Careers
Brickwork
.jpg) | Mention the construction industry and the bricklayer is probably the job that pops into most people's heads first. What they probably don't know is just how many different materials bricklayers can work with or the different effects they can create. Bricklayers also use a variety of specialist tools to spread and joint mortar and cut bricks or blocks to size. Brickwork demands a considerable amount of pre-planning, calculation and precision analysis of building plans. Bricklayers must understand the effects our climate can have on the building structures to ensure construction safety standards are met. |
Cabinet Making
 | Cabinet makers construct and make the freestanding or fitted furniture in modern or period style that go into our buildings. Main materials used are solid wood, various board materials and veneers. You might enjoy a career in cabinet making if you like to construct things and work with your hands. As a cabinet maker you will have strong maths skills, be good with your hands and have good hand to eye coordination. You must be able to interpret and accurately follow plans, drawings and design specifications. |
Carpentry
 | It is a carpenter's job to fit all the timber components to a building. The work is varied and requires an ability to read and analyse drawings and specifications to make quick and accurate calculations, as well as having the skills to cut and fix the materials. Carpenters work mainly on site preparing and erecting roofs, floors, partitions and internal first and second fixings. Carpenters require good problem solving ability, be flexible, adaptable and enjoy working in a team. |
Electrical Installation
 | An electrician is a person whose job it is to install, repair and maintain electrical equipment and it is often seen as a nice clean job. The work can be challenging both physically and mentally, requiring a fair amount of dexterity and intelligence. The working environments are as varied as they are challenging and include domestic, industrial, commercial, manufacturing and construction. And it's not just about lighting. A whole host of other operations need the skills of an electrician, including heating and control systems. The growth in demand for renewable energy has also increased the need for the electrician's skills in green technologies. |
Industrial Heating
 | Industrial heating as the name suggests involves the installation, service and maintenance of large scale heating and hot water systems in non-domestic locations such as schools, hospitals, hotels, and factories. Whereas the plumber works mainly with copper pipework, the industrial heating fitter uses black iron pipes to convey heating and water supplies. Want a challenging career? Then try the Heating and Ventilating Industry. Working on Industrial and Commercial systems to install a varying range of piped services from steam to hot water heating, hot and cold water, to boosted fire fighting, warm air heating and now to renewable energy schemes. |
Joinery
 | A building isn't all about bricks and mortar. Perhaps you have walked into a shop or store and wondered where all the shelves, counters and general fittings were made. Timber is an essential part of just about every structure, and it is a joiner's job to prepare it and perhaps put it into place. It's a skilled job that utilises special tools, and often involves many different kinds of wood. Components such as windows, doors and stairs are usually made by the joiner in a workshop and transported to the site for installation. You may enjoy being a joiner if you are good with your hands and making things, enjoy working in a team and are precise and accurate in your work. |
Lead Sheetwork
 | Lead sheet is a wonderful material. It can be shaped and moulded to fit any detail, cut apart and rejoined, worked and re-worked, all without affecting its unique long term performance - provided it is in the hands of a skilled well trained individual. Training involves not only practical hands on experience but also the sound theoretical knowledge required for setting out, sizing and fixing lead sheet to properly allow for its natural thermal movement. Lead sheeting is used for many things, including as a weatherproof finish on flat and pitched roofing. The location can range from working on a straight forward house chimney, to a cathedral spire that's entirely waterproofed by lead. Incidentally lead is completely recyclable – over and over again. |
Painting & Decorating
 | Forget all those home makeover TV shows for a minute - much of the work painters and decorators do is nothing like the work carried out in homes! Oil rigs, bridges and steelwork all need heavy-duty coatings. On the other end of the scale, stately homes and plush hotels need painters and decorators who can skilfully apply (expensive!) gold leaf to ornate fixtures and fittings. Painting and Decorating workers need to be able to work out the quantities from on the site measurements or drawings, prepare surfaces, fix wallpaper, apply paints and stain finishes, etc. |
Plastering
 | Most people know one part of the plasterer's work - applying wet finishes to walls, ceilings and floors. This is called solid plastering. That is by no means all they do though. There is also fibrous plastering, which involves making ornamental plasterwork in a workshop or on site - that's the kind you see on the ceilings of decorative buildings. Plasterers need to be good with their hands and have the ability to work neatly and accurately. |
Plumbing Pipework
 | A plumber's life is varied. They may work on new buildings or on the extension or maintenance of existing ones. They read plans to determine the layout of the system and measure and mark out where pipes will be installed, being mindful of other services such as electrical wiring, etc. Installation work includes central heating systems, sanitary systems and drainage systems. Heating systems may be powered using electricity, gas, oil, solid fuel or even solar energy. Maintenance work includes routine servicing and emergency repairs. The plumber uses a range of hand and power tools which are used for cutting, bending and joining pipes. |
Refrigeration
 | Refrigeration and air conditioning engineers provide an essential service to today’s way of living. Engineers install, maintain and service refrigeration and air conditioning equipment of varying sizes and types, mainly in commercial and industrial sites such as supermarkets, food processing factories, office blocks and computer centres. They need a knowledge of electrical components and systems, as air conditioning and refrigeration systems consist of many electrical and electronic components such as motors, thermostats, switches, pumps, fans and compressors. |
Roof Slating & Tiling
 | Roof Slaters and Tilers create a waterproof covering for a building by applying individual natural and man made slates or tiles to a basic timber framework - like the roofs of houses or commercial buildings or shops. Roof Slating and Tiling offers a unique opportunity to develop a practical career in a highly skilled sector within the Construction Industry. Roof Slating and Tiling requires enthusiasm, good hand to eye co-ordination and a high level of commitment to ensure quality of workmanship. Attention to detail is also important as is the ability to read and interpret drawings and plans and calculate amounts of materials required. Roof Slating and Tiling NVQ’s can be undertaken at both NVQ level 2 and level 3 and in Northern Ireland this is undertaken by way of an Employer Led Modern Apprenticeship. |
Wall & Floor Tiling
 | Wall and floor tiling may sound straightforward, but some spectacular results can be achieved by using coloured and textured tiles to decorate the inside of a building. The job is very varied - one week you might be working in a bathroom down the road, the next jetting off abroad to fix huge heavy-duty tiles to a factory interior. Tilers need to be good with their hands, have good measurement skills, an eye for detail and be able to work accurately and neatly. |
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