Road worker
Road workers build, repair and resurface roads, dual carriageways and motorways.
Also known as: Road construction operative, highways operative
- Starter salary£23,000 a year
- Experienced£36,000 a year
- Typical hours45 to 47 a week
What you'll do
As a road worker, you could:
- operate power tools and plant machinery
- build and maintain roads, tunnels, drains and pathways
- repair potholes and resurface damaged highways
- maintain roadside verges and central reservations
- paint road markings, and put up traffic lights and road signs
- dig trenches to install or repair cables and pipes
- grit roads and clear snow in winter
Working environment
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, physically demanding, dirty and noisy.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- knowledge of building and construction
- knowledge of public safety and security
- the ability to work well with others
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- physical fitness and endurance
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- customer service skills
- the ability to operate and control equipment
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become a road worker
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
College
You could take a college course to get some of the skills needed for this job. Courses include:
- construction skills
- highways maintenance - excavation operations
- construction and civil engineering operations
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do a Road Surfacing Operative, or Highways Maintenance Skilled Operative, Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.
These apprenticeships take between a year and 6 months and 2 years to complete.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
Direct application
You may be able to apply for jobs if you've got experience in other areas of construction, like labouring and groundwork, or from operating plant machinery, like mechanical diggers.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- be over 18 years of age
- have a full driving licence
You may need to join the Street Works Qualifications Register and get a safety card, depending on your job.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could be a road works team supervisor, known as a 'ganger'.
You could do further training to become a highways technician or electrician, designing and installing street lighting, traffic signals and road safety measures. You could also become a highways inspector, checking for road damage and the quality of repair works.
Another option is to move into the wider construction industry or work as a self-employed contractor.
Guides for this industry
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