For young people who like hands-on work, the trowel trades can offer a clear path into construction, and plenty of variety once you’re on the job. That’s the message from Ira Maheu, apprenticeship and training co-ordinator at the Trowel Trades Training Association (TTTA) in British Columbia.
Maheu points to the range of work bricklayers can take on over a career, from building and repairing walls and floors to more specialized structures like arches, fireplaces, chimneys, smokestacks, furnaces, and kilns. He says the scope can run from a straightforward masonry walkway to an ornate exterior on a multilevel building, with opportunities in industrial, commercial, and institutional work, as well as residential projects.
TTTA has been training union and non-union apprentices registered with SkilledTradesBC since 1993. The program typically takes four years and combines technical instruction with work-based training. Maheu says the courses include both theory and practical learning, with most time spent in the shop to mirror the kinds of situations apprentices will face on real jobsites.
After finishing the program, apprentices can qualify for Red Seal certification, which is recognized across Canada. TTTA’s training facility is in Surrey, near Vancouver, and includes classroom space plus a large shop that can be divided to run two classes at once. The association has instructors for concrete finishing and bricklaying, and it has scheduled Level 1 courses and additional training starting later this fall and into early 2027.
The push for more training comes as the B.C. provincial government announced it is doubling skilled trades training funding, including support for the trowel trades, with $241 million over three years. TTTA said the investment should help more British Columbians pursue careers in the skilled trades.
Read the full, original article from constructconnect.com here.