Trades

As of 30 June 2021, applications for this course are for the Waiting List only

Construction is a huge industry covering housing, commercial premises (like shops, hotels or offices) and industrial buildings (like factories or warehouses). Within construction there are several key trades, including bricklaying, carpentry and joinery, and painting and decorating. Skilled tradespeople usually find themselves in high demand - from homeowners as well as industry - so if you invest in your abilities now, you could have a great future ahead!

All our trades staff are highly skilled and experienced, and fully committed to sharing their expertise and knowledge with you. Ayrshire College is also recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the Construction Industry Training Board, so there really is no better place for men and women to come and learn a trade!

For entry to this course you’ll need:

• A real interest in working in bricklaying

• Three National 4s or three relevant Standard Grades at General Level OR

  City & Guilds Certificate in Bricklaying (Level 4) OR

  Skills for Work (Level 4)

• An interview with us

If you don't have any formal qualifications, but have life experience and are really keen, we'll also consider you for a place, so please call us for a chat.

This course will give you a good foundation for becoming a skilled tradesperson. As you might expect, you’ll do loads of practical work, including bricklaying, stonemasonry, plastering and tiling. You’ll also do a small amount of theory and will find out what you need to know to work successfully in the construction industry.

Here's some of what you'll be doing:

• We’ll help you develop your skills for employment, such as working as part of a team.
• In bricklaying, you’ll begin with learning how to build half brick and one brick walls. You’ll then move onto cavity wall construction, including laying a damp proofing course. Then it’s onto the fancy stuff! You’ll learn how to construct a simple arch and practise decorative brickwork.
• You’ll look at the craft of stonemasonry, including different natural, stone building types and styles. You’ll find out how to source natural stone and then construct your own natural stone component.
• You’ll also try plastering, and develop skills in both solid (flat wall) and bench plasterwork, which involves moulds.
• In tiling, you’ll begin with roofs and learn how to fix single lap tiles to a pitched roof surface. Then it’s onto walls and floors, where you’ll learn how to fix the tiles and finish the job off using grout.
• On the theory side of things, you’ll explore construction practices within the different trades, including how to produce construction drawings and work efficiently. You’ll also look at health and safety, and learn basic ICT for use on a day to day basis in construction.
• You’ll build transferable Essential Skills in meaningful contexts to help you become more effective in life, learning, and work. This could be communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others, and problem solving.

When you successfully complete this course, you’ll have the choice of:

• Moving onto City & Guilds Diploma in Bricklaying (Level 6)
• Seeking to start your career with an apprenticeship in bricklaying, stonemasonry, roof tiling, plastering, or wall and floor tiling.

BE INSPIRED BY OUR VIDEO

• Watch our short video where Lecturer Billy Hutchison explains why you should consider a course in Bricklaying. Click here to watch the video.