England
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Plastering Apprenticeships
Why Plastering?
Most new builds and many renovation projects require plasterers, so they are a vital trade in the construction industry. Plasterers are responsible for smoothing internal walls and ceilings, creating a decorative finish on them or applying render and specialist finishes to external walls. Plasterers enjoy being able to breathe new life into a space and giving a room a fresh feel, and customers are very appreciative of the work plasterers do.
The country is always in need of new homes so the demand for plasterers is high.
How do plastering apprenticeships work?
A plastering apprenticeship is a great way into the construction industry. Apprenticeships are open to anyone over the age of 16. Your time as a plastering apprentice will typically be split between your employer and college or training provider. You will be working a minimum of 30 hours per week, with the rest (usually 8-10 hours) at your training provider. Your training provider will typically tell you when and where your training will be.
How long are plastering apprenticeships?
The Level 2 apprenticeship training course for plasterers in England takes 2-3 years to complete.
How much will I earn as a plastering apprentice?
As a plastering apprentice, you are entitled to be paid at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage – the levels of this depend on your age. Your apprentice wage may be higher in some areas, such as London.
A plastering apprentice is paid for:
- Your normal working hours
- Training that’s part of your apprenticeship
- Study towards maths and English qualifications if they are part of your apprenticeship
Also, you are entitled to the minimum holiday allowance of at least 20 days per year plus Bank Holidays.
What types of plastering apprenticeships are available?
The Level 1 Award in Construction Skills Plastering is the basic introduction to plastering for apprentices in England. It develops the skills required for employment in plastering. The Level 2 Diploma in Plastering is the recognised qualification for apprentice plasterers.
In Scotland plasterers should complete a Level 3 Modern Apprenticeship in Construction: Building.
In Wales the Level 1 Award in Construction Trades, Pre-Foundation in Construction and the Built Environment is the basic introduction to plastering for apprentices. Apprentice plasterers then progress to the Level 2 Foundation in Construction and Building Services Engineering, and the final stage before qualification is the Level 3 in Construction Solid Plastering or Dry Lining, or Level 3 Building Services Engineering.
What will you learn during a plastering apprenticeship?
Level 1 course
The Level 1 course in England does not require any previous experience and covers the basic skills of plastering, as well as aspects of health and safety. Some of the skills covered include:
- Preparing background surfaces and mixing plastering materials
- Applying scratch coats to internal backgrounds
- Fixing sheet materials
- Applying floating coats to walls
- Applying setting coats to walls
Level 2 course
The Level 2 course covers solid and fibrous plasterwork, with the chance to specialise in one or the other. During the programme of training, apprentices will produce work in a workshop and cover areas such as:
- Identifying and preparing surfaces for plastering
- Fixing and jointing plasterboard
- Applying solid plastering systems using one, two and three coat plastering to internal surfaces
- Rendering
- Constructing in-situ and running moulds
- Repairing, renovating and restoring plaster
- Casting in fibrous plaster
- Fixing and installing cast mouldings
- Learning how to work safely
Qualifications required to become a plasterer
The following formal qualifications are required for the plastering apprenticeship levels in England:
- Up to 2 GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent (level 1 course)
- 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent (level 2 course)
GCSEs or equivalent qualifications in English and Maths are entry requirements for the Level 2 course.
To become a plasterer in Scotland, you should have completed the Modern Apprenticeship in Construction: Building. The entrance criteria for this Level 3 apprenticeship will vary from employer to employer, but some may ask for National 4s or 5s in English, Maths and technology subjects, or Construction Crafts at SCQF Level 4/5.
Up to 2 GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent are usually required for the Level 2 plastering apprenticeship in Wales.
Plastering courses will require apprentices to work on construction sites, for which they will need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card.
Skills required to become a plasterer
If you are interested in becoming a plasterer, you should have the ability to work with your hands, work well with others and be very thorough in your attitude to work. Other skills that could be useful for plasterers are:
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge of building and construction
- Patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- Able to work well under pressure
- Business management skills
- Able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Future prospects and career progression
Plastering offers good opportunities to advance your career. If you work as part of a team, you could progress into a supervisory role to earn a higher salary. You could also move into a related area such as drylining, ceiling fixing or become a partitioning systems operative.
You could specialise to become a construction site engineer, technician or estimator, or set up as a self-employed subcontractor. The starting salary will be in the range of £19,000-£25,000, but senior plasterers can earn over £35,000 and self-employed plasterers can set their own pay rates.
How to apply for a plastering apprenticeship
If you are interested in applying for a plastering apprenticeship one of the best things to do is look for vacancies being offered by local plastering companies. Do some searches on job websites and use the government’s apprenticeship service. If you've had some previous work experience at a company, ask if they are taking on any new apprentices. You will have to apply for any apprenticeship role, so will need to produce a CV, write a covering letter and attend an interview.
Find out more about the role of a plasterer
You could:
- Read our job profile
- Ask a plasterer what they love about their job
- Find out more about drylining
Where to find plastering apprenticeships
Choose one of the below job posting sites to find plastering apprenticeships in England, Scotland and Wales.