Careers in construction

Frankie As of 2020, there were almost two million people who work in construction in the UK. To give you an idea of how many people can work on one construction project, it took about 1,450 of those two million workers to help build The Shard.

Emma-Louise That's the UK's tallest building.

Frankie The types of roles that would have been involved include plumbers, carpenters, architects, and chartered surveyors. Let's explore some of these roles most commonly found in the sector in more detail.

Emma-Louise As of 2020, there were just under 86,000 plumbers and heating and ventilating engineers, both with a median pay of approximately £29,500. The projected growth for both roles is high with an increase of 10%, or just under 8,600, additional jobs by 2025.

Frankie There were close to 65,000 carpenters and ers as of 2020, who earn a median salary of around £25,000. But job growth here is a little lower – just under 2,400 more jobs are expected to be available by 2025.

Emma-Louise But not every job involves physical labour. Take a chartered surveyor, for example – that's someone who checks a building for any faults. They survey the building and report back on what the construction team might want to keep in mind as they plan any changes or upgrades to the buildings. They have a median pay of just under £40,000, with nearly 2,000 additional jobs expected by 2025.

Frankie Another role that's pivotal to the construction industry is an architect, who's responsible for deg the building being constructed. Their median pay is around £44,000 and, by 2025, the projected job growth is just under 3,000 jobs.

Emma-Louise Additional jobs you would expect to find on a building site include civil engineers, electricians, and painters and decorators.

Frankie A civil engineer, much like an architect, is someone who s and manages construction projects, but from more of a structural and safety point of view. They earn a median salary of around £44,500 with an expected growth of around 1,700 jobs by 2025.

Emma-Louise Electricians and electrical fitters earn just under £31,000 per year. They do make up the largest portion of the construction workforce, with over 116,000 of them working in the sector in 2020.

Frankie Painters and decorators who are often responsible for putting the finishing touches to any project, earn a median salary of just over £23,000. Career paths into working in construction are as varied as the job roles available.

Emma-Louise You can get into many of the job roles in construction through work experience, apprenticeships and traineeships, as well as the new two-year T-level courses, which are equivalent to three A-levels. It's important to mention that T-levels are currently only available in England. To give you a few specific examples, you can become a structural engineer through a university course, a college course or an apprenticeship. You can find out about course accreditation by professional engineering institutions from the Engineering Council.

Emma-Louise If you're interested in going to university to study for this role, you'll need two or three A-levels or equivalent, including Maths and a Science subject for a degree.

Frankie Alternatively, becoming a bricklayer generally involves less study and you can train through a vocational college course or an apprenticeship.

Emma-Louise So, if you're keen to get into the workforce sooner rather than later, then a career in construction could be right for you.

Frankie Let's hear from some of the professionals working in the sector. "I enjoy how collaborative architecture is. Designs are perfected through teamwork and I appreciate working through problems with my colleagues and the ive and social atmosphere this fosters. Due to the architect usually being the lead member of the design team, they need to have an understanding of all other design professional roles in order to oversee the project."

Emma-Louise Ros works at the Chartered Institute of Building. She says: "This is an exciting time to the construction industry. Technology is transforming the construction industry and making a real difference to people's lives. Environmental sustainability, social value and a safe, healthy, inclusive built environment are also integral to our industry. You can help shape the future and make your mark on how we live, work, exercise, socialise and relax."

Emma-Louise By 2025, with a projected job growth of 7% for the whole sector, adding around 130,000 jobs – there's going to be lots of opportunities in the construction sector.

Frankie Whilst there are some office-based roles, the construction sector can be a good opportunity to work in active roles, often outdoors if that's your scene. Some roles involve a mixture of indoor and outdoor working, so there's lots of variety across the sector.

Emma-Louise There's something for everyone and the skills are highly transferable. So, if you wanted to work in the film industry as a carpenter or an electrician, you can.