Changing career into a trade

Start by testing the water

Before you give up a job, try the trade. Several National Careers Service profiles mention short or part-time taster courses at local colleges, and talking to people already in the trade is invaluable. Use the skills and hobbies on this site to see which careers fit what you already enjoy.

Route 1: an apprenticeship

Apprenticeships are not just for school leavers – the National Careers Service says they are open to all ages. You get a recognised qualification and are paid while you train.

The catch is pay. From April 2026 the apprentice minimum wage is £8 an hour in the first year, whatever your age; after the first year, apprentices aged 19 and over must get at least the normal minimum wage for their age (£12.71 an hour at 21 and over). Some employers pay more, but plan your budget. If you have relevant experience or qualifications, you may be able to shorten your apprenticeship.

• Find an apprenticeship
• Minimum wage rates

Route 2: start as a trainee, mate or labourer

In many trades you can start as an assistant and learn on the job – for example as a plumber's mate, a plasterer's or decorator's labourer, a hod carrier with a bricklaying gang, a trainee scaffolder, or a labourer or groundworker on a building site before training on plant. Employers may then support you through qualifications.

Route 3: courses and bootcamps

Adults can often study for free or with a loan. Free Courses for Jobs cover Level 2 construction, engineering and manufacturing courses (and most Level 3 subjects) if you are 19 or over and earn less than £25,750 or are not in work. Skills Bootcamps last up to 16 weeks for people aged 19 and over and end with a guaranteed job interview. An Advanced Learner Loan can cover Level 3 to 6 course fees.

• Free Courses for Jobs
• Skills Bootcamps
• Advanced Learner Loan

Route 4: get your experience recognised

If you have already been doing related work, there may be a quicker route to formal recognition.

• Electricians: the Experienced Worker Assessment lets people working as electricians without a Level 3 qualification have their skills assessed – one route needs at least 3 years' experience, the other 5 years
• Gas: the Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS) lets experienced engineers from related trades such as plumbing or heating gain gas competence certificates, needed for Gas Safe registration
• Heat pumps: qualified plumbers, gas and heating engineers can add heat pump skills with a short course, usually 3 to 5 days; the Heat Training Grant offers up to £500 off for eligible engineers in England (as of September 2026)

• Experienced Worker Assessment
• ACS gas scheme
• Heat Training Grant

Watch out for quick fixes

Be wary of expensive courses that promise to make you qualified in weeks. For electrical work, the industry site Electrical Careers says four years is the usual time for someone starting from scratch and warns about intensive packages. The National Careers Service also advises checking carefully what a course offers before signing up. Ask any provider what qualification you will get, whether it is recognised by employers, and how you will gain real workplace experience.

• Electrical Careers: the right training takes time

Where to get advice

From 1 October 2026 the National Careers Service website becomes 'Get careers information and advice' (the web address stays the same). Face-to-face careers advice for adults in England moves to the DWP Careers Service, and the government's new Jobs and Careers Service offers a CV builder and job search through its Work Hub.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own careers services.

• How the National Careers Service is changing
• Jobs and Careers Service Work Hub
• My World of Work (Scotland)
• Careers Wales
• Careers in Northern Ireland