Explore & Discover

Role Description

You'll make metal products from flat sheets like ducting, pipes, panels and storage tanks. You could be working with anything from aluminium sheets for street signs to steel panels for car bodies.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• marking out sections following engineering drawings and instructions
• shaping and cutting out sections using hand tools and Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines, like laser cutters, presses and rollers
• finishing items with grinders and polishers
• assembling sections using riveting, welding and bolting methods

In heavy industry, where you might be known as a plater, you could build structures like ship hulls or drilling platforms using thicker metal plate.

Role Training

There are no set entry requirements.

Experience or a college qualification in engineering will be helpful.

You'll also need a Client Contractor National Safety Group (CCNSG) Safety Passport to work on most engineering construction sites.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board has more information about careers in metal working.

With experience, you could be promoted to site supervisor or foreperson, then into middle management. 

You could also become an engineering technician with further training or move into welding.

Role Description

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• planning where to put insulation 
• deciding what materials to use for a particular job 
• preparing and cleaning surfaces to be insulated
• measuring and cutting insulation materials to size
• fitting insulation using clips, adhesives or cement
• sealing the work area after completing an installation

Role Training

There are no set requirements. You could move into this role with related industry experience, like working with air conditioning.

You could also get into this job through an apprenticeship.

The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association has more information on becoming a thermal insulation engineer.

With experience, you could move into a technical, supervisory or managerial role, like foreperson, site safety officer or contracts manager. 

You could also move into a related area, like heating and ventilation engineering or air-conditioning and refrigeration.

Role Description

Your day-to-day tasks could include:

• measuring the work area and setting out the first rows of bricks (courses) and the damp course
• mixing mortar by hand or with a mechanical mixer
• laying the bricks on top of each other and applying the mortar with a trowel
• shaping and trimming bricks using hammers, chisels and power tools
• checking that courses are straight using spirit levels and plumb lines
• You'll work on a particular section of a building alongside other bricklayers on larger jobs.

Role Training

Some employers may expect you to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in maths and English. 

You'll also need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card.

Labouring or experience on a building site would be helpful.

You could complete a college course, but this isn't essential.

You could get a bursary, if you want to work in heritage conservation.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Go Construct has more information on becoming a bricklayer.

Role Description

Entry requirements

There are no set requirements but some employers may expect you to have a degree. Relevant subjects include:

advertising
media and communications
digital marketing
journalism
public relations
business management
You could get into this job without a degree if you have the skills and experience in areas like marketing, advertising or PR. 

You can do college courses in social media and business. 

You could also start as an assistant manager and work your way up. 

You’ll usually need some knowledge and experience of social media. To get experience you could:

manage your own social media profiles
volunteer to manage social media for a charitable organisation
ask to get involved in social media sites of the company you already work for
You’ll need excellent IT skills as you’ll be using social media software and tools. You’ll also need knowledge of search engine optimisation (SEO) methods and ‘key’ or ‘searched for’ words to drive more users to your social media site.

Experience of graphic design and digital editing software can help. You can use these skills to make your social media posts better by adding videos, photos and infographics.

You could get into this job through a creative and digital media apprenticeship.

iCould has a video interview with a social media assistant.

Skills required

You’ll need:

an eye for detail and the ability to work accurately
the ability to deal with more than one task at a time
creativity
presentation skills
an analytical approach to data
writing skills

What you'll do

You’ll monitor and upload content to sites like:

Facebook and Twitter
Instagram and Pinterest
YouTube and Vine
Your day-to-day duties may include:

updating social media sites
writing blogs, articles and posts
responding to social media posts and developing discussions
checking online for company mentions and customer feedback
searching for interesting posts, news and articles to attract site visitors
overseeing competitions and campaigns promoting your company
taking part in conferences and group chat relevant to your industry or company
educating other staff on social media use
promoting social media use within your company
developing strategies to increase your audience
using social media tools like Hootsuite, TweetDeck or Buffer to manage multiple sites
using web tracking tools like Google Analytics, Social Report or Bitly

Salary

Starter: £23,000

Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000

Highly Experienced: £75,000 (head social media manager)

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work normal office hours, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may need to work evenings and weekends when working on a campaign or with deadlines.

If you’re freelance, you may work longer hours depending on the needs of your clients and the amount of work you take on.

You’ll be based in an office and spend a lot of time working on a computer. You may also attend meetings and make presentations about your work to clients or colleagues.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into managing social media for larger companies or progress to a senior or head social media manager job.

Role Description

You'll need

• excellent driving skills and knowledge of traffic regulations
• good customer service and clear communication skills
• an assertive but polite approach to difficult passengers
• good geographical knowledge
• If you travel abroad, you'll also need an understanding of overseas traffic laws and some basic foreign language skills.

