How to Become a Concrete Worker in Virginia

$24/hr

Learn concrete placement and finishing through a Virginia-serving apprenticeship, then build testing or production skills through specialist courses.

Change trade or state

About this Guide

Concrete crews turn delivered material into slabs, curbs and finished surfaces. Learn how screeding, edging, jointing and curing fit together before taking responsibility for a pour. This guide connects Virginia's business licensing rules with employee protections and three training routes. Choose instruction that develops the duties you want, from hands-on placement to concrete quality control. Compare the Virginia wage benchmarks with each written job offer before accepting.

Who's hiring concrete workers in Virginia

Virginia · this week
Live on American Recruits

Employers across Virginia are hiring concrete workers right now

A good share of those postings are open to people at entry level with no licence yet. Live counts move week to week — the training routes below do not.

See who's hiring
Live postings
Steady
Open roles in Virginia
Applicants per role
Low
Few applicants — good time to apply
Typical time to hire
2–4 weeks
From applying to starting

Concrete Worker skill levels in Virginia

The trade is not one job, it is three, and they are separated by what you are legally allowed to do rather than by how good you are. Knowing which level you are aiming at tells you which hours, which exam and which certificates actually matter.

AWhere you startApprentice Concrete Worker

Paid from day one, working under a licensed hand while you bank the hours that lead to your own card.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Material handling, layout and site preparation
  • ✓Basic installation work under supervision
  • ✓Tool and equipment staging for the crew
  • ✓Clean-down, housekeeping and site safety tasks
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't work unsupervised on anything the state licenses
  • ✕Can't pull permits or sign inspection paperwork
What they need to hold
OSHA 10 (Construction)Apprentice registration where the state requires itFirst Aid / CPR
Worth doing
Take every free ticket your employer offers. At this level they cost you nothing, they follow you for the rest of your career, and they make you more employable than the next apprentice.
Where recruiters stall
People get stuck here by not documenting hours. If nobody signed for them, the board won't count them, and four years of work can turn into two years of credit.
Only hire when
You can run a small task without being walked through it, and your hours log is signed and current.
JThe main goalJourneyman Concrete Worker

Qualified to work on your own. This is the level nearly every job ad is really asking for, and the biggest pay step you will ever get.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Install and troubleshoot without supervision
  • ✓Read and build from drawings without constant clarification
  • ✓Take responsibility for your own work at inspection
  • ✓Direct one to three apprentices on a task
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't pull permits in your own name in most states
  • ✕Can't act as licence-holder of record across sites
What they need to hold
Journeyman card where the state issues oneOSHA 30 (Construction)Trade-specific safety training, kept current
Worth doing
Sit the exam the month you become eligible. Every month you wait is money you are not earning at the higher rate, and the material is freshest right after your classroom hours finish.
Where recruiters stall
The exam is where most people stall, usually on lookup speed rather than knowledge. Practise finding answers in the book against a clock, not just reading it.
Only hire when
Your hours are in, your instruction is done, and you can size a job and defend the answer without checking.
MWhere it leadsMaster / Lead Concrete Worker

You run work rather than just do it: crews across sites, permits where the trade allows, and the option of qualifying a business of your own.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Run crews across more than one site
  • ✓Own compliance and inspection outcomes
  • ✓Estimate and scope packages of work
  • ✓Train and sign off the people below you
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Still can't trade as a business without a contractor licence, insurance and usually a bond
What they need to hold
Master or supervisor card where the state issues oneContinuing education current for the licence cycleOSHA 30 and trade safety training kept current
Worth doing
The card is worth money even if you never start a company: shops need a qualifying individual and will pay a premium for one who stays.
Where recruiters stall
People reach this level and discover that running a business is a different job from running a crew. Learn estimating and cashflow before you take the leap, not after.
Only hire when
You have held the level below for the required period and you have been running work rather than doing it.

What does a concrete worker earn in Virginia?

Concrete Workers in Virginia start around $17.99 an hour and reach $34.95 at the top of the trade. Once you are working unsupervised the middle of the market sits near $24.49.

Hourly range
$17.99–$34.95
Virginia · per hour
See the full concrete worker salary guide →

What you're legally required to have

Employees work under their employer's business license. Virginia generally licenses contracting above $1,000, with class limits and exemptions. Employers must provide safe concrete work, lawful pay and required insurance.

