Construction

Introduction to Careers in Construction

Construction offers a range of well-paid, highly skilled jobs with plenty of opportunity for career progression. Projects within construction can include housing, general infrastructure, transport, water, energy, flooding, communications and even film-set construction.

Construction in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire has a booming construction industry. The 11 councils which make up Hertfordshire are planning to deliver 100,000 new homes by 2031, and plans are underway to invest into transport, infrastructure, schools, healthcare and more. With a spurt of new job opportunities set to arise from major development zones across the region (such as Hemel Garden Communities and Harlow and Gilston Garden Town), as well as projects needed to support construction’s role in reducing carbon emissions, it’s an exciting time to be working in the sector.

Here are some examples of Construction projects in Hertfordshire that you might be familiar with...

Hertfordshire is home to a large number of construction employers ranging from large multi-national organisations including BAM, Morgan Sindall, Clarion Housing, Willmott Dixon, Align (the organisation responsible for HS2), Kier, AECOM, Skanska and Volker Vessels and smaller businesses who might operate in specialist areas such as Hertfordshire Building Control, MCP Property Maintenance, Green Building Design and AVV Solutions who specialise in building restoration.

There is also huge construction demand from London, as well as other areas close by, that will draw on the Hertfordshire workforce. The construction industry also needs finance experts and administrators, sales, marketing and customer service support, human resources specialists and employees experienced in buying (procurement) and supply chain (logistics).

Many workers within this industry are self-employed. To find out more about setting up in self-employment visit our Enterprise page.

Business start up HOP page

Hear from some of our Hertfordshire residents who have established their careers within the Construction industry in our HOP into Construction video:

Careers in the Construction Industry

GO CONSTRUCT'S ULTIMATE QUIZ- Take this quiz to find out which construction personality type you are.

Job roles

Use the Go Construct career explorer tool which helps you find the right job roles which match your skills within the construction industry.

Then take a look at some job roles in the Construction and Trade Industries.  Use our careers directory to explore the main tasks within job roles and discover average salaries, learn about which qualifications you should consider studying and explore the current job and apprenticeship vacancies in Hertfordshire.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are one way to start a career in Construction. Traditional and specialist apprenticeships cover a range of occupations, from groundworks and plant maintenance to civil engineering and joinery.

Meanwhile, those with a flair for being organised could help make sure projects run on time and within budget, liaise with suppliers, or assist a civil engineer with design plans.

A selection of apprenticeships include:

• Domestic electrician - install and maintain electrical services within a domestic setting
• Construction support technician - working in an office or on a construction site
• Lightning protective operative - install and maintain lightning protection and earthing systems
• Fire safety engineer (degree) - provide specialist fire-related information across construction
• Landscape professional - design and maintain spaces of both natural and built environment
• Stonemason - install new natural sustainable and ethically sourced stone in building projects
• Town planning assistant - work with and provide support to chartered town planners
• Building Services Design Technician - designing, installing and maintaining building services
• Chartered Surveyor - providing professional advice to clients on land, property or construction
• Architect - working on the design of new buildings and the redesign of existing buildings
• Bricklayer - laying bricks, blocks and other building components within construction

You can find out more about all approved construction apprenticeship qualifications through the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

Go to our HOP pages on Apprenticeships for more information on how to become an apprentice. 

This link from Services for Young people features employers that offer apprenticeship schemes or other types of programmes for school and college leavers in building and construction on a national level.