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Tŵr Codi · Myfyrwyr · Students

Meet Codi.

Codi is Welsh for “to build”. She lives in Tŵr Codi, the tallest building in Cylfaa, and she built most of the village. She knows that every home, school and hospital was built by hands like hers, and she's quietly furious that more girls don't know this job is for them too.

This is her Byd: construction in Wales. Real jobs, real pay, and the ways in.

Sort Codi's jobsTake the quiz

Myth busters

What you think you know about construction

"Construction is just labouring."

Wales needs 1,240 extra construction workers a year to 2030. The biggest single needs are 140 technical staff, 130 managers and 60 surveyors.

"There's no big work round here."

Wylfa's new nuclear power station on Ynys Môn needs about 3,000 people on site at peak. The Wrexham and Flintshire Investment Zone plans 5.5m sq ft of new factories.

"Builders don't earn much."

Bricklayers earn £25,000 to £45,000 and quantity surveyors up to £70,000. Many start as apprentices, earning while they learn with no student debt.

"Green jobs aren't in building."

About 230,000 Welsh social homes must meet the new WHQS 2023 standard by 2034: warmer and cheaper to heat. Builders do that work, from insulation to solar panels.

Construction in Wales

The numbers, right now

110,000people work in construction in WalesCITB counted 109,980 in 2025, rising to about 110,840 by 2030. Welsh construction output was worth £7.6bn in 2025.
6,200extra workers Wales needs by 2030That's 1,240 a year on top of normal turnover. Top needs: technical staff, managers, plumbers and heating, carpenters, surveyors.
57,000+retrofit workers short within 10 yearsA 2026 Welsh Government study found today's workforce would meet only 25% of home retrofit demand in 10 years' time.

Jobs and pay

What the jobs pay

Typical yearly pay, with the usual range. Where there's no Welsh figure we use the National Careers Service's.

Apprenticeship

Apprentice

£17ktypical

Range and route

£16,640–£25,000

£8/hr min; about £25k once qualified

Entry Level

Bricklayer

£35ktypical

Range and route

£25,000–£45,000

Level 2/3 apprenticeship or college

Green Role

Heat Pump Eng.

£35ktypical

Range and route

£24,000–£46,000

Plumbing or electrical apprenticeship

Digital Role

BIM Technologist

£38ktypical

Range and route

£25,000–£50,000

Level 3, HNC or Arch. Design Tech degree

Degree Route

Surveyor (QS)

£48ktypical

Range and route

£26,000–£70,000

Degree or QS degree apprenticeship

Degree Route

Civil Engineer

£46ktypical

Range and route

£29,000–£63,000

BEng degree or degree apprenticeship

Codi's card sort

Could it be you?

Here are twelve of Codi's jobs. For each one, decide: could this be me, or not for me? Your shortlist builds up as you go.

  • Bricklayer

    Start at 16

    Builds walls, houses and chimneys from bricks and blocks, reading plans to get every line straight.

    Pay
    £25,000–£45,000
    Way in
    Level 2/3 apprenticeship or college course
    Useful subjects
    Maths, D&T

  • Carpenter & Joiner

    Start at 16

    Makes and fits roofs, floors, stairs, doors and windows, on site or in a workshop.

    Pay
    £24,000–£40,000
    Way in
    Apprenticeship, e.g. Wynne Construction with GLLM
    Useful subjects
    Maths, D&T

  • Electrician

    Start at 16Green

    Wires homes, schools and sites safely, from lights and sockets to solar panels and EV chargers.

    Pay
    £26,000–£45,000
    Way in
    Level 3 electrical apprenticeship
    Useful subjects
    Maths, Science

  • Plumber

    Start at 16

    Fits and fixes water, heating and drainage systems in new and old buildings.

    Pay
    £24,000–£46,000
    Way in
    Level 3 plumbing and heating apprenticeship
    Useful subjects
    Maths, Science, D&T

  • Heat Pump Engineer

    GreenStart at 16

    Installs and services heat pumps that warm homes using heat from the air or ground.

    Pay
    £24,000–£46,000
    Way in
    Plumbing or electrical route, then heat pump course
    Useful subjects
    Maths, Science

  • Scaffolder

    Start at 16

    Puts up the safe frames and platforms everyone else works from, high above the ground.

