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What are the Specific Qualifications Needed to Be a Bricklayer?
What are the Specific Qualifications Needed to Be a Bricklayer?
Discover the educational requirements and technical skills required for a career in bricklaying. Compare online trade school options and professional standards.
Bricklaying is a skilled trade that involves constructing and repairing walls, structures, and surfaces using materials like brick, stone, and concrete. It’s a hands-on career that requires precision, physical stamina, and a strong understanding of construction techniques.
Qualifications for this role typically include a high school diploma or equivalent, along with on-the-job training through an apprenticeship or vocational program. The best trade schools emphasize hands-on learning and real-world experience, helping you build the practical skills needed to succeed in this field.
<h3 id="section---CareerOverview">Career Overview</h3>
<p>Bricklayers, also known as brickmasons, build and repair surfaces and structures using bricks, stones, and concrete. They build walls, roads, fences, buildings, fireplaces, chimneys, and sidewalks. Bricklayers must be detail-oriented when taking measurements, doing calculations, and reading blueprints. The work is usually done outside at construction sites, in residential neighborhoods, or in commercial areas.
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<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutBrickmasonsBlockmasonsAndStonemasons">Important Facts About Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons</h3>
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<table border="1"><tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Color vision, hand-eye coordination, visualization, math skills, physical stamina and strength</td></tr>
<tr><td> Entry-level Education </td><td> High school diploma or equivalent</td></tr>
<tr><td>Similar Occupations</td><td> Carpenters, construction laborers, insulation workers</td></tr>
<tr><td> Work Environment</td><td> Indoors and/or outdoors as specialty contractors or masonry workers at residential and/or nonresidential facilities</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
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<h3 id="section---Education">Education</h3>
<p>Bricklayers learn the required career skills through on-the-job training, apprenticeship programs, or vocational educational programs. Apprenticeship programs combine on-the-job training and classroom instruction that takes 3-4 years to complete. Bricklayers may start out as helpers or laborers and do simple jobs, like carrying materials, mixing mortar, and assembling scaffolding. Once bricklayers have gained more job experience, they lay brick, spread mortar, set stone, and restore structures.
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<h3 id="section---SkillsAndAbilities">Skills and Abilities</h3>
<p>Bricklayers must know how to read blueprints and safety warnings, and how to follow written directions. Bricklayers should also have excellent math skills in algebra and geometry so they can know how to read, solve, and interpret measurements. They should also know how to produce technical and mechanical drawings with drafting experience. Bricklayers must be strong so they can lift and set heavy stones and bricks in place.
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<h3 id="section---JobOutlookAndSalaryStatistics">Job Outlook and Salary Statistics</h3>
<p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, <i>www.bls.gov</i>) reports that job opportunities for brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons are expected to growth by 2% between 2021 and 2031. Bricklayers with restoration skills will find the most employment opportunities. The BLS published that the middle half of bricklayers and blockmasons earned a median wage between $47,110 and $76,070 per year in 2021. The majority of bricklayers work for construction industries where there may be slow and busy seasons due to seasonal changes.</p>
