Brick & Stone Mason BMA

Holland Code: RCI (Realistic, Conventional, Investigative)

What academic skills do I need to be successful in the program?

Apprenticeship programs are run at Fanshawe College in partnership with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. You can not apply to an apprenticeship program through the Ontario Colleges Application Service. Your first step is finding an employer who will support you in your apprenticeship training. The employer must register you as an apprentice with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. For more information on the process, please see the Fanshawe Apprenticeship website.

Arts & Literacy Apprentices will need a grade 10 education in these subjects at a minimum.

Math and Science Apprentices will need a grade 12 education in math at a minimum.

Technology Basic computer skills required (Microsoft Office, email, Internet, checking student portal for course material).

What personal qualities should someone interested in this career have?

• Able to  pay attention to detail
• The ability to get along well with co-workers
• An eye for colour, symmetry and proportion
• The physical strength and stamina required to work with heavy tools and materials
• Manual dexterity and a good sense of balance
• Take pride in seeing the results of their work
• Enjoy physical exercise and working with their hands
• Ability to complete high-quality work in a time-sensitive manner

Useful background experience for this program would be

Working in a variety of environments (seasons, weather, individually, part of a team); experience being committed to a job or project whereby excellent attitude and attendance were displayed; experience taking direction and learning from others.

What kind of work could I do when I graduate?

Graduates of this program may go on to become a

Brick mason, stonemason, block mason. This is a Red Seal Trade.

Places you may find yourself employed include

Trade, building and general contractors or being self-employed (for example, contracting on jobs such as patios and fireplaces).

Typical working conditions for this kind of work:

• Usually work outdoors, often on scaffolding
• Sometimes use protective enclosures and portable heaters in adverse weather conditions
• Work is physically demanding and requires routinely handling items that weigh up to 25 kilograms
• Some travel may be required to get to work sites
• Work a five day, 40 hour week with overtime sometimes required to meet construction schedules

Tasks a graduate may do in the workplace

Brick mason

• Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels
• Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using a trowel edge, hammer, or power saw
• Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required
• Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement
• Lay and align bricks, blocks, or tiles to build or repair structures or high-temperature equipment, such as cupolas, kilns, ovens, or furnaces
• Mix specified amounts of sand, clay, dirt, or mortar powder with water to form refractory mixtures
• Calculate angles and courses and determine the vertical and horizontal alignment of courses
• Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using a broom, wire brush, or scraper

Stonemason

• Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using a straight edge, rule, or staked lines
• Shape, trim, face and cut marble or stone preparatory to setting, using power saws, cutting equipment, and hand tools
• Set the vertical and horizontal alignment of structures, using plumb bob, gauge line, and leve
• Mix mortar or grout and pour or spread mortar or grout on marble slabs, stone, or foundation.
• Set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern
• Lay brick to build shells of chimneys and smokestacks or to line or reline industrial furnaces, kilns, boilers and similar installations.
• Replace broken or missing masonry units in walls or floors
• Smooth, polish, and bevel surfaces, using hand tools and power tools

Helpful links for further research into this Fanshawe College program and career opportunity

• www.apprenticesearch.com
• The Apprenticeship Network
• Apprenticetrades.ca
• Ontario College of Trades
• Employer apprenticeship incentives

• Brick & Allied Craft Union of Canada (BACU)
• Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA)
• Terrazzo, Tile & Marble Guild of Ontario (TTMGO)

You may also wish to explore the Fanshawe Graduate Employment Outcomes Report and the Employment Profile of Ontario College Graduates.

Last Modified: June 1, 2022