Steel Erector (Ironworker)
🏗️Assembles steel structures at height: factory frames, telecom towers, power-line pylons, bridges. Harness, crane, bolts and welding in any weather.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $68.9k a year on average · +3.1% jobs by 2035 · 5,900 openings a year
Structural iron & steel workers — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £37.2k median a year
Steel erectors — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Close to irreplaceable: robots can't cope with heights and unpredictable sites yet. Drones take over inspections, but erection stays human.
Who it suits
Interests: 🔧 Making things by hand, 🏗️ Building and spaces, 🏕️ Outdoor work, expeditions, 🏃 Sport and movement, 🛡️ Protecting, rescuing, serving.
Key strengths: strength and stamina, manual dexterity, organisation.
Where to study
- Apprenticeship Steel erector apprenticeship + CSCS card (UK)
- Apprenticeship Ironworkers union apprenticeship, 3–4 years (US)
- Course Working at height, rigging and IPAF/PASMA training
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Maths, PE.
🧗 Apprenticeship with an erection firm (UK with a CSCS card; US ironworkers union, 3–4 years) plus working-at-height and rigging courses. Good health required; US union rates are high.
Things to know
🧗 Working at heights⚠️ Real danger to life🩺 Strict medical checks🧳 Frequent work trips
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