Road construction operatives construct, repair and maintain roads and lay paving slabs and kerbstones to form pavements and street gutters.
inspects road surfaces for hazards or signs of deterioration, clears mud, weeds and debris from road and spreads grit or salt as requiredcuts away broken road surface with pick or pneumatic drillheats bitumen in bucket, applies it to newly laid asphalt and beats or draws tamper head on asphalt to close jointsspreads bitumen, tar or asphalt and compacts surface using rollerspreads aggregate over road surfaces using shovel and lays markings on road surfaceremoves damaged paving slabs and kerb stones, lays bedding of sand, concrete or mortar on prepared foundation, lays new slabs or stones and fills joints with mortar.
No academic qualifications are required. Training is typically provided on-the-job. All sites are required to have a ‘trained operative’ registered with the Street Workers Qualification Register. Trained operatives are required to attend accredited assessment centres. NVQs/SVQs in Highway Maintenance and Road Building are available at Levels 1 and 2.
Please note all college campuses close for the Christmas break at 12pm on Thursday 11 December 2025 until Monday 5 January 2026.
During the closure, you can still contact us for general enquiries on weekdays from Friday 12 December until Friday 19 December. Our lines will be open between 9am – 4pm during this period, with an earlier finish of 12pm on Friday 19 December.
Should you need any advice or guidance over the Christmas break all key contact information and local support services below.
Key information for the Christmas Break