A career as a labourer or general construction operative offers a wide variety of work. Construction labourers often have a range of skills and so are highly employable.

Unlike bricklayers or stonemasons, who specialise in one area of the building trade, general construction operatives gain a wide range of skills so that they can work in many areas, including concreting, frame working and timbering.

Careers in carpentry and joinery are for skilled, practical people who enjoy working as part of a team.

Timber is an essential part of every structure and it is the job of carpenters and joiners - or chippies, as they're often known - to prepare it and put it into place. This involves using a variety of specialised tools and different kinds of wood.

Dry lining involves installing dry finishes, such as plasterboard, that can be fixed up, joined and decorated. In this way it differs from plastering, where wet finishes are applied.

Most people know one part of the plasterer's work: applying wet finishes to walls, ceilings and floors. This is called solid plastering. But that's not all there is to a plasterer's trade. There's also fibrous plastering, which involves making ornamental plasterwork in a workshop or on site - that's the kind of work you see on the ceilings of decorative buildings.

Careers in stonemasonry can be very rewarding, offering the chance to work alongside other specialists such as bricklayers, often on unusual projects or historical buildings.

Careers in glazing are for highly skilled people. The job involves cutting glass and other window materials to the right size and fixing them in place. Glaziers need a good knowledge of the right materials for the job, and may work on a wide range of projects, from replacing broken windows to fitting out the glass throughout a whole building.

Painting and decorating can sometimes be a glamorous job. Even if you don't make it as a star on the latest home improvement show on TV, there’s lots of work on stately homes, grand mansions, and plush hotels for painters and decorators who can apply leaf to ornate fixtures and fittings.

Covering, repairing, removing and replacing existing roofs requires many practical skills using specialist tools. From domestic projects to prestigious renovation work, these skills are in high demand.

The trade of a steeplejack, like that of a stonemason, is a traditional craft that is still in high demand. Steeplejacks use a wide range of skills – painting, welding, replacing glass – in a variety of different structures, to do renovations and repairs.

The defining aspect of a steeplejack's work, however, is that it is all carried out at great heights, for example, on church spires and chimneys.

Careers in bricklaying are for practical people who can work quickly and repetitively, often high above the ground. It can be very creative work, as stonemasons and bricklayers are often called upon to produce interesting and decorative effects.

Bricklayers - or Brickies as they're generally known - work with many different materials, and use a variety of specialist tools to spread and joint mortar and cut bricks or blocks to size.

If you're searching for a job in the UK building and construction industry, whatever your trade, you'll find this round-up of the UK's best construction recruitment websites a vital resource in your job hunt.

We've even ranked them for you, so the websites we think are best are nearest to the top.

Good luck!

I've had my own small building firm for twenty years now but I'm starting to think about early retirement. What should I be doing to think about keeping the business going when I don't want to be the boss? I've got a couple of members of staff of a similar age to me.

You’re definitely right to start thinking about it in plenty of time.

Apprenticeships allow you to learn, work, earn and get qualified all at the same time.

They can last up to four years depending on the type of training programme you choose. For details of apprenticeship availability for the trade you are interested in, contact your ConstructionSkills area office.

If you are interested in an electrician or plumber apprenticeship, contact Summit Skills (the Building Services Engineering Sector Skills Council).