Seven New Career Pathways (And What Each Role Actually Does)

We've just opened up seven new career pathways across the site — new sectors you can now filter jobs, courses and apprenticeships by, and new short films showing what the work actually looks like. Whether you're leaving school, changing trade or just working out what's out there, here's the plain-English version of each role.

Every pathway below has live vacancies and courses behind it. Browse by sector on the jobs board or the courses page, and watch the films on the Shorts feed.

1. Bricklaying

Courses that lead into it:

• Bricklayer (Level 2) Apprenticeship Standard — Cambridge Regional College · Level 2 · Funded apprenticeship (employer pays)
• Bricklaying Diploma Level 1 — City College Norwich · Level 1 · Free for 16-18

We're adding roles in this pathway weekly — set a job alert and they'll come straight to your inbox.

Browse all Construction vacancies →

Bricklayers build the walls, piers and decorative features that hold a building up. It's hands-on, measurable work — you can see what you built at the end of the day — and it's one of the most in-demand trades on UK sites, with strong self-employment potential once qualified.

How you get in: a Level 2 bricklaying apprenticeship is the standard route (typically two years, paid, one day a week at college). No qualifications needed to start — employers look for reliability, a head for measurements and a genuine interest in the trade.

▶ Watch the short: a day in the life of a bricklaying apprentice

▶ Watch the short: bricklaying apprentice Toby at a training hub

2. Quantity Surveying

Open for applications now:

• Trainee Quantity Surveying Apprenticeship — BTS Special Works, Basildon, Essex · Apprenticeship
• Higher Apprentice Quantity Surveyor (Degree Level 6) — Heidelberg Materials UK, Coalville, Leicestershire · Apprenticeship

Courses that lead into it:

• Level 3 Diploma in Civil Engineering — Cambridge Regional College · Level 3 · Free for 16-18
• Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction T-level — University College Birmingham · Level 3 · Government Funded

Browse all Surveying vacancies →

Quantity surveyors are the money side of construction: pricing jobs, measuring work, managing contracts and making sure projects stay profitable. It's office-and-site mixed, well paid, and one of the fastest routes into a professional construction career without a traditional degree.

How you get in: a quantity surveying apprenticeship (Level 4 or degree-level) lets you earn while you study, or you can go the full-time degree route and join a graduate scheme. Good numeracy and attention to detail matter more than a specific subject.

▶ Watch the short: a day in the life of an apprentice quantity surveyor

▶ Watch the short: quantity surveyor Harry on his day-to-day work

▶ Watch the short: assistant quantity surveyor Joe on a site inspection

3. Rail & Infrastructure

Open for applications now:

• Civil and Structural Engineering Degree Apprenticeship — Cavendish Nuclear (Babcock), Warrington · Apprenticeship
• Apprentice Civil Engineer (Degree Level 6) — Stantec, Manchester · Apprenticeship
• Civil Engineer Degree Apprenticeship — Babcock, Devonport, Plymouth · Apprenticeship

Browse all Civil Engineering vacancies →

Rail is one of the biggest engineering employers in the country — track, signalling, electrification, structures and stations. Roles range from track maintenance and technician work to design and project management, and the sector is investing heavily for decades to come.

How you get in: apprenticeships are the dominant entry route (engineering, track, signalling and business streams), with no university needed. Safety awareness, punctuality and teamwork are what employers screen for hardest.

▶ Watch the short: the range of career paths at Network Rail

▶ Watch the short: starting a rail career after A Levels, no uni

▶ Watch the short: which school subjects actually get used at work

4. Plant Operations & Groundworks

Open for applications now:

• Groundworks Apprenticeship (Level 2) — Groundworks Employer (via training provider), Bideford, Devon · Apprenticeship
• Groundworks Apprentice — Brandwells Construction Company Limited, Bristol · Apprenticeship

Courses that lead into it:

• CPCS Plant Operator Training — NOCN Approved Centres · Short Course · Contact Provider
• Construction Apprenticeship (Groundwork) — The Skills Centre · Level 2 · Government Funded

Browse all Civil Engineering vacancies →

Plant operators run the machines that move the earth — excavators, dumpers, rollers, telehandlers. Groundworkers do the site preparation around them: drainage, kerbs, foundations and concrete. Both are practical, ticket-based careers with strong day rates once you hold the right cards.

How you get in: short commercial training courses leading to CPCS or NPORS cards are the quickest route, often from age 16–18, and many operators start as a groundworker or labourer and progress.

▶ Watch the short: mini digger training and plant operator careers

5. Green Skills & Retrofit

Courses that lead into it:

• Level 2 Award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit — University College Birmingham · Level 2 · Government Funded

We're adding roles in this pathway weekly — set a job alert and they'll come straight to your inbox.

Browse all Construction vacancies →

This is the fastest-growing corner of construction. Retrofit is the work of upgrading the UK's existing homes — insulation, heat pumps, solar, ventilation and energy assessments — to cut bills and carbon. It needs installers, electricians, heating engineers and retrofit assessors, and demand is climbing every year.

How you get in: short courses and skills bootcamps add heat pump, solar and retrofit qualifications to an existing trade, or you can start fresh with an electrification or plumbing apprenticeship. Many routes are funded or heavily discounted.

▶ Watch the short: solar panel installation training in Birmingham

▶ Watch the short: how to become an electrician in the UK

6. Building Services & M&E

Open for applications now:

• Electrical Manufacturing Engineering Apprentice — Bühler UK Limited, London (E16) · Apprenticeship
• Level 3 - Electrical Engineer Apprentice (Control Panel Building) — Interpanel Limited, Burton On Trent · Apprenticeship

Courses that lead into it:

• Plumbing & Domestic Heating Technician (Level 3) Apprenticeship Standard — Cambridge Regional College · Level 3 · Funded apprenticeship (employer pays)
• Building Services Engineering Craftsperson (Level 3) Apprenticeship Standard — Cambridge Regional College · Level 3 · Funded apprenticeship (employer pays)

Browse all Electrical Engineering vacancies →

Mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineers design and install what makes a building work: heating, cooling, power, lighting, water and ventilation. It's technically varied, in short supply, and sits behind almost every new hospital, school and office in the country.

How you get in: building services apprenticeships and degrees, plus technician routes from electrical or plumbing backgrounds. Employers are actively short of people, so school-leaver entry is realistic.

▶ Watch the short: consultancy versus contracting for M&E engineers

7. Quarrying & Aggregates

We're adding roles in this pathway weekly — set a job alert and they'll come straight to your inbox.

Browse all Construction vacancies →

Quarries produce the stone, sand and gravel everything else is built from. Roles include plant operators, weighbridge and lab technicians, maintenance fitters, shotfirers and quarry management — often in rural locations with real progression and a tight-knit workforce.

How you get in: a Level 2 mineral processing or plant operations apprenticeship, or direct entry as a quarry operative with in-house tickets. The Institute of Quarrying offers professional qualifications as you progress.

Where to start this week

• Pick one pathway and read three live vacancies end to end — that tells you more than any careers quiz.
• Check what the entry requirement actually is. Most of the roles above are apprenticeable with no qualifications.
• If you want a plan built around you, run Ask Louis Advanced — it maps your skills against the roles above and gives you a month-by-month route in.

Watch every career film on the Shorts feed, or browse entry-level jobs and apprenticeships by sector.