Bricklayer Who Am I? Do you like working with your hands? Could you work with precision tools? Do you have an eye for line, colour and proportion? Then Bricklayer could be the job for you! What do I do? Bricklayers interpret drawings and blueprints, lay bricks with mortar, and provide finishing touches. You will work with materials like brick, concrete blocks, granite stones, and precast masonry. You could also be laying or installing fire brick or castable materials in commercial and industrial furnaces and incinerators, and acid tile and acid brick in pulp mills. How do I advance? The outlook for Bricklayers in Alberta looks bright. If you wanted to move on you could advance to estimator, inspector or foreman positions. Related fields include Tilesetter, Plasterer and Concrete Finisher. If being your own boss is important, you could become self-employed, taking on small jobs like patios and fireplaces. Either way, you are in a job that commands respect as well as good pay. How much do I make? Apprentice Bricklayers earn at least 60% of the journeyman wage rate in the first year of their apprenticeship, 80% in the second, and 90% in the third year. Journeyman rates vary, but generally range from $22.08 to $29.69 an hour, plus benefits (figures taken from 1999/2000 wage survey by Construction Labour Relations- Alberta). In addition to the basic hourly rate, employers provide holiday and vacation pay. Employers may also provide other benefits such as group insurance for health, dental and vision care, retirement packages, and training benefits. In total, the value of the benefits can range from 20% to 30% over and above the basic hourly pay rate. Bricklayers work five-day, 40-hour workweeks. Occasionally overtime is necessary to meet construction schedules. Where do I go from here? Skilled Bricklayers are able to get work that pays well. As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills in this career are portable so if you are interested in relocating you can take your skills with you! How do I learn? You can get a jump start on your future career in construction trades by checking out the Career and Technology Studies - Construction Technology courses offered at high schools. These hands-on courses are designed to help you build the basic skills you will use in the construction industry. For example, you might investigate Basic Tools and Materials CON1010 or Masonry Work CON3020. See your school counsellor for more information. The Apprenticeship and Industry Training Act of Alberta specifies that Bricklayers must be either a certified journeyman or a registered apprentice. As a Bricklayer, you need to know the properties of various mortars and other bonding materials, and how to handle different types of masonry units. You can learn these skills through apprenticeship training. While youÕre still in high school, you can begin an apprenticeship program and earn high school credits at the same time! This is possible through the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). After high school graduation, many RAP apprentices complete apprenticeship programs while working full-time. To enter the Bricklayer apprenticeship program, you need to have Grade 9 education or equivalent (or pass an entrance exam), and find an appropriate employer who is willing to hire and train an apprentice. Employers generally prefer to hire high school or post-secondary program graduates, and may select apprentices from among their current employees. Because the work demands precision and technical skills, courses in Math and Science will be helpful. To register in the apprenticeship program, the apprentice and the employer complete an application form together and submit it to the closest apprenticeship and industry training office. Once the application is approved, a contract is drawn up and signed by the apprentice and the employer. The term of apprenticeship is three years (three 12-month periods with a minimum of 1600 hours of employment each year). In addition to on-the-job training, the term also requires 8 weeks of classroom training in each year. Applicants who have successfully completed related courses of study or work experience may be eligible for advanced standing in the apprenticeship program. Classroom training is arranged by Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training and is now being offered at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary. When apprentices attend training, they are required to pay the applicable tuition fee and purchase course supplies. Most apprentices are eligible for employment insurance (EI) while attending classroom training. For more detailed information, contact your local Human Resources Development Canada office. Loans and grants are available on a needs-tested basis through Students Finance. After successfully completing the required exams and working specified hours as an apprentice, you are awarded an Alberta Journeyman Certificate. If you pass an approved interprovincial exam, you qualify for the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal that means your trade qualifications are generally recognized throughout most of Canada. Check out more info: For further information on career planning, occupations and educational programs, contact the nearest Career Development Centre or Canada-Alberta Service Centre (see the "Government of Alberta" listings in the telephone directory). Or, Alberta residents can contact the Career Information Hotline by telephone at 1-800-661-3753 (in Edmonton call 422-4266). Hearing impaired individuals can reach the Hotline by calling 1-800-232-7215 for message relay (in Edmonton call 422-5283). For more information visit our web site at www.careersconstruction.com