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Students and Apprentices
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Students and Apprentices

An apprenticeship is a great way of developing your skills whilst getting the hands-on experience that employers are looking for.

Gaining an apprenticeship in the drylining and plastering sector can be the first step in a long and successful career.

Dave Hall, our Training Partnerships Director, has shared his top tips on how to land an apprenticeship which could hopefully be the foundation for your successful career within construction.

  1. Call your local college to see if they do training courses in plastering. Ask if you can see the department, they will be more than happy to show you around.
  2. If directed by a college, find out who your local CITB Apprenticeships Officer is. They can provide information and guidance on an apprenticeship in construction, tailored to your personal situation.
  3. Set up job alerts. Recruitment websites offer the option to receive emails when vacancies are posted. The same works for when apprenticeships are posted too.
  4. Use your local newspaper. In today’s digital world we often forget to look at things which have worked well for generations. Your local newspaper is likely to advertise weekly or monthly job adverts, keep an eye on it.
  5. Speak to people you know who have undertaken an apprenticeship, or that know people who have. This may unearth opportunities you hadn’t previously heard of.
  6. Be proactive. You don’t need to wait until a vacancy is advertised to look for an apprenticeship. By calling or writing to a company you can sometimes find hidden opportunities.
  7. Meet the criteria the apprenticeship is looking for and consider this before you apply. This could be skills-based or more formal qualifications like GCSEs.
  8. Check out the Go Construct website which offers insight into what it’s like to be an apprentice. Being prepared means you’re likely to do better when you attend college or workplace interviews.
  9. For plastering and drylining there are many different routes available, with apprenticeships taking anywhere between one and four years. Be prepared to make a commitment for the long-term, and let it be known on your CV.
  10. Speak to other plasterers and dryliners and find out what it’s like as a day-to-day job. Having this insider knowledge can help you land the opportunity.