Plasterer

You'd work in people’s homes and other buildings to prepare the walls and ceilings for decorating and to protect the building from the weather.

You’d apply different kinds of plaster to internal walls and ceilings. You’d cover external walls with coatings, such as sand and cement render or pebble-dash.

You’d calculate how much plaster you need for the size of the job. Once it's mixed and ready to use you’d need to work quickly and accurately by hand.

As part of a small team, you’d work on one of these processes:

• Solid plastering – applying wet finishes to surfaces and putting protective coverings such as pebble-dashing on external walls

• Fibrous plastering – creating ornamental plasterwork, such as ceiling roses, cornices, and architraves, using a mixture of plaster and short fibres shaped with moulds and casts

• Dry lining – fixing internal plasterboard or wallboard partitions by fastening them together on a timber or metal frame ready for decorating

You could work on small jobs, repairs and restoration in people’s homes. Other jobs could be at big commercial developments such as schools or hospitals.

• Construction Skills Certification Scheme – Learn more about CSCS cards