• Beginning Bricklaying
10 Weeks (Subjects taught by weeks)

Week One:
Introduction to the trade. Some bricklaying history is taught along with masonry’s place in the Richmond area. Basic tools are discussed and mason students learn to string mortar.

Week Two:
Hand tools are discussed along with tool safety. Students work on their skills at stringing mortar along with buttering brick properly.

Week Three:
Students are introduced to the mason’s pocket rules. Here we practice measuring and using the scribes on the back of the different types of mason rules. Students are now building small brick projects and are starting to use the plumb rule.

Week Four:
Safety on the jobsite. We discuss safety issues and how we can work efficiently and safely on the work site. In the shop, workers are building a simple corner.

Week Five:
Types of building material are discussed here. Brick, block, mortar, sand and their importance to the trade are taught as general knowledge. CMU’s are now introduced to the students in the shop. Spreading mortar and buttering block are our hands on work this week.

Week Six:
Job issues are discussed this week. All of the jobs required of a masonry contractor and what it takes to make a profitable job. Building CMU corners are now the project in the shop.

Week Seven:
The text book Safety for Masons is used to bring more safety information to the apprentices. The students are assigned reading as part of the class. CMU walls are constructed with students working as a team.

Week Eight:
Safety is again discussed as related to the reading assignment. Some writing is required of the students. More CMU work is done in the shop.

Week Nine:
This week’s class is for review. We will discuss and go over information from each class in preparation for the exam. In the shop, students use their choice of work in getting ready for the practical exam.

Week Ten:
Exam is given covering the entire beginning session. At the end of the written test, the students go directly to the shop to build the project of the instructor’s choice. The grading scale used for the written exam is the same as is used in the Henrico County Public Schools. The scale for the practical exam is the same as used for all State and local VICA masonry competitions.

• Intermediate Bricklaying
10 Weeks

Week One:
Introduction to the class. Review the student’s experiences between classes and go over information from last class as well as review the student exams and grades. Shop work is a free day for students to get reacquainted with the carotex mortar we use in the shop.

Week Two:
This week we discuss ethics in masonry; honesty on the job and how one is expected to relate with the other workers on the job as well as the foreman. What the contractor expects from his apprentices and how to deal with the workers responsibility toward that contractor are studied. Simple brick projects are now begun with apprentices working in teams.

Week Three:
Reading the pocket rule is this weeks’ topic. Here we have a more in-depth study of measuring and using the mason’s rules. The projects from the week before are continued with the apprentices working in teams.

Week Four:
This week we are using the textbook Masonry Skills in looking up and copying trade terms in notebooks. We will discuss these terms in class and more terms are given as homework to be discussed next week. The students start a new masonry project using both brick and block. They are still working in teams.

Week Five:
Now we study mortar. This is an in-depth look at masonry cement, portland cement, and sand as they relate to the masonry trade. This includes types of mortar along with their PSI strengths and uses. The teams continue their projects of composite masonry.

Week Six:
A quiz is given on terms from past assignments. Then the students will again study safety on the job. Discussed are dangers and hazards on the job along with the viewpoint of safety from the contractor’s perspective. Students take down old work in the shop and begin working with pattern bonds. They include not only running bond, but common or American bond as well as Flemish bond and English bond.

Week Seven:
The brick saw is discussed here with a representative speaking to the class for the diamond blade industry. In the shop we work with the representative at the saw working on technique in cutting and looking at making sure that the saw is working properly.

Week Eight:
A contractor or other trade representative is invited to speak to the students on their role in the world of construction. Here the students have a chance to ask questions to discuss with business representatives questions and concerns that they may have. We will continue to work on the various bonds in the shop.

Week Nine:
This week is dedicated to review for the exam. In the shop we will practice for the exam from projects we have worked on during this session.

Week Ten:
Exams in both the classroom and the shop.

• Advanced Bricklaying
10 Weeks

Week One:
Introduction to this final class. Go over the last exams and review student experiences between class sessions. Set objectives for apprentices and their needs to be ready for journeyman. In shop, students will build a brick column.

Week Two:
Here we study brick veneer work. Included is brick veneer and how it is properly constructed. We study layout and special requirements and skills involved in building brick veneer. We now set up straight walls and practice laying for speed.

Week Three:
This week we use the textbook Modern Masonry and look up terms related to the work we are studying now. We also start keeping a journal on the job each day recording that day’s job and personal production. In the shop, we work on team projects using rowlocks and soldiers in the designs.

Week Four:
For this week we will study the masonry foundation. Using some of the terms we looked up the week before, we explore all the aspects of building a foundation. We also discuss the journal entries of each apprentice from the week before. Students now are building CMU projects that require saw cutting.

Week Five:
This week we will look at fireplace theory and look at the engineering of the fireplace. In the shop we will practice some layout of a firebox and try to answer any questions that come up in the construction of a fireplace.

Week Six:
For week six we will study the construction of masonry stoops and steps. We will practice the layout in the shop and actually build steps in the shop.

Week Seven:
Estimating work is discussed. We bring a guest estimator from an area contractor in to explain how a job is figured and the students actually figure a job in the classroom. The student’s journals are also discussed with the estimator. In the shop we finish the steps from the week before.

Week Eight:
To follow up on the estimating from the week before, we now look at plan reading. Here we will learn symbols and study how to read and understand the drawings found on the construction site. We also learn the responsibilities of a foreman in dealing with job plans. A project is built using a rake cup on a composite wall.

Week Nine:
This week we will review for the final exam. We will also allow students to practice any work in preparation for the practical exam.

Week Ten:
This is the final exam for the program. Both written and practical exams will include work studied throughout the entire training program.