Getting in
Like the idea of working on a building site?
There are loads of jobs that are needed when a building is being constructed from plasterers to project managers.
Jobs range from organising and planning to the practical.
Key facts
- More people with traditional skills like stonemasonry, lime plastering, carpentry and thatching are needed to help restore and upgrade existing historic buildings.
- An additional 179,000 jobs in construction will be created by 2021. (Source: CITB)
- The latest data, released by the ONS shows that the total amount of female construction workers increased to 277,000 in December 2015. When records began in 1978, women made up 11.9% of the sector’s workforce. These latest figures show this has increased to 19.9%. The rate at which female workers were taken on by construction firms was also faster than for men. (Source: CITB/ONS)
Routes into this sector
There are various types of qualifications available at different levels.
- GCSEs in English, maths, science, design and technology are all useful subject to get you into this sector.
- At 16 you could do A Levels, which are general academic subjects or develop your knowledge and skills for this sector through an apprenticeship/traineeship or through a vocational qualification.
- At 18 or 19 you could do a higher education/degree level course, with 8 out of 10 A Level students choosing this pathway and half of all BTEC National students. However there are also other routes into your chosen career - through apprenticeships and vocational qualifications.
There are jobs in this sector which require few qualifications where you will receive training on the job through an apprenticeship or vocational course at a college, but for jobs like town planner you will have to do a degree.
Use the Course Search
Use the relevant search options on our Course Search to find college and university courses as well as vacancies for apprenticeships.
More help finding courses and training
- To find out more about the qualifications needed in this sector visit Go Construct,
- To find out what A levels could be useful for studying construction at university.
- To find out whether there is an apprenticeship training course related to construction that might suit you.
- To search for an apprenticeship vacancy available now related to construction, across England (you need a vacancy to be able to apply)
- To find apprenticeship vacancies near you. There are other ways to look for an apprenticeship too.
- To find a vocational course related to construction at a college (also check the college's website to get the latest list of courses)
- To find an university level course related to construction.
Do a free, short, online course to find out more (looks great on your CV too!)
Future Learn have lots of free, short, online courses that will improve your knowledge of this job sector and improve your chances of landing your dream job. See what construction related courses are on offer.