About the Industry

Career Change.

We all depend upon quarry products. Without them we would have no homes, schools, offices, shops or hospitals. Quarry products provide the basis for our transport network (roads, railways and airports) and for our water and sewerage systems.

Similarly, many products we take for granted - paper, plastics, glass, steel, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, even some of the food we eat - are manufactured using materials derived from quarrying.

every year over three tonnes of aggregates are needed per head of the population in the UK.
a typical family indirectly demands a lorry load of aggregates each year
a new house requires some 50 tonnes of aggregates
the mineral products industry employs around 70,000 people directly and indirectly
the use of lime improves agricultural land and brings a range of environmental benefits (e.g. in water treatment)

The quarrying and extractives sector also takes in marine aggregate dredging, road contracting and the many business, planning and environmental roles that go hand in hand with our operations. We can only quarry where nature has deposited the minerals society needs, and this makes us a predominantly rural-based industry. And with the variety of materials in demand, there are opportunities to join the industry nation-wide.

Transportation of these vital materials to where they are needed is a similarly vital element of the industry. Although operators use waterways or rail delivery services wherever possible, by far the most common means for moving aggregates is by road. Careful and fuel efficient drivers are vital to help make our logistics as sustainable as possible.

What’s on offer in the sector?

The quarrying and extractives sector is surprisingly broad, and there are opportunities in a number of career disciplines including:

Quarrying - varied roles carrying the responsibility of managing the production of aggregates.
Road Contracting -vital jobs in laying the nation’s roads to the highest technical standards.
Marine Aggregates - aggregates from the seabed are a vital source of materials to UK construction and there are a number of jobs on offer.
Business Support - all the above are multi-million pound industries that require high quality business support to keep them running.
Environment and Planning - the industry places great emphasis on sustainable development, so planning new operations, restoring the land and careful environment management are important roles.

Find out more about what’s on offer in our job roles section.