✦ Meet Codi · Your Construction Owl from Cylfaa · owl.wales/students/build ✦

Owl Build Construction Careers in Wales

Owl Adeiladu · Gyrfaoedd Adeiladu

Real jobs. Real salaries. Real Welsh employers. A look inside one of Wales's biggest, most important — and most misunderstood — industries. Curriculum for Wales aligned. Four Purposes mapped.

Year 7 & 8 — expanding to all year groups Curriculum for Wales aligned Live LMI data Bilingual · Dwyieithog Carbon zero connection

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✦ Meet Your Owl

This is Codi.

Codi built every structure in Cylfaa — the village in the hills of Wales where six owls live, each one born knowing one thing. Codi knows construction. She knows every building someone lives in, works in, or learns in was built by hands like hers. And she's quietly furious that more girls don't know this is possible.

This is her sector. Everything below is what she wants you to know. Welcome.

— Codi · Construction · Cylfaa Council

Myth Busters

Everything You Think You Know Is Not The Full Story.

Before we show you anything — what do you already think a career in construction looks like? Probably not this.

The Myth

"It's for people who can't do GCSEs"

The Reality

BIM technicians, quantity surveyors, structural engineers and architects all need strong academic skills. Many roles are degree-level. Construction needs your brain.

The Myth

"It's muddy and outdoors"

The Reality

Thousands work in offices, studios and tech labs designing, planning and managing projects. Architects, BIM technicians and sustainability consultants rarely wear a hard hat.

The Myth

"It's a man's industry"

The Reality

Women are leading projects, running companies and shaping sustainability policy across Welsh construction right now. The green transition needs everyone.

The Myth

"The pay isn't great"

The Reality

A site manager in Wales earns £45–65k. A quantity surveyor can reach £80k+. Skilled retrofit specialists are the most in-demand workers in Wales right now.

Live Labour Market Intelligence — Wales

What Does It Pay?

Real Welsh figures. Not London. Not estimates. What people in your county are actually earning right now.

Apprentice

£14k

Starting — grows fast

Entry Level

Start at 16. No qualifications needed beyond school. Earn while you learn on real Welsh construction sites. Day release to college included.

Quantity Surveyor

£38k

Average Wales 2025

Graduate Route

Manage costs on construction projects. Strong maths essential. Degree or Higher Apprenticeship route available — no student debt option exists.

Site Manager

£52k

Mid-career North Wales

Experienced

Run construction sites, manage teams, oversee safety and programme. HNC/HND or apprenticeship plus experience. Typically 8–10 years to reach this level.

Architect

£44k

Chartered Wales average

Degree Route

5–7 year degree route. Strong maths and art helpful. Designs buildings from concept to completion. Many architects in Wales work on sustainable and heritage projects.

Retrofit Specialist

£42k

Most in-demand role

🌿 Green Job

The hottest job in Welsh construction right now. Heat pump installation, insulation, low-carbon heating. Trades background plus green upskilling. Wales urgently needs thousands.

BIM Technician

£35k

£28,000–£45,000

Digital Role

Uses 3D software to model buildings before they are built. Tech-focused, office-based. HNC/HND or degree. Carbon data is now embedded in every BIM model.

Construction in Wales — Labour Market Snapshot · May 2026

Labour Market Intelligence updated regularly. Source: Welsh Government / Careers Wales LMI.

Jobs in Wales

80,000+

And growing

New jobs needed

Thousands

By 2030

Green economy

£6.9B

Projected Welsh investment

Retrofit demand

29M homes

UK need retrofitting

Explore the Roles

Tap a Role. Find Out More.

🏗️ Site Manager£45–65k▶

Entry Route

Apprenticeship or HNC/HND

Helpful GCSEs

Maths, English, Science

Based In

On site across Wales

🌿 Carbon zero connection: Site managers in Wales now monitor embodied carbon on every project — tracking the environmental impact of every material used before net zero 2050.

📐 Architect£35–65k▶

Entry Route

Architecture degree (5–7 years)

Helpful GCSEs

Maths, Art, Physics

Based In

Studio + site visits

🌿 Carbon zero connection: Welsh architects are designing the next generation of net zero homes — buildings that produce as much energy as they consume.

💷 Quantity Surveyor£30–80k+▶

Entry Route

Degree or Higher Apprenticeship

Helpful GCSEs

Maths, Business, ICT

Based In

Office + site

🌿 Carbon zero connection: QSs now calculate carbon costs alongside financial costs — every material has an embodied carbon price that must be managed.

⚡ Retrofit Specialist£38–50k▶

Entry Route

Trades background + green upskilling

Helpful GCSEs

Maths, Science, Technology

Based In

Homes across Wales

🌿 Carbon zero connection: THE most in-demand role in Welsh construction right now. Heat pump installers and insulation specialists are directly delivering Wales's net zero future.

💻 BIM Technician£28–45k▶

Entry Route

HNC/HND or Degree

Helpful GCSEs

Maths, ICT, Design Tech

Based In

Office / hybrid

🌿 Carbon zero connection: BIM models now include carbon data — every element of a building is tracked for its environmental impact before a single brick is laid.

⚡ Play & Learn

Sort the Cards with Codi.

Codi has 48 real Welsh construction roles in her wings. Sort them in 5 minutes. Find the one that fits you. Then become a citizen of her sector in Cylfaa.

🎴 Coming Soon

Codi's Card Game launches with the full Cylfaa Challenge · autumn 2026

Test Yourself

How Much Do You Know?

Question 1 of 5

Your Routes In — Curriculum for Wales Aligned

How Do You Get There?

Options not prescription. Both vocational and academic routes lead to great careers in construction. The architecture is built for all year groups — from Year 7 through to sixth form and FE.

🎓

Apprenticeship

Start at 16. Earn while you learn. CITB Cymru offers construction apprenticeships across North Wales. Real sites, real pay, no student debt.

🏫

T Level at College

Coleg Cambria offers Construction T Levels at 16. Equivalent to 3 A Levels. Industry placements built in. Fast route into a career or degree.

🎯

University Degree

Wrexham University offers Civil Engineering, Architecture and Quantity Surveying. Some roles need a degree. Some don't. Both paths are valid.

⚡

Higher Apprenticeship

Degree-level qualification without student debt. Employers like Wynne Construction offer these in Wales. Full salary AND a degree.

Pathway to Carbon Zero · Wales 2050

Construction Is Building Wales's Green Future.

Wales has committed to net zero by 2050. That means every building being built right now needs to be part of the solution. Construction workers are at the front line of that change. Year 7 students today will be 39 in 2050 — this is your career, your Wales, your future.

40%

Of UK carbon from buildings

Construction workers are the people who fix this. Every building in Wales needs to be part of the net zero commitment.

29M

UK homes need retrofitting

Wales needs thousands of retrofit specialists right now. Heat pump installers and insulation experts — massively in demand.

2050

Wales net zero target

Every construction professional in Wales is now part of that mission. The green jobs of the future are construction jobs.

For Parents · I Rieni

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Parent Alerts — Construction Careers

Enter your details below. You'll receive relevant Welsh construction opportunities as they come up — apprenticeships, vacancies, employer events. Unsubscribe any time. Emails go directly to hello@owl.wales.