What's involved

Specialist contractors use a wide range of techniques, materials & equipment to carry out diverse drilling works. These range from initial ground investigation to various forms of geotechnical processes such as grouting and anchoring.

Other drilling activities, such as waterwells, geothermal and landfill, also come under the land drilling remit. These works are conducted from the surface or occasionally underground (such as tunnels or confined spaces) almost anywhere in thegreenfield, brownfield and built environment.

Skills required

Land drilling is physical work, so good fitness is important. You'll also need to be precise, accurate, and able to follow instructions and enjoy working outdoors in all weather conditions.

As a land drilling operative you may get the opportunity to travel around and sometimes work overseas.

Qualifications required

There are no specific academic requirements to train as a land drilling operative, although Standard Grades in Maths and English will be helpful for the calculations, measurements and theory.

The preferred minimum age for new recruits will be 18 years of age upwards due to the nature and responsibilities of the work.

Salary ranges

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

£25,000 - £30,000

Progression routes

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

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)