Groundworker: Job Profile & Role

To enable the building of a property, groundworkers are in charge of literally doing the necessary groundwork. Be it digging trenches for future foundations, clearing debris, or setting up safety measures and accommodation – these are just a few of the tasks a groundworker is in charge of.

What it actually takes to become a groundworker in the UK is another thing the following blog focuses on. After looking at the required qualifications and skills, we give you some insights into the expected salaries, potential employers, and other daily tasks. To help you become and be the best groundworker there is, we also give you important tips for your continuing professional development and your thriving.

Short Summary

• It is part of your job description to ensure a safe construction site. This entails clearing debris and other potential pitfalls of a building site.
• As a groundworker, you are furthermore tasked with digging trenches that build the foundation of a future building.
• Being a groundworker also means that you are in charge of setting up a site. This can range from setting up safety signs, and huts for all personnel, and putting up barriers to ensure a safe working environment.

Job description

Working as a groundworker is one of the most responsible and important jobs on any building site. You ensure that a construction site is safe for everyone working on it by clearing debris and installing safety measures like erecting barriers. Besides, you are in charge of literally getting a building project off the ground. It is the trenches you dig and the drainage systems you prepare that are the foundations of a new property. By working closely with other labourers, contractors, and subcontractors, you furthermore ensure that project deadlines are being met and all potentially occurring issues are being fixed efficiently and quickly.

Responsibilities

• Concreting
• Trench Digging
• Site Preparation
• Utility Installation
• Foundation Work
• Health and Safety
• Drainage Installation
• Paving and Surfacing
• Providing Excavation Support
• Performing Construction Tasks

Different types of Groundworkers

• Civil Engineering Groundworker
• Site Excavation Groundworker
• Demolition Groundworker
• Drainage Groundworker
• Underpinning Specialist

Salary

Your starting salary as a groundworker in the UK comes in at around ￡27,000. With experience and further valuable training/specialisations, you can then earn up to ￡35,000 annually. How high your annual income is depends on further factors, among which your employer and your location play the most important parts.

The Sky is the Salary Limit

Ok, so this may be a tiny bit OTT, but there is some truth in our rather risqué headline. If you want to work in construction and/or groundwork, we highly recommend that you look for work on large construction sites. Here, budgets tend to be almost limitless, meaning that a) a higher number of groundworkers can be employed (maybe also you) and b) higher salaries are being paid to the workforce.

Working hours

The typical working hours waiting for you as a future groundworker will amount to 40 hours per week. In general, you will work these hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Keep in mind that the start and finish of your working day may vary depending on the seasons, meaning earlier starts and finishes during the summer. Also, you should factor in travel time and overtime. The latter can extend into the evenings and, occasionally, the weekends. Regardless of all these aspects, make sure that you are allocated the appropriate amount of breaks in between. 

Employers

When you look for a job as a groundworker, you will find employment on construction sites. Here, you can apply directly with the construction manager in charge. If you approach your job hunt and consequent employment as a subcontractor, it tends to be the company you are working for that will place you on a building project. That said, you have various sectors to choose from if your future career lies in ground working. Here are some examples: civil engineering, the aforementioned construction, landscaping, housing developers, and local authorities.

Qualifications

If you want to pursue a career in groundworking, you may be pleased to know that you will not need a formal education. This, however, does not mean that you will not benefit from finishing your secondary education. GCSEs, albeit at lower pass grades than required for an academic education or an apprenticeship, will still be a surplus to qualification requirements – especially, if you are thinking about enrolling for a college course. 

If you should decide on an apprenticeship, the mandatory pass grades will be 9 to 4 (A* to C). Besides, what will have the biggest impact on your career trajectory, will be your extensive skill set which we will look at in the following section. Also, bear in mind that above-average IT competencies will go a way towards your proficiency with software, among which are AutoCAD and Civil 3D.

Skills

Having an eye for detail and the highest safety awareness are two of the most important skills a groundworker should have. If this applies to you, you are one step closer to working in this profession. Regardless of that, you still must check which competencies your future employer expects of you. With this in mind, you will now find out three typical skills any job post and employer will be looking for in a groundworker.

Teamwork Skills

A building site tends to be a hive of activity where several professionals and specialists perform various tasks. As a groundworker, you are one vital part of this well-oiled machine, meaning that teamwork skills will be one of your most treasured and valued assets. Make sure that you keep up regular and clear communication with other labourers and subcontractors and ensure that all necessary tasks are delegated to you and your colleagues, respectively. Naturally, teamwork also implies that you jump in when another member of your team needs your help and support.

Manual Dexterity

The job of a groundworker is a manual job which requires a high amount of manual dexterity. Although digging trenches may not sound like finickity work, it involves a certain dexterity and skill for a building to not turn into the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Your manual dexterity is furthermore needed for operating tools and machinery to eliminate the risk of hazards and accidents.

Attention to Environmental Impact

Every building project is an intrusion into nature and the environment. Although it cannot be avoided, any aspect of said project should be as sustainable as possible and cause the utmost minimum of disruptions and intrusions. It befalls you to be aware of every single environmental consideration associated with the building site you are working on. In collaboration with your co-workers, you must ensure that the impact on the surrounding area/environment stays within sustainable lines.

