Annual Salary
£19,000 to £36,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Design & planning or Property management or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Design & planning or Property management or go back to all job sectors
Construction plant operators work with machinery and equipment used on building sites.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; away from home
There will be
0.2% more Construction plant operator jobs in 2027.
In your day-to-day job you could:
You could work on a construction site.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, noisy, at height and dirty.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a college course, for example:
These courses will teach you some of the skills you need. Once you finish the course, you could try to find a trainee job with a building company.
You'll usually need:
You could get into this job through a construction plant operator intermediate apprenticeship.
If you want to operate cranes, you could do a lifting technician intermediate apprenticeship.
You'll usually need:
You could find work as a general construction labourer to get some on-site experience. Once you're working, your employer may offer you training in plant operation.
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.
You can find out more about becoming a construction plant operator from Go Construct.
You could move into construction site supervision, site estimating or work in plant hire and equipment sales.
You might become a supervisor or coordinator which involves choosing the right machinery for jobs and assessing new equipment.
You'll need: