What's involved

General construction operatives have an extraordinarily wide range of skills, so it's probably no surprise to hear they're well in demand.

With a basic knowledge of building methods and materials, they are involved in projects from start to finish and responsible for the building and reinforcing of excavations with concrete and metal materials.

There are a lot of safety procedures to get to grips with, so they need to follow strict health and safety regulations at all times.

Skills required

You will need a flexible approach to working, have good practical skills and be able to work as part of a team.

As you could be working indoors, outdoors or at great heights, you will need to be happy working anywhere and also physically fit.

Qualifications required

There are no formal requirements although it would help to have Maths and English Standard Grades.

Salary ranges

(This is a guide to the average salary a fully qualified and experienced person might expect to get.)

£15,000 - £24,000

Progression routes

There are opportunities to progress into Plant Operations related to construction operations.

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