OpportunityLuton
All career paths

Groundworks and plant

Be first on site. Operate the machines that get a build moving.

Entry rates rising quickly once you hold plant tickets.

The route

How people get in and grow

Groundworkers and plant operators are needed at the very start of every development. Strong demand and clear ticket-based progression.

  1. 1

    Get site-ready

    A CSCS card gets you on site as a groundworker or labourer.

    Unlocks: CSCS card

  2. 2

    Add a plant ticket

    Accredited plant training lets you operate specific machinery.

    Unlocks: CPCS or NPORS plant ticket

  3. 3

    Specialise

    Build a stack of tickets and experience to lead a gang.

    Unlocks: Multiple plant tickets, supervisory training

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

    38 openings across the places we cover17 different apprenticeshipstypically £17,982 a year(middle of 37 advertised)
    • Supply chain warehouse operative (level 2)
    • Property maintenance operative (level 2)
    • Groundworker (level 2)
    • Carpentry and joinery (level 2)
    See the 38 open at Level 2
  2. Level 3about the same as A levels

    23 openings across the places we cover11 different apprenticeshipstypically £17,500 a year(middle of 23 advertised)
    • International freight forwarding specialist (level 3)
    • Installation and maintenance electrician (level 3)
    • Civil engineering technician (level 3)
    • Surveying technician (level 3)
    See the 23 open at Level 3
  3. Level 4about the same as an HNC

    7 openings across the places we cover4 different apprenticeshipstypically £16,640 a year(middle of 5 advertised)
    • Construction quantity surveying technician (level 4)
    • Civil engineering senior technician (level 4)
    • Construction design and build technician (level 4)
    • Construction site supervisor (level 4)
    See the 7 open at Level 4
  4. Level 6about the same as a bachelors degree

    8 openings across the places we cover5 different apprenticeshipstypically £20,000 a year(middle of 7 advertised)
    • Chartered surveyor (degree) (level 6)
    • Building services engineer (level 6)
    • Civil engineer (level 6)
    • Geospatial mapping and science specialist (degree) (level 6)
    See the 8 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.

Start here

Routes near you

No live routes for this path near you right now. Register for alerts and we will email you the moment a training place, apprenticeship or job that fits opens up nearby.

Register for alerts

Take the first step

Register and we will match you to local routes into groundworks and plant 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.