Road worker

Road workers build, maintain, improve and repair roads. They work as part of a gang and may have responsibility for a specialised task. They use a variety of tools and materials.

Work activities

Road workers build and maintain roads, carry out improvements like road widening, and repair potholes and cracks in road surfaces. Road workers clear and dig out areas of road to be surfaced using a range of equipment, such as mechanical diggers and hand tools like picks, rakes, spades and shovels. When the surface is clear, they mix surfacing materials such as concrete or tarmac and spread it in layers. When the layers have set, they flatten the new surface using mechanical or hand rollers. The work also involves repairing roadside fences and barriers and central reservations. They may also put up road signs, plant and maintain hedges and grass, mark roads using paint-distributing machines and spread grit or sand on icy roads in winter. Road workers may also lay kerbstones and paving slabs.

Being able to read, write and speak Welsh may be an advantage when you’re looking for work in Wales.

Personal qualities and skills

As a road worker, you’ll need:

• To be physically fit as the work requires a lot of bending and lifting.
• Good teamworking skills as you’ll be working closely with others.
• To be able to understand instructions and carry them out.
• Some experience of operating heavy machinery.
• Awareness of the importance of health and safety in this industry.

As you may have to travel around locally to work, you will usually need a driving licence.

This job might not be suitable for people who have skin conditions, such as eczema, or breathing complaints, such as asthma.

Pay and opportunities

The pay rates given are approximate. Road workers start on £18,000 per year, rising to £35,000 with experience.

Road workers work a long, 45-47-hour week. Overtime is often available, and you may need to work evenings, nights, and at weekends.

Employers are local authorities, specialist road repairing contractors, and civil engineering companies. Opportunities for road workers occur with employers in towns, cities and rural areas throughout the UK.

What’s happening in this work area?

Construction is an industry dominated by small firms. Employment levels are projected to grow steadily, as there is an urgent need for more housing over the coming decades. The construction industry is one of the most male-dominated industries. Women account for only one in 10 of all jobs. The industry is actively trying to change this. Full-time working remains the main method of working.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised on all the major job boards, and on the Government’s Find a Job and Find an Apprenticeship services.

Entry routes and training

You won’t usually need any qualifications to become a road worker. An intermediate apprenticeship in the role of road surfacing operative is a great way into this career path.

Training is mainly on-the-job and covers basic skills in surfacing materials, street masonry and plant maintenance.

Experienced road workers could move into supervisory positions following training.

Qualifications

If you wish to enter this career through an apprenticeship, you will need GCSEs in maths and English, although you may be able to complete these alongside your programme.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Related skills gained in the construction industry, for example, as a building operative, are useful.

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