VOOZH about

URL: https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/construction-helper.930809/

⇱ 'Construction helper' | WordReference Forums

Menu
Install the app
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.

'Construction helper'

herut

Senior Member
HKI
Finnish
A person who works on a construction site as a helper - what is he/she called? Thanks.
Do you mean that this person does more menial tasks, like carrying or assisting others who are more skilled or experienced or who carry out more specialized tasks? I believe that in the U.S., those who have to do the simpler work are the apprentices.
An apprentice is really a single student who learns from a single master, like a blacksmithing apprentice.

I'm trying to think of a good fit for the original question, the equivalent of a
"hired hand" on a ranch.

I think I would just say "laborer" or "worker".
(Looks like johnp beat me to it!)
I think they would be called apprentices only if they are trying to learn the trade. If they are part of the crew carrying out the tasks under the supervision of someone in charge, I would call them workers or laborers.
An apprentice is really a single student who learns from a single master, like a blacksmithing apprentice.
This would come as news to the members of most construction trades unions, such as, the Ironworkers, or the Carpenters and Joiners, or the Electricians.
This would come as news to the members of most construction trades unions, such as, the Ironworkers, or the Carpenters and Joiners, or the Electricians.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=apprentice

1.a person who works for another in order to learn a trade: an apprentice to a plumber. 2.History/Historical.a person legally bound through indenture to a master craftsman in order to learn a trade. 3.a learner; novice; tyro. 4.U.S. Navy. an enlisted person receiving specialized training. 5.a jockey with less than one year's experience who has won fewer than 40 races. –verb (used with object) 6.to bind to or place with an employer, master craftsman, or the like, for instruction in a trade. –verb (used without object) 7.to serve as an apprentice: He apprenticed for 14 years under a master silversmith.
Yes, the dictionary has all sorts of defintions.

You may also try looking at the websites of construction trade unions to find out how the word "apprentice" might actually be used by union workers at a construction site, as the terminology used at construction sites by construction workers is the primary topic of the thread. I think you will find nothing that suggests the only "real" meaning of an "apprentice" on a construction site is "a single student who learns from a single master".
I would go with "unskilled labor", "manual labor", or simply "worker." "Day laborer" is a possibility but there is an implication of short term work.

Many jobs have very exact names for specific helpers. The person who carries loads of bricks to a mason for example is a hod carrier. The film industry uses grips. Coroners have dieners. Dentists have dental assistants.

I disagree with "apprentice" since that means the person will, or aspires to, learn the craft. That is not necessarily the case with a manual laborer.
I disagree with "apprentice" since that means the person will, or aspires to, learn the craft. That is not necessarily the case with a manual laborer.
I concur with you, Salvage; the term I would expect is "laborer". My earlier point was that on most construction sites with union workers, the term "apprentice" had a very different meaning from the one offered.
Back
Top Bottom