Food and hospitality
Baker
Make bread, cakes and pastries by hand or on production lines, in craft bakeries, supermarkets and food factories. Early starts come with the job.
£19,000 – £26,000 starter to experienced
Skill
Careers that use working with your hands
You like making, building and handling tools rather than sitting still. 47 of our careers use this skill, ranked below by how much it matters.
A key skill in these jobs (31)
You will use this every day.
Hair, beauty and wellbeing
Barber
Cut and style hair with barbering techniques, shape beards and give shaves, working with every hair type in a busy, sociable barbershop.
£19,000 – £30,000 starter to experienced
Hair, beauty and wellbeing
Beauty therapist
Give facials, manicures, waxing, lash and brow treatments and more, helping clients look and feel their best in salons, spas or your own business.
£23,000 – £29,000 starter to experienced
Automotive and transport
Bicycle mechanic
Build, service and repair bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters - a friendly way into a trade if you love cycling.
£23,000 – £30,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Bricklayer
Build homes, walls and chimneys brick by brick – an outdoor, team-based trade where your work stands for generations.
£25,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced
Food and hospitality
Butcher
Cut, bone and prepare meat and poultry, make sausages, burgers and pies, and help customers choose the right cut in shops and meat plants.
£18,000 – £26,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Carpenter or joiner
Turn timber into staircases, roofs, doors, kitchens and fitted furniture – on site or at the workshop bench.
£24,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced
Food and hospitality
Chef
Prepare, cook and present food in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and schools, from commis chef at the start to running your own kitchen.
£22,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced
Health and science
Dental technician
Design and make crowns, bridges, dentures and braces to a dentist's prescription in a dental lab. A registered, precise, hands-on health career.
£32,000 – £48,000 starter to experienced
Outdoors, land and animals
Dog groomer
Bathe, dry, brush and trim dogs of every breed, check their skin and coat, and advise owners, in a salon, a vet practice or your own mobile business.
£15,000 – £23,000 starter to experienced
Outdoors, land and animals
Farrier
Trim horses' hooves and make and fit horseshoes by hand at the forge. A skilled, registered trade reached through a long approved apprenticeship.
No official salary figure
Creative crafts
Furniture maker
Make chairs, tables, cabinets and fitted furniture from technical drawings, using hand tools, machines and CNC, in workshops and factories.
£23,000 – £32,000 starter to experienced
Outdoors, land and animals
Gardener
Grow and care for plants in private gardens, parks, estates and green spaces, from sowing seeds to pruning, weeding and mowing.
£24,000 – £32,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Glazier
Measure, fit and repair windows, doors, rooflights and glass panels in homes and businesses.
£23,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced
Automotive and transport
HGV mechanic
Service and repair lorries, trailers, buses and coaches - big machines, big responsibility and some of the best pay in motor trades.
£26,000 – £55,000 starter to experienced
Hair, beauty and wellbeing
Hairdresser
Wash, cut, colour and style hair, talk clients through new looks and build a loyal following in salons, spas or as a freelance stylist.
£19,000 – £30,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Kitchen and bathroom fitter
Rip out the old and install new kitchens and bathrooms – a multi-skilled trade combining joinery, plumbing and tiling.
£24,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced
Outdoors, land and animals
Landscaper
Build and look after gardens, parks and outdoor spaces: paths, walls, lawns, planting and water features, working outdoors in all weathers.
£26,000 – £38,000 starter to experienced
Automotive and transport
Motor vehicle technician
Service, diagnose and repair cars and vans - including hybrids and EVs - in a busy garage workshop.
£22,000 – £42,000 starter to experienced
Automotive and transport
Motorcycle mechanic
Service, repair, tune and customise motorbikes, scooters and quad bikes - turn a love of bikes into a trade.
£25,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced
IT and telecoms
Network cabler
Install, terminate and test the copper and fibre cabling that connects offices, hospitals, data centres and homes to the digital world.
No official salary figure
Construction and trades
Plasterer
Create smooth walls and ceilings, renders and ornate mouldings – a skilled finishing trade that rewards a steady hand.
£21,000 – £38,000 starter to experienced
Building services and energy
Plumber
Fit, fix and look after the water, heating and drainage systems that keep homes, hospitals and businesses running.
£24,000 – £46,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Roofer
Work at height keeping buildings watertight – slating, tiling, flat roofing, leadwork and even thatching.
