Bricklaying Apprentice Hub
Bricklaying and blocklaying is one of the oldest hands-on trades on any building site. You lay bricks, concrete blocks and pavers to build walls, piers, retaining structures and facades, working off plans and keeping everything level, plumb and to gauge. It is physical, weather-exposed work that rewards a good eye, steady hands and pride in a straight, clean line. In Australia the trade is learned as a paid apprenticeship, usually around three years, combining on-site work with off-the-job training.
The trade splits across residential, commercial and industrial work, and the day to day changes a lot between them. A brickie on a suburban housing block has a very different week to one running blockwork on a high-rise or laying refractory brick in a plant. Pay, paperwork, allowances and pace all shift with the setting and with whether the site runs on the modern award or an enterprise agreement (EBA). This page walks through the real picture so you know what you are signing up for.
Start with these
What apprentices actually do
- •Read plans and set out walls, working to gauge, level and plumb with string lines and spirit levels.
- •Lay bricks, concrete blocks and pavers in mortar to build walls, piers, retaining walls, arches and facades.
- •Mix mortar to the right consistency, or manage bagged and pre-mixed product, and keep the supply moving.
- •Cut and shape bricks and blocks to fit openings, corners and returns using a bolster, brick hammer, saw or grinder.
- •Build cavity and veneer walls, install ties, flashings, weep holes, lintels and control joints.
- •Rake, strike and tool the joints for a clean, weatherproof finish, then clean down the finished brickwork.
- •Build and work safely off scaffold, and set out reinforcement and core-filling on structural blockwork.
Residential, commercial or industrial?
Same trade, very different day depending on the kind of work your employer does.
Residential
House builds, extensions, garages, fences and landscaping brick and block work for builders and homeowners. Most first-year brickies start here.
- •Day to day: single and double-storey face brick, cavity walls, brick veneer, block retaining walls and paving. Small crews, often you and a tradesperson plus a labourer.
- •Tools and materials: standard clay bricks (around 3.5 kg each), besser blocks, bagged mortar or site-mixed sand and cement, spot boards and a wheelbarrow.
- •Paperwork is lighter: a builder's plan, a basic SWMS and a job sheet. Less induction hoops than big sites.
- •Pace is quick and piece-driven. Many residential brickies work at a price per thousand bricks, so speed and clean lines pay.
- •Pay is often the modern award or close to it, sometimes cash-flow tight with smaller builders. Expect to buy more of your own gear.
Commercial
Blockwork and face brick on schools, hospitals, shopping centres, apartments and multi-storey builds, usually for larger builders and subbies.
- •Day to day: heavy concrete blockwork (blocks can top 20 kg), core-filled and reinforced walls, brick facades, work off scaffold and mobile towers.
- •Tools and gear: block splitters, larger mixers, laser levels, mechanical aids for lifting, and more scaffold and edge-protection setup.
- •Paperwork is heavy: full site induction, daily pre-starts, SWMS sign-on, permits and QA hold points. White Card is non-negotiable.
- •Pace is steadier and more supervised, driven by program and inspections rather than raw piece rate.
- •Pay often runs under an EBA with site allowances, travel or fares, RDOs and better super. Many of these sites are union-covered and pay well above award.
Industrial and refractory
Specialist heat-resistant and heavy-duty brickwork in plants, kilns, furnaces, smelters and boilers. A niche but well-paid corner of the trade.
- •Day to day: laying refractory and firebrick, acid-resistant linings and heavy engineering blockwork, often shutdown or maintenance driven.
- •Tools and materials: specialist refractory mortars and castables, cutting and grinding gear, respirators and heat-rated PPE.
- •Paperwork is the heaviest: confined-space and hot-work permits, isolation and lockout, and strict WHS controls on remote or resources sites.
- •Pace follows shutdown windows and can mean long shifts, night work and fly-in fly-out rosters on mining and resources jobs.
- •Pay is typically the highest, on resources EBAs with shift loadings, site and living-away allowances. Not usually where a first-year starts.
A day in the life (first year)
- ▹Start early. Help unload and stack bricks and blocks near the wall, mix or barrow mortar, and set up spot boards so the tradesperson never waits on materials.
- ▹Set up the day: pull string lines, check the plan and gauge, and lay out the first course dry so bricks land right at the ends and openings.
- ▹Lay and learn: butter bricks, keep the line straight, tap to level and plumb, and rake or strike the joints as you go. Expect to be pulled up and shown the right way often.
- ▹Keep the job clean: cut bricks to size (with water to keep silica dust down), clean off snots and excess mortar, and keep the mixer and tools clear.
- ▹Pack up: wash tools, mixer and barrow before the mortar sets, cover the wall if rain is coming, and tidy the stack for tomorrow.
- ▹Through the day, watch and copy the tradesperson. First year is mostly labouring, keeping up the supply, and slowly earning time on the wall.
First-year expectations
- →Expect to labour first. Most of year one is carrying, stacking, mixing and keeping the tradesperson supplied before you get real time on the wall.
- →It is genuinely hard on the body. Thousands of lifts a day, bent over, in the sun and cold. Your hands, back and knees will let you know.
- →Your speed and lines will be slow and rough at the start. That is normal. Straight, level and clean comes with months of reps, not days.
- →You will get pulled up constantly. Take the corrections, they are how you learn the trade properly.
- →You earn while you learn, but first-year pay is modest. It steps up each year as your skills and output grow.
- →Reliability counts more than talent early on. Turn up on time, work hard, look after the gear, and you will get more responsibility fast.
