commercial building projects. The qualification assures employers and consumers that projects meet industry standards set by New Zealand legislation and Australian standards.

The program offers small class sizes, industry-experienced tutors, and flexible delivery options for both school leavers and industry professionals to upskill and enhance their career prospects. It also provides numeracy, literacy, and technology support.

Graduates can pursue further tertiary education in construction management or quantity surveying or enter the workforce directly. Due to the labour shortage in the industry and large construction projects in the region, graduates are highly in demand.

You will learn how to:

• understand and apply knowledge of the roles, standard documentation and administrative requirements of the construction industry, and communicate in a construction related context.
• operate within the statutory and regulatory environment as it applies to the construction and design of buildings.
• manage construction and resource allocation, programming and construction activities, for a medium building and for medium and large buildings, understand the principles related to the provision of services.
• evaluate and select materials and finishes for building projects, taking into account environmental aspects of the design and construction techniques to be used.
• apply a broad knowledge of the structure and structural principles for building work including foundations, substructure, the envelope and the interior, and passive fire protection systems for medium and large buildings.
• analyse, select and administer construction contracts including the preparation of a tender submission from trade sections and other financial components and value building works up to and including final account statements.
• work in a team and identify organisational principles in a construction and consulting environment.

Construction Management strand graduates will also be able to:

• develop construction plans and methodologies, for medium buildings.
• create technical sketches to communicate information relevant to the construction project.
• assist with general construction management tasks.

Quantity Surveying strand graduates will also be able to:

• analyse and present feasibility information and preliminary estimates to clients.
• assemble quantity surveying documentation relevant to specialist and specific trade sections and measure a schedule of quantities for a small building of an individual trade section including services.
• collate all priced components into a tender submission for medium and large buildings using tender process knowledge.

Entry Requirements

• A minimum of 50 NCEA credits at Level 2 including 12 credits in Maths and a minimum of 12 Literacy credits at NCEA Level 1; or
• Equivalent knowledge, skills, work experience or study.

Any applicants whose first language is not English may be required to provide evidence of an overall IELTS (Academic) band score of 6 (with no score below 5.5 in speaking, reading, writing and listening) or equivalent.

Education Pathways

This diploma is suitable for candidates from a variety of educational backgrounds including school leavers. There are no specific qualification pathways leading to this Diploma, however achievement of NCEA Level 2 standards from the Construction and Infrastructure Vocational Pathways may be useful.

Graduates of the New Zealand Diploma in Construction with the strand in Construction Management (Level 6) will be able to work as a:

• Construction Management technician

Graduates of the New Zealand Diploma in Construction with the strand in Quantity Surveying (Level 6) will be able to work as a:

• Quantity Surveyor

Graduates of this qualification may wish to undertake further tertiary study at diploma or degree level in the field of Construction Management or Quantity Surveying.

Additional Expenses

• Scale ruler with 1:1, 1:100, 1:20, 1:200, 1:5, 1:50, 1:1250 and 1:2500 scales
• HB Pencils or equivalent
• Provisions for note-taking and filing
• PPE (available through Blackwoods with your WITT ID Card)
• Safety Boots - steel capped
• Eraser
• Calculator (ideally with trigonometry)
• Coloured pencils
• Hi Viz jacket
• Helmet

Laptops

Students will need to bring their own laptop. We recommend a device capable of running Microsoft based software. The exact system requirements should be based on the heaviest software you will need to run the prgrammes listed below. Computer retailers will be able to advise a suitable device for your requirements.

• CM - MS Project