Newsletter
Members, customers and past students have requested a newsletter on topical up-to-date building, home renovation/DIY information in a regular Newsletter.
Newsletter No.1 March 2010
In this News Letter we want to emphasis that the construction industry is a major part of the UK economy comprising of some 250,000 companies, employing 2.1 million people.
Profiled below are just some of the trade options that the construction industry offers...
BRICKLAYING
Bricklayers build and repair walls, chimney stacks, tunnel linings and decorative stone work like archways. They might also reburbish brickwork and masonry on restoration projects. Typical jobs can range from a house extension to a large commercial development. As a bricklayer, your work would include:
-measuring the work area and setting out the first rows (courses) and damp course
-mixing mortar by hand or with a mechanical mixer
-laying bricks on top of each other and aplying the mortar with a trowel
-shaping and trimming bricks using hammers, chisels and power tools
-checking courses are straight using spirit levels, laser levels and plumb lines
On large jobs, your gang would work on a particular section of a building alongside other bricklaying gangs. You may also be able to specialise in stone masonry work.
You might not need formal qualifications to become a bricklayer, but employers tend to want people with some on site experience. If you have not worked in construction before, you could think about working a a labourer to gain site experience. Once working, your employer may be willing to offer you training in bricklaying. Alternatively, you could take a college course on bricklaying. This would teach you some of the skills needed for the job but employers may still want to see some site experience.
College courses include:
-BTEC First Diploma in Construction (bricklaying options)
-City & Guilds Basic skills in Construction award: bricklaying (6217)
-Intermediate/Advanced Construction Award (Trowel Occupations - Bricklaying)
Once you are working as a bricklayer, you could take NVQ qualifications, normally the NVQ in Trowel Occupations levels 1 to 3.
CARPENTER/JOINER
Carpenters and Joiners make and install the wooden fixtures and fittings found in household and commercial construction projects. These include the floorboards, kitchen and bathroom units, window frames and doors, roof trusses and wall partitions (stud walls).
As a carpenter or joiner your work could fall into one or more of the following areas:
-formwork - building temporary shuttering to support setting concrete; for example on motorway bridge supports or building foundations
-machining - cutting and shaping timber for floorboards, skirting boards and window frames
-bench joinery - making and assembling doors, window frames, staircase and fitted furniture
-first fixing (site work)- fitting the wooden structures, such as floor and roof timbers, staircases, partition walls, and doors and windows
-second fixing (site work)- installing skirting boards, door surrounds, hanging doors door locks and hinges, cupboards and shelving
-shopfitting - making and fitting interiors for shops, hotels, banks, offices and public buildings
You could be skilled in all of these or you may specialise in just one or two.
College courses include:
-BTEC First Diploma in Construction (carpentry options)
-City & Guilds Basic Construction Skills Award; Carpentry and Joinery (6217)
-Foundation/Intermediate/Advanced Construction Award (Wood Options)
Once working as a carpenter or Joiner, you could take on-the-job training leading to NVQ qualifications such as Wood Occupations Levels 1 to 3
PLASTERER
As a plasterer, you would mix and apply different kinds of plaster to internal walls and ceilings so that they are ready for decorating. You could also cover outside walls with coatings, such as sand and cement, pebble-dash and stone effect materials. You would normally be part of a small team and work in one of the following:
- solid plastering - applying wet finishes to surfaces and applying protective coverings such as pebble-dash to external walls
- fibrous plastering - creating ornamental plasterwork such as ceiling roses, cornices and architraves using a mixture of plaster and short fibres, shaped with moulds and casts
- dry lining - fixing internal plasterboard or wallboard partitions by fastening them together on a timber or metal frame ready for decorating
You would work on small scale domestic jobs repairs and restoration or on large commercial developments. You could learn some of the skills needed for the job by taking a college course in plastering, but employers may still want to see some site experience.
Relevant college courses include:
- City & Guilds (6217) Basic Construction Skills Plastering
- CSkills Diploma in Plastering
- ABC certificate in Preparation for Employment in Plastering
Once in employment you could work towards NVQ Levels 2 and 3 in Plastering. After completing NVQ level 3 you could take further specialist training for an NVQ Level 3 in Heritage Skills (Construction) This is designed to meet the demand for traditional craft skills in the repair and conservation of historical buildings.
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