Cement Masons: Job Description, Education, Skills and Duties, Earnings and Outlook
Submitted by: paula
Job Overview For thousand of years, the material called "cement" has been used as a building material for different edifice and infrastructures. It is made of a mixture of several elements such as powdered alumina, limestone and silica mixed with water to form a compact solid mass. People who are experts in applying cements to different construction projects such as sidewalks, buildings, dams, tunnels, arplane runways and many others are called cement masons. Cement masons are usually workers or employees of construction firms. They are responsible in following instruction from the given blueprints done by the engineers, building forms for holding the concrete, determining the most appropriate mixture of the concrete ingredients and applying the concrete mixture. They also play a part in ensuring the structures' concrete finishes' suitability to the given environment.
Education, Knowledge and Trainings Required
Cement masons should know their materials well and the factors that may affect the outcome of their mixtures such as temperature, wind, moisture that will affect curing and the hardening of the concrete. As to the educational requirement to become one, there is no minimum nor specific educational attainment required for this job. A high school graduate with a vocational-technical training is preferred though, and has an advantage in employment over those who do not have one. Most of the trainings are taken by becoming an apprentice in a construction firm or by applying in several training programs being provided by the labor unions and/or sponsored by the local contractors.
Skills and Abilities
Physical fitness is important in this job. A person who aspires to become a cement mason should exhibit an excellent physical strength and endurance as most of the work is heavy and nature and outdoors. Creativity is also necessary so that finishings of the concrete are done with art and according to the desired specifications set by the engineers and architects. They should have a good communication skills besides the many mechanical and techinical skills involved in using tools for mixing and applying concrete and some heavy equipment.
Duties
Cement masons are also called concrete masons.
Their main responsibilty is to put into place as well as smoothen and finish the concrete surface in different construction projects such as home patios, sidewalks, buildings, dams, tunnels, to name a few. They do this by constructing wooden concrete cylinders or longitudinal boxes wherein the conrete micture willbe poured and molded. They accomplish this further by using various tools to create the desired shapes and finishing structures and textures desired. At times, they may be tasked to fabricate beams, columns as well as panels of concrete.
Earnings and Job Outlook
The range of salary for a cement mason starts off from 19,930 U.S. dollars or 9.58 U.s. dollars per hour, to around 53,780 U.S. dollars of 25.86 USD per hour. The job opportunity is also increasing as fast as the average for the other industries until the year 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Paula Hiz is a researcher and a human resource specialist who helps newly graduates, job applicants and post graduate professionals be aware of their job opportunities and available trainings for skills and practice upgrading.
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Word Count: 541 Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2010 Time: 6:23 PM
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