You could take a construction or engineering course at college. This could help you to find a trainee job with a building company.

Courses include:

• construction skills
• skills for engineering
• construction operations

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You could apply for a place on an Engineering Construction Erector Rigger Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

This takes around 3 years to complete and is a mix of on-the-job training and off-site study.

Entry requirements

To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:

• GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, in English and maths

You can apply directly for jobs if you have relevant experience, qualifications and industry safety cards in construction or engineering.

You'll need:

• knowledge of building and construction
• the ability to work well with others
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• physical fitness and endurance
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• physical skills like movement and coordination
• the ability to work well with your hands
• the ability to operate and control equipment
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You'll need to:

• be able to cope with working at height

As a steel erector, you'll:

• follow instructions on engineering plans
• guide steel loads that are being lifted into position
• bolt or weld girders and steel sections together
• fix metal decking, safety rails and netting into place
• operate and work from mobile high access platforms
• dismantle steelwork on demolition jobs

You could work on high rise buildings, on other structures or on a construction site.

Your working environment may be at height, physically demanding, outdoors in all weathers, noisy and cramped.

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