Construction plant operator

Construction plant operators use excavators, dumper trucks, bulldozers and other heavy machinery on building sites.

• Starter salary£25,000 a year
• Experienced£45,000 a year
• Typical hours40 to 48 a week

What you'll do

As a construction plant operator, you could:

• use 180 and 360 degree excavators to dig trenches
• move earth using bulldozers and dumper trucks
• operate a crane, under radio direction from a slinger or signaller
• level out work areas with compactor machines
• operate piling rigs and concrete pumps to create foundations
• use forklifts to unload and move building materials around the site
• change buckets, shovels and other attachments on diggers
• make safety checks on machines

Working environment

You could work on a construction site.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, noisy, at height and dirty.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• the ability to operate and control equipment
• the ability to work well with others
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• knowledge of building and construction
• knowledge of public safety and security
• concentration skills
• the ability to work on your own
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

How to become a construction plant operator

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role
• applying directly

College

You could do a college course in construction plant operations, or a broader course in construction, to learn some of the skills needed for this job.

Courses like these may help you to find a trainee position with a building company.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply for a Construction Plant Operator Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

You could also do a Lifting Technician Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, if you want to work with cranes.

These apprenticeships take between 1 and 2 years to complete. They combine training on the job with learning off site.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

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

Work

You could start work as a general construction labourer or groundworker to get some on-site experience. Once you're working, your employer may offer you training in plant machinery operations.

Direct application

It may be possible to apply directly to employers if you've got experience in construction or operating other types of heavy machinery.

Some employers may ask for GCSEs in subjects like English, maths and design and technology.

Career path and progression

You could move into construction site supervision, site estimating or work in plant hire and equipment sales.

You might become a supervisor or co-ordinator, with responsibility for choosing the right machinery for jobs and assessing new equipment.

Registration

• You'll usually need a Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) card or National Plant Operators Registration Scheme (NPORS) card to work on a site

Guides for this industry

• Construction & Trades: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

• Job roleCrane driver
• Job roleConstruction site supervisor
• Job roleConstruction plant mechanic
• Job roleRail track maintenance worker
• Job roleForklift driver

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0