You can do a college course to learn some of the skills you need to get a job as a trainee with a fencing company. Courses include:

• basic construction skills
• carpentry and joinery
• construction plant operations

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You could apply to do a Fencing Installer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This takes up to 2 years to complete and combines training on the job with study off-site.

Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

You can apply directly to employers if you have some experience in a practical job like construction or landscape gardening.

You'll need:

• knowledge of building and construction
• the ability to operate and control equipment
• the ability to work well with others
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with your hands
• to be flexible and open to change
• the ability to organise your time and workload
• customer service skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You'll need to:

• have a good level of fitness

For fencing on construction sites or on Highways Agency contracts, you'll need a Fencing Industry Skills Scheme/Construction Skills Certification Scheme (FISS/CSCS) card.

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

As a fence installer, you could:

• remove old fencing
• check fencing design plans
• measure and lay out new fence lines
• dig post holes using hand tools or a mechanical digger
• position wooden, concrete or metal posts and fix them to a base
• cut fence panels to size and fix them to posts
• apply finishes like paint, staining and weatherproofing
• repair fences and gates

You could work on a construction site, in the countryside or at a client's business.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.