Plan Reading Fundamentals For Construction And Engineering Training

Learning Outcomes

• Identify and interpret common symbols, abbreviations, and notations used in construction and engineering plans.
• Apply appropriate scales and measurement techniques to determine dimensions and quantities from plans.
• Analyze plan views (e.g., elevations, sections, and details) to extract relevant information for project tasks.
• Evaluate plan accuracy by cross-referencing different views and checking for consistency.
• Demonstrate the ability to locate key features such as foundations, structural elements, and services on a plan.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for construction and engineering professionals, including site supervisors, technicians, and tradespeople, who need to read and interpret plans as part of their daily responsibilities.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Learners apply plan reading skills through hands-on exercises using real construction drawings. They practice identifying symbols, measuring dimensions, and interpreting different views to reinforce theoretical concepts.

Practical Activities

• Practical 1: Drawing Conventions and Symbol Identification — Learners work in pairs with a set of sample construction drawings to identify and label various symbols, line types, and abbreviations. (1h)
• Practical 2: Scaling and Measurement Exercise — Using a scale ruler and set of scaled drawings, learners measure actual dimensions and verify against given dimensions. (1h)
• Practical 3: Plan and Elevation Interpretation — Learners analyse a complete set of drawings (floor plan, elevations, and section) to answer questions about building layout and construction details. (1h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.