Evantaa Institute Editorial Team | Courses | 9 August 2026 | 7 min read
Bricklaying is one of the most visible trades in Australian construction. Walk past almost any new home, townhouse, retaining wall or commercial development in Melbourne or Brisbane, and you’re looking at someone’s bricklaying and blocklaying work. But what does the Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying actually teach, week to week? Is it mostly about laying bricks in a straight line, or is there more to it?
This guide breaks down what the qualification covers, how the learning is generally structured between theory and practical workshop training, the safety training you’ll need before stepping onto a real site, and how to prepare if you’re about to start.
Information checked on: 9 August 2026. Qualification content and unit information is drawn from the current national training package listing on training.gov.au. This article does not guarantee entry, employment, licensing or salary outcomes — see the note near the end.
What the Qualification Is Actually For
Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying is a nationally recognised trade qualification, packaged nationally as CPC33020, built around constructing and repairing brick, block and masonry structures — everything from house walls and retaining walls to paving and decorative brickwork, depending on the electives studied. It’s the qualification behind the bricklayers you’ll see building a new home’s walls, a feature fence, or a commercial masonry structure across a Melbourne or Brisbane site.
Evantaa offers Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying at both the Melbourne and Brisbane campuses. For exact delivery details, current entry requirements and enrolment dates, Evantaa’s course listing is the accurate source — this guide focuses on what the qualification covers rather than admissions specifics.
Nationally, the training package sets no formal entry requirements for this qualification, according to its listing on the National Training Register (training.gov.au). That doesn’t necessarily mean Evantaa has no enrolment steps of its own — confirm current requirements directly with Student Services before applying.
The Core Skill Areas
Nationally, a Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying is built from 28 units of competency: 20 core units every student must complete, plus 8 elective units chosen from specialist areas such as traditional and heritage bricklaying, refractory (fire-resistant) brickwork, or paving. In practical terms, the core units group into skill areas that generally look like this:
| Skill area | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Materials and tools | Handling, preparing and using bricklaying and blocklaying materials, tools and equipment safely |
| Masonry construction | Laying masonry veneer, cavity brick and block walls, and constructing masonry components to specification |
| Setting out | Marking out work areas accurately before construction begins |
| Plan reading | Reading and interpreting plans and specifications for a masonry job |
| Height and access safety | Erecting basic scaffolding and working safely at height |
| Workplace health and safety | Applying WHS requirements, policies and procedures on a construction site |
| Communication and sustainability | Working effectively in a construction team and applying environmentally sustainable work practices |
The elective units allow the qualification to flex toward a student’s interests — some students lean toward heritage and decorative brickwork, others toward paving or general masonry construction. These are the broad, nationally defined skill areas behind the CPC33020 code; Evantaa’s own course page and Student Services team are the place to check exactly which units and electives apply to a specific enrolment, as this can vary between intakes.
How the Learning Is Structured
Like most trade qualifications, bricklaying and blocklaying training is practical by design. Expect a mix of:
- Classroom or online theory sessions covering plan reading, WHS requirements, measurement and the reasoning behind techniques before you try them yourself
- Workshop-based practical training, typically starting on practice walls and simple masonry bonds before progressing to more complex work such as cavity walls, corners and openings
- Assessment tasks, usually combining short written or verbal questions with a practical demonstration of the skill
- Safety training, built into every practical session rather than taught once and forgotten
The exact mix of classroom versus workshop time, and whether the course runs full-time, part-time or in blocks, is set by Evantaa’s current timetable. Confirm current delivery modes directly with Student Services before enrolling, as these can change between intakes.
Safety Training: The White Card, and a Bricklaying-Specific Risk
Like every construction trade, bricklaying students need a Construction Induction Card — the “white card” — before setting foot on most real construction sites, including work placements. Evantaa’s carpentry course page and Student Services can point you to the general white card process, which is set by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), WorkSafe Victoria and Business Queensland — the same requirement applies here.
Bricklaying and blocklaying also carries a safety issue that’s specific to the trade: cutting bricks, blocks and pavers can generate respirable crystalline silica dust, a hazard that has drawn increasing regulatory attention across Australia in recent years. According to WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance on preventing exposure to crystalline silica dust, cutting, grinding or drilling masonry materials can release fine silica particles that pose a serious long-term lung health risk if inhaled without proper controls. Queensland has similarly strengthened its rules, with WorkSafe Queensland maintaining a specific Code of Practice for managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction.
In practice, this means bricklaying students are trained from day one in dust-control methods — such as wet cutting and appropriate respiratory protective equipment — as a standard, non-negotiable part of workshop practice, not an afterthought. It’s a good example of how a trade-specific hazard shapes the safety training within a qualification, on top of the general WHS content every construction course covers.
