Even though we are often unaware of it, cables are all around us: overhead and underground electrical power cables, computer data cables, telephone cables, transoceanic cables carrying high volumes of internet traffic between countries, and fibre optic cables for voice and data transmission.

Many cables are plastic coated. The plastic acts as an electrical insulator, protects the cable, and also makes the cable safe for us to handle. Cables are also widely used in the construction industry and may be metal armoured to protect them from the weather.

You could work in the manufacture of specialised products, such as cable with a fire resistant coating that protects essential services in a fire, or extra tough mining cable for the international market. You might begin as a plastics technician in a cable-making plant operating extruders as well as cable winding equipment.

In our technology driven world, the requirement for faster data transfer, lower electrical resistance and more resilient construction, means you'll never be short of a challenge in cablemaking.