What you'll do

• You could work for local bus companies, long distance operators, or holiday tour companies in the UK or overseas.
• You could also work in community transport, driving schoolchildren, hospital patients and older people to their destinations.

Your day-to-day duties may include:

• taking fares
• checking tickets and passes
• giving timetable or route information
• helping passengers who are having difficulty getting on or off the vehicle
• driving safely and keeping to timetables
• If you're a coach driver, your duties may also include:
• greeting passengers and checking documents
• loading and unloading luggage
• making announcements during the journey
• making sure passengers are back on board for return journeys, and after scheduled stops
• keeping the coach clean and doing basic vehicle checks
• recording driving hours and reporting any incidents
• If you drive to overseas destinations, you’ll need to keep passengers up to date with travel information and deal with border control authorities.

Role Training

You'll need a:

• Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence
• Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), also known as a Driver Qualification Card (DQC)
• For some jobs you’ll also need a digital tachograph card
  

You'll usually apply to bus or coach companies and train on the job. Before you start training, most employers will expect you to:

• be at least 18 (21 if you want to drive a bus or coach abroad)
• have held a full driving licence for at least 12 months

Role Description

You’ll usually specialise in a particular type of environment, like marine or coastal areas. 

You could study a specific animal or plant species. 

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• carrying out fieldwork - surveying and recording information on plants, animals, environmental conditions and biodiversity
• researching the impact of human activity, like housing and intensive agriculture, on the environment
• building computer models to predict the effects of development or climate change
• monitoring pollution
• managing wildlife conservation areas, woodland and meadows
• You might also help assess planning proposals and make recommendations on sustainable land use for local authorities, government departments and companies.

Role Training

You’ll usually need a degree in a relevant subject, like:

conservation biology

ecology

ecology and environmental sustainability

ecological science

environmental science

marine biology

zoology

For some jobs, like higher education teaching, research or in areas like ecology consultancy, you’ll also be expected to have, or be working towards, a relevant postgraduate qualification, like a master’s or PhD. 

You could gain work experience and improve your chances of finding work by volunteering.

The Conservation Volunteers, National Trust and Wildlife Trusts have more information on ecology volunteering.

The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and British Ecological Society have more information on becoming an ecologist.

You’ll usually need a driving licence.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but you'll need a good level of general education. GCSEs in English, maths and ICT may be useful.

Experience or a qualification in customer service or contact centre operations could also help.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

excellent customer service skills

the ability to handle and resolve difficult situations

IT and administration skills

accuracy and attention to detail

3. What you'll do

You could work in a variety of organisations like retail, finance, travel or manufacturing, or for a local authority or the government.

Your day-to-day activities may include:

answering customers' questions by phone, email, webchat or face-to-face

giving quotations and checking product availability

selling and taking payment

handling complaints or passing them to a manager

entering customer information onto a computer database

tracking orders and giving refunds

4. Salary

Starter: £12,500

Experienced: up to £18,000

Highly Experienced: £20,000 to £30,000 (team leaders)

You may get a bonus or commission.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work 37 to 40 hours a week, which may include evening and weekend shifts.

You could work in an office or on a customer service desk. You'll spend a lot of your time on the phone and using a computer.

You may need to wear a uniform.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to team leader or customer services manager.

You could also move into sales or account handling.

Role Description

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need a foundation degree, HNC, HND or degree in a relevant subject, like applied chemistry, applied physics, materials engineering, materials science, or technology.

You could also do a degree specialising in a group of materials or their commercial use, like biomaterials, metallurgy, polymer science, or sports and materials science

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship, and then work your way up

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining has information about careers and qualifications in this field.

Skills required

You’ll need:

creative problem-solving skills

maths, science and IT skills

communication and presentation skills

the ability to prioritise and plan effectively

What you'll do

You’ll research materials used in industry, like carbon fibre reinforced plastic, polymers, ceramics or alloys, and test their behaviours under different conditions.

You’ll usually work in a particular area, like metals, coatings or chemicals. 

Your day-to-day duties could include:

researching new ways to combine materials

analysing test data, using computer modelling software

developing prototypes for new products

designing manufacturing processes that use new materials

investigating the reasons behind component or structural failures

supervising a team of technicians

writing reports 

You’ll use non-destructive testing methods to investigate materials, like electrical conductivity, or tolerance to heat or corrosion.

You might work with nanomaterials like graphene and phosphorene, and identify where their properties could be put to use, like in computer electronics or biological sensors.

Salary

Starter: £20,000 to £26,000

Experienced: £26,500 to £40,000

Highly Experienced: over £45,000

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work 35 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, with some overtime to meet deadlines.

You’ll be based in an office, laboratory or manufacturing environment. 

You may have to travel between sites.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into project management or technical sales. You could also specialise in a particular material, or work in research and consultancy.