Vocational.uk The route, drawn out

Construction & Building

Dry Liner / Interior Systems Installer

Build the internal walls and ceilings of commercial buildings in metal stud and plasterboard.

Strong demand Can go self-employed Level 2 apprenticeship
Typical pay once qualified
£28,000 – £44,000
Training length
2 years
Apprenticeship standard
Interior systems installer
Where to train
233 providers listed

The route, drawn out

DWG 57BA · 5 stops · 2 years to qualify
  1. Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
  2. Year 2 Training continues, pay rises min. £21.2k+
  3. 2 years Fully qualified around £28k
  4. +3–5 years Experienced up to £44k
  5. Then Your own business you set the rate

The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.

What the job is

Interior systems is the commercial side of partitioning: metal framed walls, suspended ceilings, fire-rated and acoustic linings in offices, schools, hospitals and hotels. It is fast, measured work, usually on price, and it is where a lot of the money in fit-out sits.

Because fire and acoustic performance depend on getting details right, competent installers who can read a specification are valued and inspected.

A typical day

  • Set out partitions from drawings and lay out track
  • Install metal stud framing to line, level and plumb
  • Fix plasterboard linings, including fire and acoustic specifications
  • Install suspended ceiling grids and tiles
  • Form openings, bulkheads and service penetrations correctly

How you get in

  • No formal qualifications required for most level 2 apprenticeships
  • Accurate measuring and an understanding of drawings
  • Comfortable working at height on towers and podiums
  • CSCS card for site work

Where it leads

  • Advanced interior systems installer (level 3)
  • Fire stopping and passive fire protection specialism
  • Foreman or contracts supervisor on fit-out projects
  • Self-employed on commercial fit-out contracts

Where to train for this

233 colleges and training providers on our list cover Dry Liner / Interior Systems Installer training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.

East Midlands 15
East of England 18
London 17
North East 14
North West 29
South East 24
South West 18
UK-wide 14
West Midlands 21
Yorkshire and the Humber 20
East Scotland 6
North Scotland 7
West Scotland 9
North Wales 2
South Wales 8
West Wales 2
Northern Ireland 6
Channel Islands 2
Isle of Man 1

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