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Water, gas, oil, etc.

Gas mains layer

Gas mains layers install and maintain pipelines that supply homes and businesses with gas.

Annual Salary

£18,000 to £26,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

41 to 43 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends; on shifts

1.1%
Future employment

There will be 1.1% fewer Gas mains layer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In your day-to-day duties you may:

  • check technical drawings and plans to trace where you need to dig
  • dig holes by hand or use mechanical digging equipment
  • lay or repair pipes and mains systems
  • connect homes and businesses to the network
  • install and maintain gas pressure control equipment
  • respond to emergency gas escapes
  • fill in holes and repair pavements and gardens at the end of a job

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through an intermediate apprenticeship as a gas industry network operative.

This will usually take 2 years to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a college or training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
Direct application

You could apply directly to work as a trainee gas mains layer. Most employers will expect you to have 3 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, maths and science or engineering.

Experience and qualifications in construction, roadworks, building services engineering or plumbing can be helpful.

You could also move into mains laying from working with another utility, like water.

More information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in the gas industry from [Energy & Utilities Jobs | https://www.energyutilitiesjobs.co.uk/gas/ ].

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With experience, you could become a team leader or site supervisor.

With further training you could move into gas mains or wider utility engineering work, or roadworks and construction.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of building and construction
  • the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
  • knowledge of maths
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to work well with others
  • persistence and determination
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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