The Architecture and Construction Career Cluster includes rapidly advancing fields of study. The construction industry is one of the largest industries in the United States.

The Architecture and Construction Career Cluster includes careers that encompass all aspects of designing, planning, managing, building, and maintaining the built environment—from skyscrapers to highways. Jobs in this field typically require solid math skills and attention to detail. 

Career Pathways

This career cluster has three career pathways to guide students to their desired occupation in architecture and construction.

• Design and Pre-Construction
• Construction
• Maintenance and Operations

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Teacher Resources

To help students learn more about careers in architecture and construction, download and distribute the Architecture and Construction College and Career Planning Guide. The guide makes an excellent critical reading assignment for students enrolled in an Architecture and Construction practicum course.

There are five practicums within the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster. Be sure to bookmark the related TEKS for each practicum course so you can review them before you create the outline of training.

Each course is recommended for students in grade 12 as part of a coherent sequence and can be taken for two to three credits.

Click each course title below to learn about the five practicums in the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster.

All five practicum courses in the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster are designed to be capstone experiences. 

To take the Practicum in Masonry Technology course, students must first complete Masonry Technology II.

To take the Practicum in Construction Management course, students must first complete Construction Management II.

To take the Practicum in Construction Technology course, students must first complete Construction Technology II.

To take the Practicum in Architectural Design course, students must first complete Architectural Design II.

To take the Practicum in Interior Design course, students must first complete Interior Design II.

You should always discuss safety and legal considerations with training sponsors when developing a student's training plan. Typically, the responsibilities for these considerations are organized as follows:

• Training sponsors provide job-specific safety training. A good training sponsor will direct the teacher-coordinator and the student to appropriate resources for learning more about occupation-specific safety and legal considerations.

   

• Teacher-coordinators are responsible for providing general safety instruction to all students and for ensuring that all training takes place

   

In Section 5, you learned about and bookmarked The Child Labor Bulletin No. 101 (WH-1330) to find out about hazardous occupations. However, the activities and occupations listed in WH-1330 are not the only ones that present safety concerns. Obviously, safety and legal considerations will be different depending on the individual occupation. However, even within a single sector, safety and legal considerations may vary depending on the specific occupation. For example, considerations for plumbers will vary from those for electricians and carpenters. It is a good idea to assign students to research and report on specific safety considerations for their job or industry.

Pre-Employment Requirements

As a teacher-coordinator, it is important to learn whether a student's training station requires any special testing or permits prior to employment. For occupations in the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster the most common pre-employment requirements for student workers are:

• drug testing;
• background checks;
• OSHA 10-hour training for construction; and
• OSHA 10-hour training for general industry.

To promote educational excellence in career and technical education, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) launched the Texas CTE Resource Center.

 

 

 

 

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Take a moment to bookmark the Texas CTE Resource Center website. Later, be sure to explore curriculum guidelines and instructional resources for the AFNR Career Cluster.

Career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) provide students with additional opportunities to acquire and demonstrate skills and abilities related to their chosen career field. The CTSOs most related to careers in the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster are SkillsUSA and the Technology Student Association (TSA). Students pursuing careers in interior design may also be interested in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) CTSO.

 

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Take a few moments to bookmark the CTSO websites below to explore later. 

SkillsUSA
Texas Technology Student Association (TSA)
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)

 

 

Get involved in at least one career and technical education (CTE) professional association. They are excellent sources of career cluster-specific teaching tools, ideas, networking, and mentors.

There are several professional association related to careers in architecture and construction, including those listed below. You may also want to check with your colleagues for advice.

 

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Take a moment to bookmark the links to explore later.

Texas Industrial Vocational Association (TIVA)
Texas Technology and Engineering Educators (TTEE)
Family and Consumer Science Teachers Association of Texas (FCSTAT)
Texas Business and Technology Educators Association (TBTEA)