What's involved

Highways maintenance, also known as highways operatives and road workers, ensures that roads, pavements and motorway networks throughout the UK are well maintained.

Duties may include building brand new roads or widening, repairing and resurfacing existing roads. The job involves a large amount of outdoor physical work using a range of tools. It might mean working at night or during weekends and can sometimes involve a great deal of travelling.

Working in highways maintenance also requires a good knowledge of health and safety regulations.

Skills required

You need a good level of fitness to work in highways maintenance as the job can be quite physical. You also have to be able to follow written and spoken instructions and work well in a team.

Qualifications required

There are no formal requirements although it would help to have GCSEs in English or Welsh and Maths at A*-C (Applications from students with the Foundation or Intermediate Welsh Baccalaureate are also welcomed).

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

After gaining work experience there are opportunities to progress onto:

• Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Construction Site Supervision Highways and Maintenance Repair
• Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Occupational work supervision, management or technical support areas