CAREER AS BRICKLAYER PROVIDES FOR FAMILY, BUILDS A COMFORTABLE LIFE
One of Sean Robinson’s favorite past-times is playing with his five children. They read, play basketball, and are genuinely excited to spend time together.
A resident of Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb in the Twin Cities, Robinson, 39, has found a career to provide for his five children.
After Robinson graduated from high school, he worked odd jobs trying to make ends meet.
Eventually, he wanted a career with great pay and benefits to support himself and his family.
His first step was attending North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, where he discovered the career of bricklaying during a class field trip to the BAC Local 1 Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota.
“I went on the field trip and was exposed to laying brick and decided to give the profession a try,” Robinson said. “The pay and benefits that bricklayers receive was appealing. It was a lot more than what I was making at the time.”
After the field trip, Robinson applied for a bricklaying apprenticeship and was accepted into the union.
Introduction to Life Through Bricklaying Apprenticeship
Bricklayers construct walls, partitions, steps, free-standing piers, arches and other structures made of brick. concrete block or other masonry materials. They are knowledgeable about the different types of bricks available, the correct mortar mixtures and how to adapt building methods to different weather conditions.
Robinson’s apprenticeship through the BAC Local 1 Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota is a five-year program where he works a 40-hour week under the guidance of experienced professionals.
“When you first start, you will have difficult days,” said Robinson. “But, over time with the instruction of the journey workers around you, you become better. I’m surprised how much I’ve learned in just three years.”
Sean built his career. It’s time to build yours. Watch Sean Robinson describe his construction experience.
Robinson attends night class every other week at the BAC training center where he learns about new bricklaying techniques and materials he can use on the job site.
“The skills that you learn at the BAC training center through your apprenticeship are extremely useful on the job site,” Robinson said. ” You know when other people on the job have not gone through apprenticeship training, it’s a standard respected by all workers in the union.”
Being an apprentice through a union also provides benefits such as healthcare and a retirement pension.
“The wages and benefits allow for myself and my family to live a comfortable life,” Robinson said. “That is something that I was not able to say prior to my apprenticeship as a bricklayer.”
Interested in an Apprenticeship as a Bricklayer? Resource the Construction Trades App.
“My favorite part of my job is completing something I didn’t think was possible when I walked onto a job site,” said Robinson. “It’s a very rewarding feeling when you look up at a building and knowing that you helped to make it possible.”
The Construction Trades app can be downloaded on Google Play and the Apple Store. The user interface lets youth personalize their app experience and explore construction careers that fit their interests.
To learn more about a career as a bricklayer and to apply for a bricklayer apprenticeship download the Construction Trades app, the first free mobile app for Minnesota youth interested in exploring careers in Minnesota’s construction industry and pursuing an apprenticeship. The new app, created by Construction Careers Foundation, a Twin Cities nonprofit, is recommended for juniors and seniors in high school and is available for download on the Apple App and Google Play stores.
The Construction Trades app has a seamless interest form to local, paid union apprenticeship opportunities across the state. Better yet, the app makes the search for an apprenticeship easy by pairing a students’ selected career interests with updated career information and opportunities.
Download the app today to view information about more than 30 different careers in Minnesota’s construction trades – from carpenters to electricians to heavy equipment operators.