With National Construction Week (October 6-13) around the corner, the construction sector is brought into the spotlight as a career option.

As the construction industry continues to grow in the region, Steve Slocombe, development manager for Newport Unlimited and South-East Wales local association chairman for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, looks at the reasons for entering the profession, the key skills required, and provides an overview of the kind of projects prospective builders, surveyors and engineers in South Wales could be involved with in the future.

Projects such as the Olympics on a national level, and the regeneration of Newport on a regional level, are creating a massive demand for a wide spectrum of construction skills, meaning that encouraging people into the industry through events such as National Construction Week is more important than ever.

Considering my own career path into the surveying profession, the attraction of a job associated with the construction industry was the unpredictability and challenges that would meet me every day, coupled with the fact that there was always going to be a demand for my skills - buildings and infrastructure will always be required.

The construction and surveying sector makes for an extremely exciting and varied career with a degree of autonomy - if you like predictability, standard hours, and someone else telling you what to do, then choose a different career path.

Moreover, provided you are prepared to use your initiative and get the job done, there are few restraints to personal and career development.

With this in mind, the key personal attributes required for the profession are the ability to be flexible and adapt to change, and the ability to communicate. A scheme or project goes through many processes before it comes to fruition, and many different professions and organisations are involved - accountants, lawyers, engineers, surveyors, local authorities, central government, the general public, community groups - the list is endless. Therefore, the ability to communicate effectively across a broad spectrum is essential.

If you are considering a career in construction the best advice is to undertake in-depth research into the profession and apply for work experience to gain first-hand experience. Organisations such as RICS Wales and the Construction Industry Training Board are always available to provide careers information and advice.

However, if you do enter this profession, what is waiting for you?

Just looking at Newport, as the chief executive of Newport Unlimited, Graham Moore, neatly summed up, "in a nutshell, there is a lot going on". Work at the moment is primarily focused on project delivery to deliver the masterplan for Newport. We have been working extremely closely with our partners, Newport city council, the WDA, and the National Assembly, and after being in operation for nearly three years we have just entered 'delivery' mode.

A footbridge/cycleway has just started which will cross the River Usk in the heart of the city centre, which will create a landmark feature as well as linking the east and west banks of the river, allowing people to walk rather than drive.

In addition, 80,000 sq ft of office development is starting within the next year and a developer has also been chosen to build Newport's first modern city centre apartment buildings at the river's edge, which will create a new living experience in Newport - the first of many.

Also, Modus Corovest Newport has been chosen to redevelop John Frost Square and the bus station and riverbank areas into a new retail experience for Newport. This is just a flavour of what is developing, as west Newport and east Newport also have plans for their progression. For instance, as the Ryder Cup is coming to the Celtic Manor Resort in 2010, an infrastructure plan is being prepared to link all the various city centre projects together seamlessly. Also, a new M4 motorway route is planned which will improve access into South-East Wales.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but if it whets your appetite contact the RICS Contact Centre on 0870 33 1600 or visit www.rics.org/careers