Licence & registrationMust haveGet this wrong and the hours you work may not count toward your licence.0 / 3
0 / 3
Safety trainingMust haveWithout these you won't get through the gate on most sites.0 / 3
0 / 3
Working legally & getting paidMust haveKnow your status before you start — it decides your tax and your cover.0 / 3
0 / 3
Site access & practicalSite-drivenDriven by the site you are sent to rather than by law, but they still stop a start date.0 / 3
0 / 3

Where to train as a concrete worker in Virginia

Start with a Laborers apprenticeship for placement and site skills. College workforce instruction develops concrete production knowledge, while ACI review sessions prepare experienced workers for fresh-concrete testing examinations and practical demonstrations.

Trade apprenticeship

Laborers' Training Trust Fund

The West Virginia Laborers' fund serves Virginia through Local 980 and a Roanoke training site. Its broader craft apprenticeship includes job experience and classroom practice. Concrete instruction covers forms, placement, consolidation and finishing. Members in good standing receive tuition-free training. Ask about local work opportunities.
Typical length4,400 total hours
What it costs$0 tuition
College workforce

Community College Workforce Alliance

CCWA's VDOT Concrete Plant course in Richmond teaches mixture calculations, moisture adjustments and production inspection. Instruction occupies 1.5 days, followed by testing. Materials are provided. The catalog labels its pricing for eligible-resident FastForward participation. This route develops production knowledge for workers adding quality responsibilities to field experience.
Typical length2 days
What it costs$250
Specialist review

National Capital ACI

The chapter serves the Northern Virginia concrete community. Grade I review covers fresh-concrete testing, followed by written and practical exams in College Park, Maryland. The nonmember package includes review, exams and certification fees. It requires prior testing knowledge. There is no in-person instruction, so develop hands-on testing skills ahead of registration.
Typical length6 hours
What it costs$575 nonmember

What recruiters actually look for

Certificates get you past the first filter. These are the things foremen and recruiters decide on, and they change depending on which level you are applying at.

Qualities that get you hired

01You turn up, every day, on time
Why it matters: At apprentice level nobody expects you to be fast or skilled yet. Attendance is genuinely what separates the apprentices who get kept from the ones who do not.
02You ask instead of guessing
Why it matters: Shops would far rather answer the same question twice than fix a mistake behind a wall. Asking reads as safety awareness, not ignorance.
03You own basic tools and look after them
Why it matters: It signals you take the trade seriously. Turning up with nothing tells a foreman you might not be back next month.
04You can take a correction without sulking
Why it matters: The trade runs on blunt feedback. How you take it in week one tells a foreman whether you are worth training.

What holds people back

!

No signed record of your supervised hours

!

Long gaps with no explanation at all

!

Leaving three or four shops inside a year

!

No OSHA card when the site requires one

!

Certifications that lapsed and were never renewed

!

Listing a licence as 'in progress' as though it is held

!

No supervisor anyone can call

From no experience to hired

The realistic route, start to finish. Most of it is paid — you are earning from the point you are taken on, not from the point you are licensed.

Month 0–3

Decide and enrol

Month 3–12

Get taken on as an apprentice

Year 1–4

Bank your supervised hours

Year 4

Sit the licence exam

Year 4+

Get hired at journey rate

Certifications that pay off

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
West Virginia Laborers' Training Trust Fund / LIUNA Local 980 Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$0.52$1,082$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.63$1,310$1597 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.21$437$598 weeks
OSHA Silica in Construction (29 CFR 1926.1153) Training+$0.02$42$3038 weeks
ACI Concrete Flatwork Associate / Finisher+$0.17$354$49974 weeks
ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician - Grade I+$0.13$270$575111 weeks

Questions people ask

Which contractor class covers a small concrete business?▾
Class C from DPOR's Board for Contractors covers single projects over $1,000 and under $30,000, with annual work under $250,000. Larger totals require Class B or A. The license also needs a concrete specialty or covering classification. Employees on a crew need no contractor license.
Do I need ACI Grade I to test concrete on VDOT projects?▾
Yes, or an approved equivalent. VDOT requires anyone testing concrete on its projects to hold ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I, WACEL Concrete Level I or NICET Level II in concrete. Finishing skills come from supervised crew work.
Who handles concrete-site safety complaints?▾
VOSH, the Department of Labor and Industry's safety program, handles most private, state and local government sites. Federal OSHA keeps certain sites, including military bases. Confirm the jurisdiction before reporting concrete dust, wet-cement exposure or unsafe formwork.

Start Your Concrete Worker Career in Virginia

Build a free profile and get matched with verified employers.

Create your profileBrowse jobs

Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers, SOC 47-2051; wages exclude premium pay and benefits, and other concrete occupations differ.

Last updated October 29, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.