OpportunityPlatform
All career paths

Electrical and plumbing

Skilled trades that travel anywhere and always have work.

Apprentice rates to start, well-paid once qualified.

The route

How people get in and grow

Electricians and plumbers are among the most sought-after trades. Apprenticeships lead to qualifications recognised across the country.

  1. 1

    Get site-ready

    A CSCS card and basic safety training open the door to site work.

    Unlocks: CSCS card

  2. 2

    Apprentice in a trade

    An electrical or plumbing apprenticeship pays you to learn the trade properly.

    Unlocks: Electrical or plumbing apprenticeship

  3. 3

    Qualify and certify

    An NVQ Level 3 and trade certification let you work unsupervised and lead jobs.

    Unlocks: NVQ Level 3, trade certification

Where this goes

Skilled trades and construction across the places we cover runs from Level 2 (about GCSEs at grade 4 to 9) up to Level 6 (about a bachelors degree). These are the levels people move through, and what is open right now at each one.

  1. Level 2about the same as GCSEs at grade 4 to 9

    35 openings across the places we cover15 different apprenticeshipstypically £17,982 a year(middle of 35 advertised)
    • Property maintenance operative (level 2)
    • Painter and decorator (level 2)
    • Supply chain warehouse operative (level 2)
    • Urban driver (level 2)
    See the 35 open at Level 2
  2. Level 3about the same as A levels

    18 openings across the places we cover11 different apprenticeshipstypically £17,070 a year(middle of 18 advertised)
    • International freight forwarding specialist (level 3)
    • Installation and maintenance electrician (level 3)
    • Surveying technician (level 3)
    • Gas engineering operative (level 3)
    See the 18 open at Level 3
  3. Level 4about the same as an HNC

    5 openings across the places we cover4 different apprenticeshipstypically £16,640 a year(middle of 3 advertised)
    • Construction quantity surveying technician (level 4)
    • Construction design and build technician (level 4)
    • Civil engineering senior technician (level 4)
    • Construction site supervisor (level 4)
    See the 5 open at Level 4
  4. Level 6about the same as a bachelors degree

    3 openings across the places we cover3 different apprenticeships
    • Chartered surveyor (degree) (level 6)
    • Building services engineer (level 6)
    • Geospatial mapping and science specialist (degree) (level 6)
    See the 3 open at Level 6

Levels and apprenticeship standards from the Department for Education Find an apprenticeship service, counted from vacancies open today. Wages are the middle of what employers actually advertised, not a promise about any one job, and they do not always rise with the level: pay depends on the employer and the year as much as the qualification. These are the levels within this line of work, not a guarantee that one apprenticeship leads to the next.

Take the first step

Register and we will match you to local routes into electrical and plumbing and tell you exactly which step you are ready for. Want to think it through first? Ask RORI in the chat at the bottom-right.