Evantaa does not personally issue white cards — students complete this training through an approved provider and should confirm with Student Services whether it’s built into their specific course or needs to be arranged separately.
Why Bricklaying Skills Are in Demand Right Now
Bricklaying is one of the trades tracked in Evantaa’s coverage of the current trade-by-trade shortage data and the Victoria’s Big Build vs Queensland’s 2032 pipeline comparison, both of which draw on the Housing Industry Association’s Trades Availability Index. Bricklaying’s role in almost every residential and many commercial builds — walls, façades, retaining structures and paving — is part of why demand for the trade has stayed consistent through both states’ major building pipelines.
None of this guarantees a specific job, salary or employment outcome for any individual student — labour market conditions vary by location, experience and employer — but it does help explain why bricklaying remains a practical, in-demand starting point for a construction career.
Skills That Carry Beyond Bricklaying
Several skills built into a Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying carry across the wider construction industry:
- Plan reading and accurate setting out — a foundation for almost every other trade and for supervisory qualifications later on
- Working to Australian building standards — habits that carry into any construction role
- Site safety awareness, including hazard-specific controls like silica dust management — a mindset every construction worker needs, regardless of trade
- Working methodically and to a consistent standard — useful whether you stay a bricklayer or move toward site coordination later
If you’re weighing up bricklaying against other trades, Evantaa’s course listing lets you compare bricklaying with carpentry, tiling, plastering and cabinet making side by side. And if you’re already thinking about where a trade qualification could lead, the Certificate III vs Certificate IV in Building and Construction guide explains what changes if you later step up toward site supervision.
Preparing for Your First Weeks of Practical Training
A few practical steps make the transition into workshop-based learning smoother:
- Sort your white card early if it isn’t included in your course, so it doesn’t hold up your first practical session
- Ask Student Services exactly what personal protective equipment (PPE) you need — bricklaying often involves specific gear for dust and manual handling, and requirements can vary by campus and activity
- Wear appropriate clothing and enclosed footwear to every practical session, standard practice in any workshop environment
- Expect physical work — bricklaying involves repetitive lifting and manual handling, so pacing yourself and using correct technique from day one matters
- Ask questions early — trade trainers expect first-year students to ask about tools, mortar mixes and technique; it’s part of how the workshop is designed to work
A Note on Outcomes
This guide describes what the qualification generally covers and how the learning experience is typically structured — it does not guarantee entry, a job, a trade licence, a visa outcome or a salary. Trade licensing, where relevant to specific types of work, is regulated separately by each state’s building authority, and requirements vary depending on the work performed. If you have questions about your own circumstances, Evantaa’s Student Services team can point you to the right official source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need any experience before starting a Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying?
The national training package sets no formal entry requirements, but Evantaa may have its own enrolment steps — confirm current requirements directly with Student Services.
Is the course mostly hands-on, or mostly classroom-based?
It combines both, with practical workshop training on masonry techniques built around the theory that supports it. The exact balance depends on Evantaa’s current timetable and delivery mode for your intake.
Why does silica dust matter for bricklaying students specifically?
Cutting or grinding bricks, blocks and pavers can release fine crystalline silica dust, a recognised long-term health hazard. Dust-control methods, such as wet cutting and respiratory protection, are trained as standard practice from the start of workshop learning — see WorkSafe Victoria’s and WorkSafe Queensland’s guidance linked above for the official detail.
Does finishing a Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying make me a licensed builder?
No. A Certificate III is a trade qualification, not a builder’s licence. Any additional licensing, registration or trade recognition is managed separately by each state’s building regulator and depends on further experience and requirements set by that authority.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
A Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying is a hands-on, physically engaged qualification built around real masonry construction skills — reading plans, setting out, laying brick and block work to a professional standard — layered with the safety training every construction worker needs, including trade-specific controls like silica dust management. If you’re weighing it up against another trade, or want to know what comes after it, Evantaa’s course comparison and career pathway guides are a good next stop.
Ready to find out more? Contact Evantaa Institute’s Melbourne or Brisbane campus to ask about current intakes for Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying, or visit the course page for full details.
Sources
- CPC33020 Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying, National Training Register
- CPC33020 Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying, Release 1 (PDF)
- Evantaa Institute — Our Courses
- Construction Induction (White) Card, Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)
- Construction induction training (white card), WorkSafe Victoria
- General construction induction, Business Queensland
- Preventing exposure to crystalline silica dust, WorkSafe Victoria
- Managing respirable crystalline silica dust exposure in construction, WorkSafe Queensland