Careers in construction and home improvement

There are lots of fantastic careers in construction, home improvement and sustainability.

As homes are upgraded to be warmer, healthier and cheaper to run, the need for skilled people is rising. This fast-growing sector has huge potential at every level:

  • entry-level and hands-on roles
  • technical roles
  • management roles

You can make a positive difference to people’s lives, while earning a good salary.

Type of job

These are some of the jobs that you could do:

Retrofit work focuses on modernising existing buildings to make them more energy efficient. See Retrofit explained - Energy Saving Trust.

Woman in high vis jacket doing maintenance work on a radiator.

Ways into these careers

Ways to get started, whether you're leaving school or changing careers, include:

  • funded training
  • short courses
  • apprenticeships
  • retraining from other industries

Many people successfully move into the sector from engineering, project management or customer services. You could use your skills in a new job:

  • Technical skills (gas, plumbing and electrics) - retrain as low-carbon heating engineers and solar engineers
  • Construction, assessment or project management - retrain as a retrofit assessor or coordinator

Find out about employability support for adults.

Training courses

East Sussex College provides training in retrofit-related skills at the Green Training Hub.

If you're interested in apprenticeship, get in touch with a careers advisor.

For retrofit-related businesses

Businesses working in home energy efficiency and upgrades can get support from the county council. This includes recruitment and employment services, as well as training and upskilling courses.

We're always looking for more industry champions to promote careers in the sector.

To find out more, email skillseastsussex@eastsussex.gov.uk