DWG R1 The trades nobody mentions
Rare trades & hidden gems
School careers advice tends to stop at plumber, electrician and hairdresser. Here are the crafts with a few hundred people left doing them — and the well-paid trades that almost nobody is told exist.
R2 Heritage crafts
Crafts that need new hands
Long apprenticeships, served under a master. Small trades with ageing workforces, so qualified people are genuinely scarce — and most end up self-employed.
Thatcher
Roof in straw and reed — a heritage trade with a waiting list and very few people left doing it.
Farrier
Shoe and care for horses' feet — a legally protected trade with a four-year apprenticeship and no shortage of work.
Cooper
Build and repair the oak casks that whisky matures in — one of the oldest trades still served by a four-year apprenticeship.
Blacksmith
Forge and shape hot metal by hand — architectural ironwork, restoration and bespoke commissions.
Stonemason
Cut, carve and build in natural stone — new-build masonry and the restoration of historic buildings.
Boatbuilder
Build, fit out and repair boats in timber, composite and metal.
R3 Hidden gems
Well paid, short of people, rarely suggested
Not old crafts — modern trades that pay well and struggle to recruit, simply because young people never hear about them.
Wind Turbine Technician
Maintain the turbines powering Britain — offshore and on land. Well paid, in demand, and growing faster than…
- Pay
- £38k–£58k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 2.5 years
Lift & Escalator Engineer
Install, service and repair lifts and escalators — a small, well-paid, highly regulated trade.
- Pay
- £34k–£58k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 4 years
Power Network Craftsperson
Build and maintain the electricity network — overhead lines, underground cables and substations.
- Pay
- £34k–£58k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 3 years
Demolition Operative
Take buildings down safely — a licensed, well-paid trade that most people never consider.
- Pay
- £32k–£48k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1.5 years
Insulation & Retrofit Installer
Insulate existing homes — cavity, loft, external wall and floor. The trade at the centre of the national…
- Pay
- £28k–£42k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1.5 years
Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Engineer
Install and maintain cooling, air conditioning and heat pump systems in shops, offices, data centres and food…
- Pay
- £33k–£52k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 3 years
Dental Technician
Make the crowns, dentures, bridges and braces that dentists fit — precision craft work in a laboratory.
- Pay
- £27k–£42k
- Level
- L5
- Train
- 3 years
Funeral Team Member
Care for the deceased and their families — steady, respected work that never stops being needed.
- Pay
- £24k–£34k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1 year
Scaffolder
Erect, adapt and dismantle the temporary structures every other trade works from.
- Pay
- £33k–£50k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1.5 years
Agricultural & Plant Service Engineer
Maintain tractors, combines, excavators and the machinery farming and construction depend on.
- Pay
- £31k–£50k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 3 years