Road workers, also known as highway operatives, build and maintain roads and motorway networks across the UK. Their work covers:

• re-surfacing
• road widening
• repairing potholes and cracks
• laying pavements and kerbs
• maintaining roadside verges and central reservations.

Other job tasks include:

• mixing and spreading aggregates, tarmac and concrete
• painting road markings
• erecting fences, barriers, road signs, traffic lights and street lamps.

Road workers also dig access trenches for laying cables and pipes used to supply gas, water and telecommunications. In winter, they may also carry out road gritting and snow clearance.

Road workers do some of the work by hand, using picks and shovels, but for heavier jobs they use a range of specialised machinery, such as pneumatic drills, 360-degree excavators and rollers.

Safety plays a major role during a job and workers are responsible for setting up warning signs and cones, as well as managing traffic and pedestrians close to the site.

Hours and Environment

Road workers work 37 hours a week, often with early starts. Overtime during evenings, nights and weekends is common in order to minimise disruption to traffic.

Road workers work outside in all weathers and the work is noisy, dirty and physically demanding. They wear protective clothing, such as ear defenders, safety hats and boots.

The work involves travelling both locally and further afield, and can mean short or long periods away from home. A driving licence will be useful.

Skills and Interests

To be a road worker, you should:

• be physically fit
• have good practical ability
• be able to follow written and verbal instructions
• be able to work as part of a team
• be aware of health and safety issues.

Entry

There are no set entry requirements, but employers tend to want people with some on-site experience. If you have not worked in construction before, then you may want to consider working as a labourer to gain site experience. Once working, the employer may be willing to offer you training (see Training section below).

You can take college courses, which can teach you some of the skills needed for the job but employers may still want to see some experience.

College courses include:

• City & Guilds Basic Skills in Construction: Multi-crafts (6216)
• BTEC First Diploma in Construction
• Intermediate Construction Award (Construction and Civil Engineering Services - Highways Maintenance).

Check with ConstructionSkills and local colleges for details.

You will need to be 18 or over and hold a driving licence to work with plant machinery. You may need an LGV licence for some jobs. See the profile for Construction Plant Operator.

A common route for young people is to train as a construction apprentice. Most apprentices start at 16 to 19, but entry may be possible up to 24 (see  the Training section and ConstructionSkills for details). To be eligible, you may need some GCSE/S grades in maths, English and design and technology or equivalent vocational qualifications, such as Edexcel (BTEC) Introductory Certificate/Diploma in Construction.

ConstructionSkills has information on construction careers and qualifications. See Further Information for details.

Training

You receive on-the-job training with day or block release at local colleges or training providers leading to NVQ/SVQ qualifications. You can work towards one of several NVQ/SVQs, depending on the exact nature of your job. These include:

• Highways Maintenance Level 2
• Construction Operations Level 2
• Construction and Civil Engineering Services (Road Building) Level 2
• Roadbuilding (Construction) Level 2.

These awards contain options covering:

• excavation
• surfacing
• drainage
• laying kerbs and channels
• vehicle barriers
• pavement construction.

ConstructionSkills has details of colleges and training providers offering these qualifications.

NVQs/SVQs for individual utilities (gas, water, and electricity) often include road-working functions. Training is also available in plant operations for road workers who use machinery. See the profiles for utility workers and also Construction Plant Operator.

All roadworks sites must have at least one fully qualified operative present. Qualified operatives register with the Street Works Qualifications Register and receive an identity card. To qualify, you need one of the following:

• City & Guilds award in Streetworks, Excavation and Reinstatement (6156)
• SQA national award in Excavation and Reinstatement
• CABWI award in Street Works Excavation and Reinstatement.

For details on how to register and information on your nearest assessment centres, contact the Street Works Qualifications Register below.

By 2010, workers within the construction sector must hold a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or be registered with an affiliated scheme. Many construction firms and their clients already insist that operatives hold a relevant CSCS card to work on site. To receive a card, a worker must hold an NVQ/SVQ or acceptable equivalent and pass a health and safety assessment.

Apprenticeships may be available for those under the age of 24. In England these are currently Apprenticeships (level 2) and Advanced Apprenticeships (level 3). To find out more about these, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Apprenticeships may be different in other areas. For further information see Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland

Opportunities

Road workers work for private civil engineering companies or for public bodies such as local councils. Work is available across the UK. Many road workers become self-employed, working on a contract basis.

It may be possible to progress to supervisory positions such as 'ganger' or supervisor, or to train for work on specialised plant machinery.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

New entrants can earn between £10,500 to £14,500 a year.
With experience, operatives can earn around £17,500 a year.
Operatives with supervisory duties can earn up to £21,000 a year.

Increases in pay are available with overtime and shift work, and there are usually additional payments for plant machine operators.

Further information

Tel: 0870 8505262 Tel: 0870 417 8777 Bircham Newton
King's Lynn
Norfolk
PE31 6RH
Tel: 01485 577577 Hanover House
24 Douglas Street
Glasgow
G2 7NQ
Tel: 0141 242 2239