Concrete finisher to bricklayer
A concrete finisher already meets 56% of what the bricklayer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.4/ 100
1 How much of what a bricklayer is expected to do is already part of a concrete finisher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the bricklayer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A bricklayer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a concrete finisher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- discharge cement
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- follow safety procedures when working at heights
- inspect construction supplies
- interpret 2D plans
- interpret 3D plans
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A bricklayer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a concrete finisher background worth leading with.
- already held remove concrete forms constructing
- already held apply finish to concrete handling and moving
- already held place concrete forms constructing
- already held discharge cement working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held inspect supplied concrete information skills
- already held pour concrete constructing
All 27 carried skills, including the 11 the bricklayer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn check straightness of brick required
- still to learn finish mortar joints required
- still to learn install construction profiles required
- still to learn lay bricks required
- optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional
- optional, not held install falsework optional
- optional, not held build scaffolding optional
- optional, not held install insulation material optional
- optional, not held reinforce concrete optional
- still to learn mix construction grouts required
- still to learn snap chalk line required
- still to learn split bricks required
- optional, not held operate masonry power saw optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- still to learn secure working area required
- optional, not held document survey operations optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held use squaring pole optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held operate surveying instruments optional
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a bricklayer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 check straightness of brick practise this
- 02 finish mortar joints practise this
- 03 install construction profiles practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held discharge cement skill
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held inspect construction supplies skill
- already held interpret 2D plans skill
- already held interpret 3D plans skill
- already held sort waste skill
- already held transport construction supplies skill
- already held use measurement instruments skill
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held apply finish to concrete skill
- already held apply proofing membranes skill
- already held calculate needs for construction supplies skill
- already held inspect supplied concrete skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held mix concrete skill
- already held monitor stock level skill
- already held order construction supplies skill
- already held place concrete forms skill
- already held pour concrete skill
- already held process incoming construction supplies skill
- already held remove concrete forms skill
- already held rig loads skill
- already held screed concrete skill
- already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
- already held work in a construction team skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply restoration techniques optional
- optional, not held document survey operations optional
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held install falsework optional
- optional, not held operate masonry power saw optional
- optional, not held operate surveying instruments optional
- optional, not held use squaring pole optional
- optional, not held build scaffolding optional
- optional, not held building codes optional
- optional, not held install insulation material optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- optional, not held reinforce concrete optional
22 held skills the bricklayer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply spray foam insulation skill
- not needed by the target role check mixer capability skill
- not needed by the target role clean wood surface skill
- not needed by the target role drive mobile heavy construction equipment skill
- not needed by the target role feed hoppers skill
- not needed by the target role guide concrete hose skill
- not needed by the target role inspect concrete structures skill
- not needed by the target role install insulation blocks skill
- not needed by the target role keep heavy construction equipment in good condition skill
- not needed by the target role monitor concrete curing process skill
- not needed by the target role operate concrete mixer truck skill
- not needed by the target role operate road roller skill
- not needed by the target role plan surface slope skill
- not needed by the target role prevent damage to utility infrastructure skill
- not needed by the target role react to events in time-critical environments skill
- not needed by the target role recognise signs of corrosion skill
- not needed by the target role report defective manufacturing materials skill
- not needed by the target role set up reinforcing steel skill
- not needed by the target role tie reinforcing steel skill
- not needed by the target role types of concrete forms knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of concrete pumps knowledge
- not needed by the target role use sander skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held building codes optional
Common questions about this move
Can a concrete finisher become a bricklayer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A concrete finisher already covers 56% of what a bricklayer is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 11 of which the bricklayer role treats as required.
What skills does a concrete finisher need to become a bricklayer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is check straightness of brick.
How hard is the move from concrete finisher to bricklayer?
Its learning distance is 51.4 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.