Bricklayers

Completion of secondary school is usually required. In addition, completion of a three- to four-year apprenticeship program (or a combination of more than four years of work experience in the trade and some high school, college or industry courses in bricklaying) is required to be eligible for trade certification. Trade certification is not required to work as a bricklayer in B.C., but it can help increase job opportunities. The bricklayer apprenticeship:

• Requires a combination of work experience and class time instruction
• Classroom training usually takes four five-week periods, however, part-time and distance education may be available
• Can be started in secondary school, through entry-level training at colleges and technical institutes or by direct entry
• Requires workers to find a sponsor employer who is willing to participate in the program.

Interprovincial trade certification, Red Seal certification, is available to qualified bricklayers through SkilledTradesBC.

Workers with 7,500 hours of documented directly related work experience can challenge the interprovincial Red Seal examination. For more information please see the SkilledTradesBC website at https://skilledtradesbc.ca.

Bricklayers who are certified for that occupation by a regulator elsewhere in Canada can apply for the same certification from the regulator in B.C. Under the terms of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), most applicants who are transferring their credentials from elsewhere in Canada will not be required to complete additional training or testing. However, the B.C. regulator may ask applicants to provide further information such as a letter of good standing, references, or criminal record check.

For those who trained outside of Canada and never received certification from any Canadian jurisdiction, a full assessment is likely needed. Most occupational regulators have a process for assessment and recognize internationally trained applicants.

Contact SkilledTradesBC for details on how to apply for certification in B.C.

For information about labour mobility in Canada, visit www.workersmobility.ca.

View a list of Professional Regulatory Authorities in B.C.

Trades training resources

Visit our trades training page at www.workbc.ca/trades to learn about apprenticeship and trades training in B.C.

Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.

Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.

The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.

Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.

Of the new openings that arise in the coming years, more than half are expected from new job growth.

In recent years, the strong economy in B.C. resulted in a rapid increase in construction activity, which created a strong demand for bricklayers.

Within the Construction industry, the majority of bricklayers work in the commercial and institutional construction sub-sectors, installing facades, walls, courtyards and entrance ways. The use of brick is also becoming more popular in multi-unit residential construction.

Future demand for workers will depend on growth in the Construction industry and the retirement of current workers. In the next few years, activities in residential construction are expected to be slow, while the pace of industrial construction is expected to remain stable.