Ductwork and Ventilation Installer
🌀Assembles and hangs ductwork and installs fans and air-handling units in shopping centres, factories and homes so there's fresh air everywhere.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $60.1k a year on average · +2.5% jobs by 2035 · 9,800 openings a year
Sheet metal workers — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £38k median a year · 54,000 jobs
Plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairers — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
Duct design and cutting are being automated, but installation on site, under ceilings and in shafts is manual work.
Who it suits
Interests: 🔧 Making things by hand, 🏗️ Building and spaces, ⚙️ Tech and engineering.
Key strengths: manual dexterity, strength and stamina.
Where to study
- Apprenticeship Ductwork Installer apprenticeship (UK, Level 2); sheet metal worker apprenticeship (US)
- Vocational Ausbildung Anlagenmechaniker für Sanitär-, Heizungs- und Klimatechnik (DE)
- Course CSCS card and on-site training (UK)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): Maths, Physics.
🧗 Through a ductwork installer apprenticeship (UK, about 2 years), a US sheet metal apprenticeship or a German HVAC Ausbildung. Next steps: supervisor or HVAC engineer.
Things to know
🧗 Working at heights🛢️ Dirt, noise, smells
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