A day in the life of a Lovell Apprentice

On a working day I wake up around 6 o'clock and get myself ready for work.  Up until now I have been working relatively close to where I live in Tividale.  I've now been transferred to Stoke which takes a little longer so I have to be out nice and early to avoid traffic and to get to work for an 8 o'clock start.

When I arrive at work the first thing I do is sign in at the site office then go down and put all my PPE (personal protective equipment) on.  I work with the direct gang of bricklayers and another apprentice Hayden and I get along with everyone.  We have a chat first thing so we know where we are working then we take our tools to where we will be working.  The forklift driver puts our mortar (we call it compo) out next to where we are working ready for us to start and gets it to us when we run out.  Our labourer loads out all the bricks and blocks so all we have to do is load mortar onto the spots (boards you put the mortar on for easy working).

I check the drawings on the lots in the morning to see where the windows and doors are.  The frames are usually kept in the compound along with the insulation, timber and wall ties, in a storage container.  I will help with setting out corners and run brickwork to a line, part way through the day I will point up my work and dust the faceing brick down keeping my work clean and tidy.  When I am finished or at the end of the day I clean up my work area.  If it is raining I cover my work so the joints don't get washed out.  I then clean my tools and put them away.

I have two breaks, one at 10 o'clock and the other at 1 o'clock.  I finish at half four and I sign out before I leave.

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