You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject about construction.

Subjects that include units on contract law are useful, for example:

• civil or structural engineering
• construction management
• building studies
• quantity surveying

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

You could apply to do a Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship, such as:

• Construction Management
• Design and Construction Management
• Project Controls Professional

These can take between 3 and 4 years to complete and involve on-site training with off-the-job study. After you finish, you can specialise in contract work.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

You may be able to move into contract management after working as an administrator or contracts assistant at a construction company.

Experience and qualifications in quantity surveying or estimating could also be useful.

If you have project management or contract experience from another industry, like civil engineering, you could use this to apply for contract management jobs in construction.

You'll need:

• knowledge of building and construction
• maths knowledge
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• leadership skills
• the ability to use your initiative
• knowledge of engineering science and technology
• the ability to work well with others
• business management skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

You'll need to:

• have a full driving licence

As a construction contracts manager, you would:

• draft plans and estimates for building work
• prepare and present bid documents for tenders
• tell teams, contractors and suppliers what to do
• gather information for invoicing at the end of the project
• supply information to settle contract disagreements
• identify areas for improvement
• manage budgets and timescales

We've identified this as a potential green job

For a construction contracts manager to be a green job, you could:

• include sustainable materials when making plans for building work
• provide training for your team on green construction methods
• aim to achieve green building certificates for construction projects

Find out more about green careers

You could work at a client's business, on a construction site or in an office.