Construction

From small cottage conversions to office tower blocks, from footpaths to airports, railways and roads, construction workers of all types strive to improve our living and working conditions and our landscape.

Building and construction may be:

• Residential - from individual houses to large estates and blocks of apartments
• Offices - small offices to large tower blocks
• Prestige projects such as Terminal 5 at Heathrow and Olympic Village
• Railways, roads and airports
• Dams, power stations and offshore installations
• Renovation work on old buildings, churches and cathedrals.

Construction projects are to be found across the UK, and British construction workers are often employed on overseas projects, e.g. building roads, dams, airfields and pipelines. Major contracts are usually operated by large national and international construction groups.

At local level, employers may be medium-sized or small companies or even individual builders. The industry offers employment to people with a wide range of skills from craft workers to engineers. Workers in this industry must be able to work as part of a team and work well alone.

They must be aware of the Health and Safety requirements at all times. Crafts people, such as carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers and electricians may progress to become engineering technicians and construction managers.