SECTOR Construction & Building
Construction & Building
Build, fit out and repair everything from houses to hospitals.
Construction is the UK's biggest employer of apprentices, and the trade most short of them. The industry needs tens of thousands of new recruits a year just to stand still, which is why employers will train you from nothing and pay you while they do it.
Most trades start at level 2 over two years, on a mix of site work and block release at a college. Once you have your card and a few years behind you, going self-employed or starting your own firm is normal rather than ambitious.
19 Trades in this sector
Bricklayer
Lay brick, block and stone to build the structure of houses, extensions and commercial buildings — one of the…
- Pay
- £30k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Carpenter & Joiner
Cut, fit and fix timber — from roofs and studwork on site to staircases and doors made in a workshop.
- Pay
- £29k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Civil Engineering Technician
Support the design and construction of roads, bridges, water networks and rail — on site and in the office.
- Pay
- £28k–£48k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 2 years
Construction Plant Operative
Operate excavators, dumpers, rollers and telehandlers on construction and civils sites.
- Pay
- £30k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1.5 years
Construction Site Supervisor
Run the day-to-day of a site: programme, people, safety, quality and materials.
- Pay
- £38k–£60k
- Level
- L4
- Train
- 2 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
Dry Liner / Interior Systems Installer
Build the internal walls and ceilings of commercial buildings in metal stud and plasterboard.
- Pay
- £28k–£44k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Groundworker
The first trade on site: dig, drain, concrete and lay the foundations everything else sits on.
- Pay
- £28k–£42k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1.5 years
Highways Maintenance Operative
Repair, resurface and maintain roads, footways and drainage on the network.
- Pay
- £27k–£40k
- 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
Painter & Decorator
Prepare, paint, paper and finish interiors and exteriors — the last trade on site and the one everyone sees.
- Pay
- £26k–£38k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Plasterer
Finish walls and ceilings with plaster and render — the trade that decides whether a room looks right.
- Pay
- £28k–£42k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Quantity Surveying Technician
Measure, cost and control the money on construction projects.
- Pay
- £30k–£60k
- Level
- L4
- Train
- 2 years
Roofer
Cover, weatherproof and repair roofs in slate, tile, felt, single-ply or lead.
- Pay
- £29k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Scaffolder
Erect, adapt and dismantle the temporary structures every other trade works from.
- Pay
- £33k–£50k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1.5 years
Stonemason
Cut, carve and build in natural stone — new-build masonry and the restoration of historic buildings.
- Pay
- £27k–£42k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Thatcher
Roof in straw and reed — a heritage trade with a waiting list and very few people left doing it.
- Pay
- £28k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Wall & Floor Tiler
Set out and fix ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tiles in kitchens, bathrooms and commercial spaces.
- Pay
- £27k–£42k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Window & Door (Fenestration) Installer
Survey, fit and finish windows, doors and curtain walling in homes and commercial buildings.
- Pay
- £27k–£40k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1.5 years