What's involved

They can be involved in tasks as diverse as drilling, floor/track sawing, bursting, crushing and wire sawing in concrete and masonry materials.

The job involves working in a variety of different types of sites and locations, possibly anywhere in the country or abroad. The sites could also be large and require weeks, and sometimes months, of work and others may only require a half day visit.

Diamond drilling and sawing involves the use of machinery, careful planning, and high levels of safety.

Skills required

If you enjoy variety then this could be the ideal role for you. One day you could be drilling into concrete walls or floors, the next you could be sawing door/window openings. There are a lot of safety procedures to get to grips with, but above all you'll have to be flexible, happy to work indoors or outdoors and at heights.

You'll need to be good at teamwork as you will be relying on other people - and they on you.

Qualifications required

There are no formal qualifications as full training will be given.

Progression routes

Progression from this apprenticeship is varied you can either remain in the role of an operative or work your way up through formal training to be a supervisor, manager or maybe even one day to run your own company.

If you decide to progress into supervisory, design or management roles there are opportunities to study for:

• Technical, supervisory and  management SVQ qualifications (SCQF Levels 6 to11)
• HNC Construction or a number of other built environment HNC/HND qualifications (SCQF Levels 7 or 8)
• Degree level qualifications in a number of construction disciplines (SCQF Levels 9 to 12)

Find out more about this role from an apprentice's point of view.