Training & Funding
Everything you need to start, fund, and advance your trade career — training courses, apprenticeships, grants, calculators, and real career change stories.
Before paying for a course, check whether local employers recognise it and whether you also need site experience, cards or an apprenticeship route.
Official course data
National Careers Service course directory
We use the National Careers Service course directory as the benchmark source for funded course and provider coverage in England, then layer UK Trade Jobs trade guidance and local provider curation on top.
- Latest dataset
- April 2026
- Update cadence
- Monthly
- Provider file
- Providers CSV, April 2026
- Course file
- Courses CSV, April 2026
Course confidence check
Choose training that employers will recognise
A course is useful only if it gets you closer to site work, an apprenticeship, a card or a recognised qualification. Use training pages with job alerts, funding checks and CV preparation rather than treating them as separate tasks.
- ✓Official course data is used as a benchmark before local provider curation.
- ✓Trade pages point towards qualifications, cards, jobs and funding in one route.
- ✓Readers are warned to check employer recognition before paying upfront.
Check funding
Look for free or subsidised routes before paying course fees.
EntryFind apprenticeships
Earn while you train if the apprenticeship route fits your situation.
CVBuild a trade CV
Explain your training path and transferable skills clearly.
JobsSearch live jobs
Check what employers near you actually ask for.
Resources
Training Provider Directory
Browse 30+ verified colleges and training providers across the UK.
🎓Apprenticeships
Learn while you earn — find apprenticeship routes for every trade.
💷Funding & Grants
Grants, bursaries, and funding options to pay for your training.
💰Salary Calculator
See what tradespeople really earn by trade, region, and experience.
🧮Cost Calculator
Estimate setup costs for starting your own trade business.
📝Career Change Stories
Real stories from people who switched into the trades.
Training by Trade
Electrician Training
Become a qualified electrician — 18th Edition, NVQ Level 3, and more.
🔧Plumbing Training
Plumbing & heating courses from Level 1 to Gas Safe registration.
🪚Carpentry Training
Carpentry & joinery qualifications from site carpentry to bench joinery.
🔥Welding Training
MIG, TIG, and MMA welding courses with coded welder certification.
🧱Bricklaying Training
Bricklaying NVQs and short courses — one of the fastest trades to enter.
All Training Providers
Filter by trade or city to find courses near you.
Showing 34 of 34 providers.
Belfast Metropolitan College
Belfast · Northern Ireland
One of the largest FE colleges in the UK, offering a wide range of construction and engineering courses across multiple campuses in Belfast.
North West Regional College
Derry · Northern Ireland
NWRC delivers trade training across Derry~Londonderry, Limavady and Strabane with modern workshop facilities.
Southern Regional College
Newry · Northern Ireland
Covering the south of Northern Ireland with campuses in Newry, Armagh, Banbridge, Kilkeel and Lurgan.
City of Glasgow College
Glasgow · Scotland
A super-college in the heart of Glasgow with state-of-the-art facilities for construction and engineering trades.
Edinburgh College
Edinburgh · Scotland
Edinburgh College offers full-time and part-time construction courses at its Midlothian and Granton campuses.
Dundee & Angus College
Dundee · Scotland
Offers a strong trades curriculum with modern workshops and close ties to local construction employers.
Coleg Cambria
Wrexham · Wales
One of the largest colleges in Wales, with dedicated construction centres in Wrexham and Deeside.
Cardiff and Vale College
Cardiff · Wales
Delivers construction and building services courses from its purpose-built facilities in Cardiff.
Gower College Swansea
Swansea · Wales
Swansea's main FE college offering apprenticeship and full-time trade training programmes.
Leeds College of Building
Leeds · Yorkshire
The only specialist construction college in England, with industry-standard workshops and an outstanding reputation.
Newcastle College
Newcastle · North East
Part of NCG, offering extensive construction and engineering courses with strong employer links in the North East.
Sunderland College
Sunderland · North East
Offers trade training through its Construction and Engineering department with excellent pass rates.
The Manchester College
Manchester · North West
The largest FE college in the UK with dedicated construction centres across Manchester.
Liverpool City Region Skills Hub
Liverpool · North West
Coordinates trade training across Liverpool City Region colleges with strong industry partnerships.
Sheffield College
Sheffield · Yorkshire
Offers construction courses at its Peaks and City campuses with strong links to Sheffield's building sector.
Hull College
Hull · Yorkshire
Delivers a range of construction qualifications with modern workshop facilities in the heart of Hull.
South & City College Birmingham
Birmingham · West Midlands
One of Birmingham's largest colleges with a dedicated Construction & Building Services department.
Nottingham College
Nottingham · East Midlands
Offers construction training at its Basford Hall campus with purpose-built workshops.
Derby College Group
Derby · East Midlands
Delivers trade qualifications at the Roundhouse campus with strong links to Rolls-Royce and local construction firms.
South Thames College
London · London
Part of South Thames Colleges Group, offering construction courses across Wandsworth, Merton and Kingston campuses.
Barking & Dagenham College
London · London
East London college with a strong construction department and dedicated trades workshops.
Lewisham Southwark College
London · London
Offers construction qualifications in South East London with good transport links.
Chichester College Group
Chichester · South East
Multi-campus group covering West Sussex with well-equipped construction training centres.
City College Plymouth
Plymouth · South West
Plymouth's main FE college with a construction department serving Devon and Cornwall.
City of Bristol College
Bristol · South West
Offers construction and building services courses at its South Bristol campus.
Bournemouth & Poole College
Bournemouth · South West
Delivers construction qualifications on the south coast with modern training facilities.
CITB National Construction College
Bircham Newton · East of England
The construction industry training board's own college — the gold standard for plant, health & safety and specialist trade courses.
JTL Training
Nationwide · England & Wales
The UK's leading provider of electrical and plumbing apprenticeships, managing over 7,000 apprentices across England and Wales.
Trade Skills 4U
Nationwide · England
Private training provider specialising in fast-track electrical and plumbing qualifications for career changers.
Access Training
Belfast · Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland's largest private training provider, delivering apprenticeships and upskilling courses across the trades.
Able Skills
Dartford · South East
Well-known private training centre in Kent offering fast-track trade courses for adults and career changers.
Blackpool and The Fylde College
Blackpool · North West
A leading Lancashire college with strong construction and engineering departments.
Weston College
Weston-super-Mare · South West
Award-winning college delivering construction training at its specialist Construction Centre.
Coventry College
Coventry · West Midlands
Offers construction and building services courses with close links to Coventry's growing building sector.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Take our quiz to find your ideal trade, or explore our career guides for detailed breakdowns.