HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A common path is to finish secondary school and then start as a labourer or helper on a concrete crew to learn the work on site. Many people build skills through on-the-job training, and some enter an apprenticeship or union-supported training route with local employers or the OPCMIA. Early experience usually includes helping prepare forms and reinforcement, moving materials, using hand tools, and learning how to level, smooth, cure, repair, and finish concrete. Requirements can vary by employer and province, and some jobs may prefer previous construction experience.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Check formwork, granular base and steel reinforcement materials and direct placement of concrete into forms or onto surfaces according to grade
- Fill hollows and remove high spots to smooth freshly poured concrete
- Operate power vibrator to compact concrete
- Level top surface of concrete according to grade and depth specifications using straightedge or float
- Impart desired finish to concrete surfaces using hand and power tools
- Install anchor bolts, steel plates, door sills and other fixtures in freshly poured concrete
- Apply hardening and sealing compounds to cure surface of concrete
- Waterproof, damp-proof and restore concrete surfaces
- Repair, resurface and replace worn or damaged sections of floors, walls, roads and other concrete structures.
SKILLS TO BUILD
Skills used in this Career
ConstructionScheduling/Working to SchedulePhysical Work