How to become a Concreter

Duties & Tasks of a Concreter

Concreters may:

• Mix cement, gravel, sand and water to make concrete on site
• Move concrete into position using a concrete pump
• Place concrete into the formwork (usually temporary wood or steel moulds), ensuring it is spread and levelled, then compacted
• Operate paving and trowelling machines to float, trowel and polish the concrete surface
• Create different surface textures by tamping, smoothing and shaping the concrete surface with a variety of hand tools
• Cut joints into hardened concrete
• Mix and apply pigments when a coloured surface is required
• Dig foundation trenches if working on residential or small commercial projects.

Tasks

• Tamping, smoothing, shaping and sealing concrete
• Operating trowelling machines to float, trowel and polish concrete surfaces
• Pouring, spreading and levelling concrete using screeds and templates
• Covering concrete with plastic sheeting and sand to cure it
• Cutting lines in concrete using power cutters
• Erecting concrete form work and laying steel reinforcing
• Forming expansion joints and edges using edging tools, jointers and straight edges
• Installing fixtures in concrete such as anchor bolts, steel plates and door sills
• Wetting concrete and rubbing with abrasives to finish vertical surfaces
• May cover freshly poured concrete with colouring powders and other materials

Working conditions for a Concreter

For most jobs, concrete is mixed at a pre-mix concrete supplier's factory and delivered to the site in a pre-mix concrete truck. Concreters usually work outside on construction sites that may be dusty and noisy. Much of their time is spent standing or kneeling and they may also have to work at heights or underground in tunnels. They may travel from job to job and usually begin work very early in the morning. There is a growing industry in precast concrete where concrete elements are cast and cured in factories then transported to the site for use.

Employment Opportunities for a Concreter

Most concreters are employed on building and construction sites by building and construction companies, or by subcontractors or Group Training Organisations. A small amount of work is generated by other uses of concrete, such as kerbing, driveways, paths and retaining walls. With experience or further training, labourers may progress to skilled positions. Due to changing conditions within the construction industry, including differences in the demand and supply of various construction materials and the use of new technologies, the availability of work may vary.

Specializations

Concreter

Concreters place, spread, compact, finish and cure concrete for buildings, roads, tunnels, bridges and marine structures, using hand tools and automated machinery.

• 

  Average age

  36 years

• 

  Future Growth

  Strong

• 

  Gender Share

  1% female

• 

  Average full-time

  45 hours

• 

  Weekly Pay

  $2,100

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  Skill level rating

  Entry level

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  Unemployment

  Average unemployment

• 

  Full-Time Share

  79% Full-Time

• 

  Employment Size

  46,100 workers

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  Employment by state

  ACT: 1.1%
  NSW: 28.9%
  NT: 1.1%
  QLD: 23.5%
  SA: 6.3%
  TAS: 1.3%
  VIC: 28.3%
  WA: 9.4%
  
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  Age brackets

  15-19: 3.9%
  20-24: 12.6%
  25-34: 29.5%
  35-44: 23.5%
  45-54: 18.5%
  55-59: 6.2%
  60-64: 3.7%
  65 and Over: 2.2%
  
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  Education level

  Advanced Diploma/Diploma: 2.4%
  Bachelor degree: 1.4%
  Below Year 10: 6.6%
  Certificate III/IV: 38.9%
  Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate: 0.2%
  Year 10 and below: 31.1%
  Year 11: 8.6%
  Year 12: 17.4%
  Years 11 & 10: 28.2%