Career Path

Starting with your chosen educational background or your experience on the job, your career as a groundworker can then go in different directions. Assuming that you make the effort to join professional bodies and invest time into training and qualifications, there is no reason why you should not advance to supervisory or even managerial roles. Besides, the job of a groundworker is viable for self-employment. Here, you can either start your own groundworking company or be a sort of travelling salesman/groundworker.

Educational Background

A formal education is not mandatory or necessary to work as a groundworker in the UK. However, you can fast-track and boost your career with the following two educational qualifications: finishing your secondary education and following this up with an appropriate college course. The needed GCSE grades are typically 9 to 3 (A* to D) and must include mathematics and English. Note that pass grades in physics will also be beneficial. With these, you can look into the following college courses and NVQs (National Vocational Qualification):

• Level 2 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Diploma in Groundworks
• Level 2 Certificate in Construction or Groundworks

You can also look into doing an apprenticeship with a construction company or building firm. Here, a level 2 groundworker apprenticeship can be an interesting option for you. Note that this approach requires higher GCSE passes (9 to 4/A* to C).

Entry Level/Training

Your entry-level position in the groundwork can be the practical side of your apprenticeship/college course or your first job on-site. How long you will be in this entry-level position mainly depends on how fast you learn and take on board everything you are being told and shown. With a quick mind, a high level of adaptability, and the willingness to invest in further training and qualifications, you can fast-track your career and turn your attention to more senior jobs in construction work.

Continuous Learning

One absolute must in construction work – and, therefore, for you as a groundworker – is your CSCS card (Construction Skills Certification Scheme). This, you can apply for on the CSCS website. Here, you also get support in finding out which card you have to apply for. Or did you know that the wrong card will result in you being denied access to a construction site? Also, to obtain your CSCS card, you first have to pass your CITB Health, safety and environment test (HS&E). Besides these two qualifications and certifications, you will always benefit from further training offered by official bodies, such as the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). 

A Day in the Life of a Groundworker

While you lay the foundation of a future building, there are some tasks that, in turn, are the foundations of your daily working life. What these may entail is what the following section will be focusing on.

Site Clearance and Setup

You will likely be one of the first people to arrive at a building site. Here, your first task of the day is to clear the site of any debris that may have accumulated during the previous night and to clear any objects that may present a hazard in the working day. After you have taken care of that, you can begin setting up the site. This can include checking that all the safety measures are in place and that all tools and machinery are set out and ready for use.

Task Briefing

It is highly unlikely that you will be the only groundworker on site. Instead, you will be supported by and work with other groundworkers. In task briefings, several chores are allocated to each of you. You and your colleagues must stick to the day’s agenda to avoid disruptions and delays and to ensure that all jobs are done by the end of the day.

Clean-Up

When the day’s tasks have been completed, you can knock off work. Before you do that, you need to clean up. Let’s face it – leaving a messy and hazardous construction site would go against everything your job description outlines. Since you are responsible for clearing and setting up a site before work can start, you are, of course, also in charge of the clean-up at the end of the day.

Tips for Thriving as a Groundworker

While you already have some helpful tips for your continuing professional development, these are by no means the only things that can help you thrive as a groundworker in the UK. It is just as important to focus on your personal development, for example, by looking after yourself and improving your soft skills. What your thriving as a groundworker can entail is what this section is all about:

• Effective and clear communication
• Working on your physical fitness
• Safety prioritisation 

Effective and Clear Communication

Be it your groundworker colleagues, subcontractors, or even the construction managers: upholding and promoting effective and clear communication is vitally important if you want to stay in your job. Therefore, working on this particular skill not only helps you to thrive, it ensures your job safety. You are wondering why? That is fairly easy to explain. If you are not clear in your messages and opinions, no one will be able to follow you or even take you seriously. Also, clear and effective communication is the only way to ensure that jobs are being done efficiently, partly due to the fact that everyone on site knows what to do and in which time frame.

Working on your Physical Fitness

Being a groundworker is one of the most physically challenging jobs. Whether you dig out trenches for foundations, operate heavy machinery, or clear debris off a construction site: muscles and stamina are a requirement if you want to continue working as a groundworker. Although your physical appearance does not need to match that of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday or Chris Evans’ “Captain America”, you will benefit from regular workouts. Building up muscle mass and improving your overall fitness will go a long way towards your career success as a groundworker. Also, it will contribute to your health since job-related strains and tensions will be a thing of the past.

Safety Prioritisation 

One of the most important aspects of your job as a groundworker is to prioritise safety. It does not matter whether your safety awareness is directed towards a clean construction site, tools and machinery that are stored safely and correctly, or that you and your colleagues wear hard hats and more. What is important is that you always put your and everyone else’s safety first. With this, you can drastically reduce the risk of accidents and also contribute to your professionalism and reliability. In short: this tip is a surefire way to thrive as a groundworker in the UK and to advance the career ladder.

Frequently Asked Questions