Is construction a good apprenticeship choice?

[MattCharlton91]

Trade all the way. Especially trades such as bricklaying, as from what Ive seen on site, a lot of the workforce is 40/45+ so not a great deal of youngblood coming into the wet trades as such. So the way I see it, by the time he qualifies and gains the experience, all the older boys will be leaving the game, leaving the youngblood to pave the way and earn some bloody decent poke if he can graft.

Also might be worth looking at alternate trades such as Fencing/landscaping, groundworks, and timber frame. I'm a fencer and have been since leaving school, I love it! Yes its bloody hard work, but it keeps me in a reasonable shape. Im self employed, but get employment with a half decent company, and its entirely possible to be taking home £6/700 a week without breaking your back too much.

[anonymous-user]

I wouldn’t go into IT. It’s what I did and it’s dull. Also, there’s a lot of competition and many of the roles lower down the chain are being commoditised and automated. It’s not a career I’d go into now.

My cousin was a plasterer and it’s not a thing you do into your middle age as it knackers your shoulders, back and arms. I’d look at a specialised trade like plumber, gas engineer or electrician, something that needs qualifications and is in lower supply. I’ve heard brick laying for example pays well at the moment but it’s the first to go during a recession and can depend on the weather. I’m no expert though.

One exciting prospect maybe the HS2 programme. They are about to hire over 2000 apprentices starting this autumn in all sorts of trades including mechanical and electrical engineering. If it were my son, that’s where I’d be focussing my attention.

http://careers.hs2.org.uk/apprentices-and-graduate...

[PorkFan]

The one trade i think that seems to pay well, for what i imagine has very little qualifications, which I imagine to be good at is just a good mix of practice, training, and natural ability, is TIling? (Tileing?) basically laying tiles. you can work for a company, or yourself. Generally indoors (i'm thinking being a bricky in the winter cant be fun)

Other trades I cant imagine need many academic qualifications just practice and training (no offence if im wrong here) are

Welders
Riggers
Crane drivers
window fitting

and if you want to keep fit, Landscaping/gardening
Laying drives

but if he can find something he enjoys, rather than what pays the most, he'll have a happier life.

I went into a trade just over 20 years ago, the idea being that i really wanted to run my own bussiness, but wanted something to fall back on, just in case it never worked out. Because the money is decent and the job is easy, and i now have financial responsibilities, i'm still stuck doing it 20 years later. I don't hate my job, it's fine, but i don't love it, i have no job satisfaction, i don't come home at the end of the day and feel i've done something great......It's just somewhere i have to go that isn't to bad so i can pay my bills at the end of the month.

I cant even imagine what it's like to have a job you love doing, or even one that most of the time is a hard slog, but that one day, whatever youve been doing is done, and finished, and its amazing, works better than anyone expected, looks nicer, fixes a problem thats been around for ever, saves someones life.....well if you have a job like that you're lucky, and if you have a job like that that pays really well then you've won at life

[Squiggs]

Being able to 'do a trade' is one thing - but becoming fully self employed ... or looking further down the road to becoming 'a builder' …. might involve advertising/promoting yourself …. and bookwork, accounts, budgeting and everything else related with running a business!
Depending on how high/low your abilities of 'running a business' skill sets are at will depend on how much 'extra' help (extra costs) you might need.
Just trying to point out that having the ability to do a trade won't automatically make it a business.