Archives
Site preparation trade workers prepare building sites and develop the foundations of a project.
Operating Engineers
Have a good work ethic? Like working outdoors? Do you have a mechanical aptitude? Join the men and women who operate big construction machinery. Operating engineers operate and maintain almost all of the engine-powered machines and equipment used in the construction industry. This equipment is used to construct highways, dams, roads, buildings and various other projects. The equipment includes bulldozers, cranes, loaders, scrapers and other related heavy equipment.
Learn more:
Iron Workers
Working with iron can bring you to great heights. There are three types of ironworkers. Which path is meant for you?
Structural Ironworkers unload, erect and connect fabricated iron beams to form the project skeleton. They work primarily on industrial, commercial and large residential buildings, as well as build towers, bridges, stadiums and prefabricated metal buildings.
Reinforcing Ironworkers fabricate and place steel bars (rebar) in concrete forms to reinforce structures. They also install post-tensioning tendons (cables) to place in concrete forms along with reinforcing steel and stress tendons using hydraulic jacks and pumps after the concrete is poured and hardened.
Ornamental Ironworkers install metal windows into a building’s masonry or wooden openings and erect curtain wall and window wall systems that cover the steel or reinforced concrete structure of a building. They also install and erect metal stairways, catwalks, gratings, doors, railings, fencing, elevator fronts and building entrances.
Learn more:
Drivers (Teamsters)
Teamster construction drivers drive a large variety of construction equipment including tractor-trailers; flatbeds or lowboy trailers; mixer trucks; end-dump, belly-dump or side-dump trucks; road repair equipment; fuel trucks; water trucks; and even the job site crew buses. This career is more than just driving. You will learn how to operate the implements on some trucks, such as dragging the fuel hose, attaching the mixer chutes and strapping or chaining down equipment.
Learn more: https://teamster.org/divisions/building-material-and-construction-trade-division/
Cement Masons
A cement mason is a skilled craftworker who works with a crew to pour, smooth and finish concrete floors, sidewalks, roads and curbs. Concrete work is fast-paced, strenuous and often involves kneeling, bending and reaching. Because many jobs are outdoors, work generally stops in wet weather. At the end of the day you can stand back and feel pride in what you created. After all, it is a testament to your skill and craftsmanship.
Learn more:
Carpenters
Carpenters work on almost any construction site imaginable. Carpenters are some of the first workers on a jobsite, and some of the last to leave. They assist in site preparation; build concrete forms and decks; frame walls and roofs; hang interior and exterior walls; install windows, doors, acoustical ceilings, countertops and trim; and install locks, hardware and specialty furniture. Work can be indoors or outdoors and is physically demanding. Carpenters generally work in five different areas, including wood framing, interior systems, concrete form work, exterior finish and interior finish.
Earn good money alongside great people. Listen to Gabe Fanning’s union experience.
No college debt. No regrets. Listen to Louis Rojas’ construction career experience.
Learn more:
Cabinet Makers
Bricklayers
An ancient and noble profession, bricklayers are skilled journeyworkers who construct walls, partitions, steps, free standing piers, arches and other structures made of brick, concrete block or masonry materials. They study the blueprints or building plans to check specifications and determine the most accurate layouts. Bricklayers have a thorough knowledge of the different types of bricks that are available, the correct mortar mixtures and how to adapt building methods to different weather conditions so as to protect structures from humidity or water ingress.
Andre McHenry speaks to the experiences with architectural history that he encounters in his career as a bricklayer. He found his career in construction in Minnesota.