Plastering courses: a good career option?

Are you contemplating a career change is these shaky financial times? Or are you just wondering whether having a professional qualification in plastering may get you a more secure job? Well working as a plasterer is a great option for anyone who has the time to take up plastering courses.

Plastering courses will teach you to handle and work with plaster which is used to cover internal and external surfaces of almost every type of construction. Most employers are not that particular about what type of plastering courses you may have done. But they are meticulous about your on-site experience. If you are already working as an apprentice plasterer with a construction company, then taking up professional plastering courses makes you a better option to be hired anywhere. You will have the experience as well as the professional degree or diploma to back you up.

What do plastering courses teach?
Plaster sets very fast. Plasterers have to learn how to manipulate the material with the required tools to create a durable and permanent coat on the walls that they are covering. And that takes a lot of practical skill. Online plastering courses are fine but they cannot teach you how the material handles, how to mix the material with the proper water content for optimum strength, its setting time manipulation and mixing and how to adjust water content to change the amount of time required for the material to set. This requires a lot of practical experience and you will get it only with hands on training. Try to choose plastering courses which offer an apprenticeship program with the diploma.

Are there any specific government-approved plastering courses which I can choose?
Not really. But almost all plastering courses are designed to get you the maximum amount of practical experience with the material. You can start preparing for your plastering career in high school by short listing plastering courses which are close by and offer the appropriate hands-on experience. You might have to take up optional classed in mathematics, general shop technique, math and construction drawing to get the best out of your plastering courses.

Are there any special skills I would need before enrolling in plastering courses?
Plastering courses involve extensive work to be done by hand and it requires a lot of manual and technical skills. A few more skills which may be required are
 Extensive technical knowledge about the material and the surfaces you will be working on
 The skill of working with fast setting materials
 Basic computation in math to understand and calculate the surface area to be covered in plaster and the material quality which will be required for it.
 Be able to work constructively in a team of workers and take orders from a superior
 Be relatively fit, as most of the work requires a large amount of hard physical exertion.
 Have a little physical dexterity to manage graceful designs which may have to be sculpted in plaster
 Be aware of health and safety issues