Bricklayers or brickies work hard – there’s no doubt about it. If you’re averse to hard yakka, then a career as a bricklayer is not for you. If you’re interesting in starting a bricklaying apprenticeship, here are the top 5 skills you’ll need:
Must be physically fit Bricklaying like all construction jobs (unless you’re the foreman), is physically demanding. If you’re unfit, you’ll soon get found out on the job site. Bricklaying involves a lot of repetitive heavy lifting. Start getting into some cardio and strength training now to prepare your body.
Good hand and eye coordination. Building involves measuring, cutting and lining up brick work. You’ll want to have good manual dexterity. It also goes without saying your eyesight must be good too.
Can’t be afraid of heights. Working at heights, standing on ladders and scaffolding, carrying bricks and buckets of mortar requires good balance. Anyone who gets lightheaded climbing a step ladder is probably not well suited to becoming a bricklayer.
Work independently and as part of a team Starting out as an apprentice bricklayer, you’ll be working as a brickies off-sider, basically mixing, lifting and doing the menial tasks as you learn. This means you need to be able to work in a team, with good communication skills. As you progress, you’ll be given jobs to complete on your own.
Good mechanical and technical aptitude
Being able to read building designs or blueprints is essential. You must be able to follow technical instructions to ensure you abide by the engineering requirements in the plans. Likewise, having a mechanical mind will help when you’re using and maintaining equipment.
If you think you have what it takes to become a bricklayer, why not give it a shot. Even if there are one or two things in that list you’re not too sure about, don’t forget you’ll learn so much on the job as part of your bricklaying apprenticeship.