Unit 104 - Lesson 1

​Unit 104 - Employability

By Plumbers Cymoedd

​Employment contracts available in the industry

Open Ended

What types of things should be written into an employment contract?

​Employment Contracts

When taking a job in the construction sector it is important to ensure you have a contract in place.

There are different types of contract used in the construction industry, including permanent and temporary.

​Employment Contracts

A contract is legally binding and should specify information such as your working hours, pay, benefits, job duties, start date, sick/holiday entitlement, notice and probationary periods. Aswell as benefits, disciplinary procedures.

Employees need to understand what the terms of the contract are before they accept the job.

Revisit the list of construction workers from Unit 102. List in order the preference which trades appeal to you most.

Multiple Choice

How many different types of contracts are there within the construction industry?

• 2

• 5

• 9

• 12

​Direct employment is when a person works as an employee of a company, rather than being employed through an agency. The employer will pay the employee directly and provide a pension contribution and holiday allowance.

​Direct employment

​A self-employed person will not usually have a contract of employment; they will usually be hired for a certain amount of time. The contract that exists between the self-employed person and the person or company supplying the work will have a number of rules or conditions set down within it.

A self-employed person will pay their own tax, pension, national insurance and NI contributions and look after their own finances.

​Self-Employed

​A subcontractor is a company or person who a general contractor hires to perform a specific task as part of an overall project and normally pays for services provided to the project. Generally a subcontractor is only employed for part of a large project and moves around between projects

Subcontractor

​Specialist Contractor

This is a very broad term to describe a contractor appointed to carry out activities in the development of a building that requires specialist construction knowledge and skills.

For this reason, these contractors are sometimes referred to as 'specialist subcontractors’.

Specialist contractors are classed as a high demand specialist role and may not be as common a role as others. Specialist contractors can include such roles as steel fixers or steel erectors.

​Agency Work

You are an agency worker if you have a contract with an agency but you work temporarily for an employer. You might also be called a temp. When you’re working on a job, the employer tells you how you should do your work. 

You are an agency worker if all the following things apply to you:

• There is a contract between you and an agency

• You are temporarily supplied to an employer by the agency

• When you are working on a job your work is controlled by the employer.

​Labouring Contracts

A labouring contract can occur when a main construction contractor is seeking general labourers to fulfil duties on a construction site.

Labouring tasks are occasionally less desirable roles in the industry but can still be rewarding. Labouring roles include:

• Digging/ excavation work

• Manual work such as fetching and carrying

• Sweeping up and cleaning

• Using forklift truck/ telehandler

• Manual handling operations.

Labouring work is physically demanding and requires the operative to be physically fit.

​Maintenance Work

Maintenance work on a construction site generally requires personnel to be multi talented with a good knowledge of different tasks and to perform a number of duties. However, operatives are not required to be experts.

Maintenance operatives can do a variety of tasks that are generally not considered big enough for a renewal but simply a repair or recondition of a piece of work.

Maintenance work can include: patch plastering, repointing of brickwork, timber repairs, plumbing repairs, roof tile replacement, unblocking of gutters, socket and switch replacement.

​Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of people in a trade or profession.

As an apprentice the learner will carry out a series of tasks and training that will develop their knowledge skills and behaviours with on-the-job training to accompanying study.

Apprenticeships require the work the apprentices are doing to be validated by an assessor in order to verify the training and development that they are undertaking.

​Temporary work/short-term Contracts

This option gives the employer the flexibility to appoint people as and when they are needed.

Short-term contracts occur on smaller projects or for specific tasks. For example, if a housing site needs some labour to swiftly move the project on they will advertise for temporary short-term work. Seasonal work is often available around summer time when additional labour can be required on projects.

Temporary work can give the employer an opportunity to try out someone and also gives the employees the opportunity to try a particular role. In general labouring contract work can occur as temporary work.

On all occasions, tax and NI contributions will have to be deducted.

Multiple Choice

What is the importance of having an employment contract in the construction sector?

• To determine the project's completion date

• To ensure you have a clear agreement in place

• To outline the company's profit margins

• To specify the materials to be used on the project

Multiple Choice

What is a self-employed person expected to do in terms of taxes and national insurance?

• They are exempt from paying taxes and national insurance

• Their employer pays their taxes and national insurance

• They pay their own tax, pension, national insurance, and look after their own finances

• They only pay for health insurance but not taxes

Multiple Choice

What is the role of a subcontractor in a construction project?

• To oversee the entire project

• To provide legal advice

• To perform a specific task as part of an overall project

• To fund the project

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a task typically performed by maintenance personnel on a construction site?

• Patch plastering

• Brickwork, timber, and plumbing repairs

• Designing new building structures

• Unblocking of gutters, socket, and switch replacement

Multiple Choice

What is required for an apprenticeship to be validated?

• A contract with a labouring company

• Validation by an assessor

• A physically demanding task

• Agency work

Multiple Choice

Which of the following roles is an example of a specialist contractor?

• Steel erector

• Maintenance worker

• Apprentice

• Agency worker

Multiple Choice

What is one of the benefits of temporary work or short-term contracts for employees?

• They provide a long-term job security

• They offer the opportunity to try a particular role

• They guarantee a promotion

• They include paid vacation time

Multiple Choice

What might be deducted from a worker's pay when on temporary work contracts?

• Health insurance premiums

• Pensions

• Taxes and NI contributions

• Transportation costs

​Management and Supervisor Roles

Working in the construction and built environment sector can be very rewarding. Progression is possible for anyone who shows the right attitude and effort and performs well consistently.

A variety of leadership opportunities exist in the industry, referred to by different names in different organisations. These include: foreman, supervisor, team leader, chargehand, boss, site manager.

Being a manager brings a great deal of responsibility and workers must be ready for more pressure and extra workload. To apply for a management or supervisor role you will normally need to have a significant amount of experience and may be expected to have certain qualifications or accreditations.

​Construction Career Pathway

Any questions?