How Do You Start A New Career In Construction?

The construction industry employs around 7% of the world’s working age population, with this in mind there are hundreds of challenges facing this sector. Engineering and construction companies are professional service organisations providing their clients, ‘concept through design’ and the delivery on all kinds of projects into the built environment, this requires a steady stream of construction labourers, site managers, and subcontractors to build them.

Entering the Construction Industry

There are so many routes and opportunities in the construction industry it can be difficult to know where to start.

Apprenticeships – For anyone aged 16+, earn while you learn with access to 100’s of construction apprenticeships to choose from

Work Experience – Shadow experts in fields like carpentry, plumbing, managers, surveyors, engineers, or administrators and the put your knowledge into practice

College Courses – Prepare for a specific career path through further education, such as bricklaying, joinery, carpentry, civil engineering, through to supervisory and management courses

University – Study with experts in your chosen field with access to a range of degrees that will set you up for a career in the construction sector

Identifying relevant roles that suit your skills and/or qualifications will help you be competitive. Remember, all experience is valuable weather you are making a career change or entering the workforce for the first time. We know that most people looking to start their career in construction have very rudimentary knowledge or sometimes no knowledge at all, and that is okay, because there are resources, funding, training, and progression routes provided by the CITB Construction Industry Training Board, which support the skills needs of the British construction sector.


Let us look at a career path and progression – Starting out as a Labourer and working your way up, you could train on the job to be a qualified tradesperson or plant operator. You could also work in demolition – with experience, you could become a site supervisor. If this is for you…

You will need a Labourer card/CSCS Green card.

The Labourer card is designed for a construction labourer who has been employed to conduct various manual labour jobs on construction sites. It allows workers to perform tasks on site at entry-level positions. The CSCS Labourer Card is valid for 5-years.

To apply for your Green CSCS Labourer card you must be 16+ years old and have certain qualifications.

• You must have passed an approved qualification such as the popular one-day CITB Health & Safety Awareness Course. Essential Site Skills deliver this popular course either as classroom training at venues around the UK, or as online learning via Zoom for those who prefer the convenience of online learning. Want to know more? Take a look at, how to get your CSCS Card at essentialsiteskills.co.uk/cscs-cards.

To continue your ongoing learning and development, Essential Site Skills training provider offers a comprehensive range of construction related courses and NVQ qualifications, including CITB Site Safety Plus, UKATA, Fit2Fit, IOSH, NEBOSH, CPCS and NPORS accredited courses, to name a few.

All upcoming public courses can be viewed by month and year online https://essentialsiteskills.co.uk/training-calendar you can book direct online, or you can contact one of our expert training advisors direct: 0115 8970 529 they will assist you find an alternative training location or date, or create bespoke training for your organisation.

Construction training is key to securing a talent pipeline . For further information about Essential Site Skills, our Training Calendar, Courses and NVQs, Apprenticeships, Funding and Grants, E-Learning, Products and Services and more, view online at essentialsiteskills.co.uk.

For all other enquiries please call Head Office: 0115 897 0529.

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