HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A typical path is to finish secondary school and start looking for on-the-job training or an entry-level job with a plastering, drywall, stucco, or finishing contractor. Some students take related trade or construction courses in school, then learn by working alongside experienced tradespeople. Early experience often includes preparing surfaces, mixing materials, and helping apply or finish plaster, stucco, or decorative details. Requirements can vary by employer, province, and the type of work, so some people may build skills through apprenticeships, while others learn directly on the job.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Clean and prepare surfaces
- Mix plaster ingredients in trough to desired consistency
- Apply, level and smooth coats of plaster using trowels, floats, brushes and spraying equipment
- Trowel or spray coats of stucco over exteriors of buildings to form weatherproof surfaces
- Finish corners and angles and create decorative designs in finish coat, if required
- Cure freshly plastered surfaces
- Mould and install ornamental plaster panels, cornices and trim
- Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls and ceilings.
SKILLS TO BUILD
Skills used in this Career
ConstructionScheduling/Working to SchedulePhysical Work