What's involved

Mastic asphalt is a material made from a mixture of limestone and bitumen. When heated it can be spread and formed, before it returns to its original state once it cools down.

Mastic asphalters are the workers who use this material in their daily work and apply it to many different surfaces. 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'll need to enjoy working outdoors although some of the time you'll probably be undercover. Being good with figures is also important as you'll be calculating the correct volumes of asphalt needed for a job.

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.)

£16,000 - £31,000

Progression routes

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)