IAC News

The Differences between the Japanese and British Civil Engineering Industries: Career Development & Networking

On September 30, 2022, the JSCE UK Section held a special meeting to discuss the topic above. I will outline a report of the event as the discussions consisted of content that I think will be of use to civil engineers both in Japan and UK.

During the meeting, the attendees discussed what skills are required at each career path level and how to acquire the said skills. In Japan, as illustrated by collective training held for all new employees, there are large-scale initiatives that systematize and collectively carry out the education of new and young personnel. Meanwhile, in UK, it is often the case that the scale of collective education of new and young personnel is either small or non-existent (as I will explain later on in this report, the reason for this is thought to be that employees often do not stick with a single employer for a long time). The Japanese initiative of collective training, which aims to raise the bar and uniform standards, is beneficial in areas such as minimum quality assurance and safety and will seemingly be a strength when exporting infrastructure overseas in the future.

For personnel in the more advanced stages of their career, required skills such as business management capabilities and the ability to learn new skills differ from that of younger personnel. In UK, however, the systematized training of such skills is very rare. For example, while the management skill levels of company executives/directors differ to personnel who do not hold such titles, they improve their skills such as by acquiring an MBA or learning accounting despite being an engineer, with such efforts recognized by their employer or society as a whole.

In Japan, specified employment systems have started to be proposed, and this will also likely impact the civil engineering industry in the future. Specified employment clearly states the job description for each post. In UK, if there is a vacancy or a post for a new project, personnel are chosen based on the job description. Such cases often involve hiring an employee of another company, and so by clearly stipulating the length of the contract according to the project, the end of the recruitment contract comes to a smooth end. This becomes more noticeable the higher up the ladder the position of the post. In UK, while this initiative ensures the smooth movement of human resources, it encourages each individual to take responsibility for their own skills once their career has passed a certain point.

I use the term skills as a one-size-fits-all expression to refer to a wide range of skills from those that can be acquired relatively easily such as through courses to those that must be acquired through experience. With projects becoming more and more complex, the importance of project management is increasing. For example, as methods for acquiring management skills at a time where there are lots of risks such as in executing overseas projects, there is on-the-job training and shadowing for installing good project management sense into personnel during their early days. However, there is basically no immediately effective method. That is why in UK, if there is no relevant personnel within the company, the issue is dealt with by either hiring from outside or by outsourcing. There are many elements of management in Japan that cannot be applied directly to management overseas, such as the need to analyze a draft of a contract from the perspectives of potential risks, etc. Also, given the recent rise of other Asian countries in the international civil engineering marketplace, foreign language proficiency, which enables smooth communication, is an indispensable skill. With the adoption of digital platforms becoming more widespread and job approaches changing, some elements are becoming more convenient for Japanese personnel. If we are to improve project management for overseas projects on a country-wide level in the civil engineering field in the future, JSCE, etc. will need to discuss matters such as how we will increase and enhance human resources across the board.

In addition to skills, networking is also important. In Japan, networking is often done among parties belonging to the same industry, representing one’s company or position. In UK, however, it is also common for individuals to engage in networking. Therefore, networking events consist not only of those aimed at generating business but also those that benefit individuals, such as the meetings and technical workshops of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In UK, projects and policymaking that go beyond existing boundaries, such as collaboration between the civil engineering and electrical industries, are common. It is thought that this smooth networking of personnel beyond different industries is what supports this. For individual networking, the social media platform Linked In is popular in UK and other regions overseas. In UK, to win contracts, ascertaining the needs of other parties through networking is a vital factor in addition to technical capabilities. The fact that connections lead to business or employment opportunities is common in both Japan and UK.

【Reported by Taku Fujiyama, President, JSCE UK Section 】