    Pay
    £25,000–£51,000
    Way in
    Apprenticeship with a scaffolding firm
    Useful subjects
    Maths, PE

  • Domestic Energy Assessor

    GreenDigital

    Surveys homes and works out how energy efficient they are, then suggests upgrades.

    Pay
    £24,000–£35,000
    Way in
    Level 3 energy assessment qualification
    Useful subjects
    Maths, Science, Geography

  • Site Supervisor

    Start at 16

    Runs the day on site: plans the work, keeps everyone safe and checks quality.

    Pay
    £30,000–£60,000
    Way in
    Trade experience plus supervisor training
    Useful subjects
    Maths, English

  • Architectural Technologist

    DigitalDegree route

    Turns ideas into detailed 3D BIM models and drawings that builders work from.

    Pay
    £25,000–£50,000
    Way in
    BSc Architectural Design Technology, Wrexham
    Useful subjects
    Maths, D&T, Art, Computing

  • Quantity Surveyor

    Degree route

    Works out what a build will cost and keeps the budget on track from start to finish.

    Pay
    £26,000–£70,000
    Way in
    BSc or degree apprenticeship, Wrexham University
    Useful subjects
    Maths, Business, English

  • Civil Engineer

    Degree routeGreen

    Designs and builds roads, bridges, flood defences and the ground works for power stations.

    Pay
    £29,000–£63,000
    Way in
    BEng degree apprenticeship, e.g. Jones Bros
    Useful subjects
    Maths, Physics

  • Architect

    Degree routeDigital

    Designs buildings people love to use, from schools to low-carbon homes.

    Pay
    £31,000–£58,000
    Way in
    Architecture degree plus professional training
    Useful subjects
    Art, Maths, D&T

Through every Byd

Green and digital in construction

Building Wales's Low-Carbon Homes.

Wales must hit net zero by 2050. Old homes leak heat, so builders insulate, fit solar and heat pumps, and build new homes that are cheap to run.

Green facts
230ksocial homes to upgrade by 2034

WHQS 2023 asks landlords to make homes warmer and affordable to heat, with full compliance by 31 March 2034.

£107mretrofit fund for social homes

The Optimised Retrofit Programme has £106.75m in 2026–27. At Parc Penrhiw, Ammanford, some bills were cut by half.

20,000new social homes by March 2030

New Welsh Government target, set July 2026. Every home counted must meet energy efficiency standards.

Builders Now Work in 3D.

Modern sites run on tablets, 3D models and drones. If you like computers, gaming or design, construction needs your digital skills as much as your hands.

Digital in construction
  • BIM 3D modelsBuilding Information Modelling puts a whole building into one shared 3D model, so teams spot clashes before anything is built.
  • Drone site surveysDrones map sites, check roofs and track progress from the air, so nobody has to climb up just to take a look.
  • Digital twinsA live digital copy of a building or road, fed by sensors, shows how it is performing and when it needs repairs.
  • Factory-built homes (MMC)Modern methods of construction make frames in factories. ClwydAlyn's Glasdir homes in Ruthin use timber frames made at HMP Berwyn.

Codi's quiz

How much do you know?

Five questions. Everything you need is somewhere on this page.

Routes in

Four ways in

There's no single right way. All four lead to good jobs, and you can switch between them later.

  1. Apprenticeship

    Wynne Construction trains joinery apprentices with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai at Rhos-on-Sea. Jones Bros, Ruthin, has hired 100+ apprentices since 2022, from plant fitters up.

  2. College

    Coleg Cambria (Wrexham and Deeside) teaches bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing and electrical. GLLM teaches the trades, plus heat pump and solar courses at Tŷ Gwyrddfai.

  3. University Degree

    Wrexham University offers BSc Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Building Surveying and Architectural Design Technology. GLLM offers FdEng Civil Engineering.

  4. Higher / Degree Apprenticeship

    Wrexham University and Coleg Cambria run fully funded degree apprenticeships in civil engineering, QS, building surveying and construction management. Jones Bros uses them.

Gemau Cylfaa · The Cylfaa Games

Keep exploring

Job ExplorerFlip all of Codi's job cards, then explore the other nine homes.Which Owl Are You?Eight questions. Find the home in Cylfaa that fits you.The Cylfaa ChallengeReal problems from Welsh businesses, solved by school teams. Ask your teacher.

I rieni · For parents and carers

Construction alerts for your child's next step

Apprenticeships, open days and employer events in North Wales construction, sent when they come up. Unsubscribe any time.

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Sources Where the figures come from