Tools you'll need
Common terms
- Gauge
- The set spacing of each brick course (brick plus joint) so heights stay consistent up the wall.
- Course
- A single horizontal row of bricks or blocks.
- Perp (perpend)
- The vertical mortar joint between two bricks in a course.
- Bed joint
- The horizontal mortar joint that a brick sits on.
- Buttering
- Loading mortar onto the end of a brick before laying it against the last one.
- Plumb
- Perfectly vertical. Checked with a level so the wall does not lean.
- Cavity wall
- Two skins of masonry with a gap between, tied together, for weatherproofing and insulation.
- Brick veneer
- A single outer skin of brick over a timber or steel framed wall.
- Snots
- Blobs of squeezed-out mortar that need cleaning off the face of the wall.
- Course out (set out)
- Laying the first course dry to work out where cuts and joints land before mortaring.
TAFE & study support
Your apprenticeship combines paid on-the-job work with off-the-job training toward the Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying (CPC33020). Depending on your state and employer, off-the-job training runs as regular day-release at TAFE or a registered training provider, or in blocks. You keep a training record or logbook of the skills and tasks you complete on site, and your employer and trainer sign it off as you go. The qualification is competency based, so you progress as you demonstrate the skills, not just by serving time, and it must be assessed in a real or closely simulated workplace.
Licensing & qualifications
The trade qualification is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying (CPC33020), listed as current on training.gov.au, with a nominal duration of about three years full time. Finishing the apprenticeship makes you a qualified bricklayer. Contractor and trade licensing is separate and state based: you generally need a licence or registration only if you want to contract or run building work yourself above a set value, and the rules and thresholds differ by state and territory (for example the QBCC in Queensland, NSW Fair Trading in New South Wales, and the Building and Plumbing Commission in Victoria). Always check your own state or territory authority, because licensing, legislative and certification requirements vary.
What you'll get paid
Apprentices are paid a training wage that starts as a percentage of the qualified tradesperson rate and steps up each year as you progress. On most jobs the floor is set by the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), but many commercial, union and resources sites run an enterprise agreement (EBA) that pays well above the award, with site and travel allowances, RDOs and better super. Adult apprentices may qualify for higher minimum rates. Do not rely on a single figure: check your exact entitlement for your age, year and agreement using the Fair Work Pay Calculator.
Common questions
How long does a bricklaying apprenticeship take?
Around three years full time, though it is competency based, so a strong apprentice who picks it up quickly can sometimes finish sooner. Adult apprentices with prior experience may also move faster.
Do I need a licence to work as a bricklayer?
Not to work as an employed brickie. You need the Certificate III to be qualified, and a state contractor licence only if you want to contract or run jobs yourself above your state's value threshold.
Can I start as an adult or school-based apprentice?
Yes. There is no upper age limit, and adult apprentices often get higher minimum pay. School-based apprenticeships let senior high school students start while finishing Year 11 and 12.
Should I go through a group training organisation or a direct employer?
Both work. A GTO employs you and rotates you between host builders, which is handy if a builder goes quiet. Direct employment can mean more consistency and a closer relationship with one boss.
Is it as physically hard as people say?
Yes. It is heavy, repetitive lifting in all weather, and it takes a toll on your back, knees and hands. Good lifting technique and mechanical aids on bigger sites help a lot.
Do commercial sites really pay more than housing?
Often, yes. Commercial and resources sites frequently run EBAs with site allowances, travel and RDOs that lift pay above the award, though the paperwork, inductions and structure are heavier.
What do I need before I can start on site?
At minimum a White Card (construction induction), steel-capped boots and basic PPE. An employer willing to take you on as an apprentice is the main hurdle, so chase local brickies and builders directly.
Safety reminders
- ⚠Control silica dust. Cutting or grinding bricks, blocks and concrete releases respirable crystalline silica, which causes silicosis and lung cancer. Cut with water or on-tool extraction, never dry sweep, and wear a fitted respirator.
- ⚠Lift smart. Bricks and blocks are heavy and you handle them thousands of times a day. Bend at the knees, keep loads close, stack materials at working height, and use barrows and mechanical aids where you can.
- ⚠Work safely at height. Only work off properly built, inspected scaffold with edge protection. Never overload a scaffold with bricks or stand on the top guardrail.
- ⚠Watch for unsupported walls. Fresh, tall or long masonry can collapse before it cures. Follow the SWMS for temporary bracing and stay clear of walls that are not braced.
- ⚠Protect your skin and eyes. Wet cement and mortar burn and dry out your skin, so wear gloves and rinse off splashes. Use safety glasses when cutting and hearing protection near saws and mixers.
- ⚠Sun and heat matter. Brickies work outdoors all day, so use sunscreen, a broad-brim hat under the hard hat where allowed, and drink water to avoid heat stress.
Sources and official links
Straight from the source. These open in a new tab.
- training.gov.au: CPC33020 Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying (opens in a new tab)
- Your Career (Australian Government): Bricklayer occupation (opens in a new tab)
- Jobs and Skills Australia: Bricklayers profile (opens in a new tab)
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Building and Construction Award (MA000020) summary (opens in a new tab)
- Safe Work Australia: Silica hazard information for construction (opens in a new tab)
- NSW Government: Bricklaying work licensing (opens in a new tab)
- QBCC (Queensland): Bricklaying and blocklaying licence (opens in a new tab)
- Australian Taxation Office: Apprentices and trainees income and work-related deductions (opens in a new tab)
- SafeWork NSW: Work safely with crystalline silica (opens in a new tab)
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