£26,000 – £42,000 starter to experienced
Building services and energy
Solar panel installer
Fit, connect and look after solar PV systems on homes and businesses - a hands-on, outdoor role at the heart of the move to clean energy.
£25,000 – £47,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Stonemason
Cut, carve and fix natural stone for new buildings, memorials and historic restoration, working in a workshop or out on site.
£24,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced
IT and telecoms
Telecoms engineer
Install and repair broadband, phone, fibre, mobile and satellite systems - out on the road, up masts and in customers' homes.
£25,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced
Outdoors, land and animals
Tree surgeon
Climb, prune and fell trees safely, assess tree health and plant new stock in streets, parks, gardens and woodland. Also called an arborist.
£25,000 – £35,000 starter to experienced
Creative crafts
Upholsterer
Build and restore padded furniture such as chairs and sofas, fitting springs, fillings and fabric using traditional or modern upholstery methods.
£23,000 – £32,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Wall and floor tiler
Lay precise, beautiful tiling in kitchens, bathrooms, shops and restaurants using ceramics, stone, slate and marble.
£21,000 – £38,000 starter to experienced
Engineering and manufacturing
Welder
Cut, join and shape metal for everything from buildings and pipelines to wind turbines - a skilled, practical trade.
£25,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced
Used a lot (15)
An important part of the work.
Engineering and manufacturing
Aircraft maintenance engineer
Inspect, service and repair aircraft systems to exacting safety standards - a licensed, highly skilled engineering career.
£27,000 – £50,000 starter to experienced
Automotive and transport
Auto electrician
Trace and fix the wiring, sensors and electronic systems in modern vehicles, from lights and alarms to hybrid and EV systems.
£23,000 – £38,000 starter to experienced
IT and telecoms
Data centre technician
Keep the servers behind the internet running: install racks and hardware, fix faults and monitor systems in secure data centres.
No official salary figure
Building services and energy
Electrician
Install, test and repair wiring, lighting, controls and low-carbon tech in homes, workplaces and new buildings.
£26,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced
Building services and energy
Electricity distribution worker
Maintain and repair the overhead lines, underground cables and substations that carry power to homes and businesses.
£23,000 – £42,000 starter to experienced
Engineering and manufacturing
Electronics engineering technician
Design, build, test and fix electronic systems and circuit boards, from factory controls to medical and aerospace tech.
£26,000 – £42,000 starter to experienced
Engineering and manufacturing
Engineering maintenance technician
Keep factory, production and transport equipment running by servicing and repairing motors, pumps, gearboxes and controls.
£27,000 – £48,000 starter to experienced
Building services and energy
Gas engineer
Install, service and repair boilers and gas appliances safely – a trusted, legally registered trade with steady demand.
£25,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced
Building services and energy
Heat pump installer
Help homes and businesses switch to low-carbon heating by installing, commissioning and servicing heat pumps.
£24,000 – £46,000 starter to experienced
Building services and energy
Heating and ventilation engineer
Keep big buildings comfortable – installing and maintaining heating, ductwork, ventilation and controls in offices, schools and hospitals.
£20,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Locksmith
Fit, repair and open locks, safes and security systems – a problem-solving trade for calm, trustworthy people.
£23,000 – £30,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Painter and decorator
Transform rooms and buildings with paint, wallpaper and specialist finishes – ideal if you have an eye for colour and detail.
£21,000 – £32,000 starter to experienced
Automotive and transport
Rail engineering technician
Service, test and repair trains, carriages and other rolling stock to keep the railway running safely.
£30,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced
Construction and trades
Scaffolder
Build the safe working platforms every other trade relies on – a fit, outdoor, team trade with strong earning potential.
£25,000 – £51,000 starter to experienced
Outdoors, land and animals
Veterinary nurse
Care for sick and injured animals and support vets in surgery, X-ray and treatment. A registered profession you can train for through an apprenticeship.
£24,000 – £32,000 starter to experienced
Handy to have (1)
Helps, but not the heart of the job.
Health and science
Laboratory technician
Run tests on samples, prepare experiments and keep lab equipment working, supporting research, product development and medical diagnosis.
£24,000 – £31,000 starter to experienced
Other skills
- Fixing things
- Problem-solving
- Maths and measuring
- Technical know-how
- Computers and tech
- Electronics
- Attention to detail
- Creativity and design
- Physical fitness
- Working outdoors
- Safety-conscious
- Customer service
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Working independently
- Organisation
- Patience
- Caring for others
- Leadership
- Driving
- Spatial awareness
- Science