Guidance.help

Segmental Pavers

Under the title Segmental Pavers, workers lay out, cut, and place segmental paving units. O*NET rates it as some preparation, which usually means a few months to a year of learning on the job. It leans on speaking, active listening, and critical thinking. One core duty is to prepare base for installation by removing unstable or unsuitable materials, compacting and grading the soil, draining or stabilizing weak or saturated soils and taking measures to prevent water penetration and migration of bedding sand. With a code of RCA, this is mostly a job for people drawn to hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. Conventional interests also help, rated 3.4 out of 7. If you want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, keep it on your list. If you need leading, persuading and making business decisions, it may feel thin.

What they do

Lay out, cut, and place segmental paving units. Includes installers of bedding and restraining materials for the paving units.

Main tasks

  • Prepare base for installation by removing unstable or unsuitable materials, compacting and grading the soil, draining or stabilizing weak or saturated soils and taking measures to prevent water penetration and migration of bedding sand.
  • Supply and place base materials, edge restraints, bedding sand and jointing sand.
  • Discuss the design with the client.
  • Set pavers, aligning and spacing them correctly.
  • Sweep sand into the joints and compact pavement until the joints are full.
  • Screed sand level to an even thickness, and recheck sand exposed to elements, raking and rescreeding if necessary.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Coordination
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Operation and Control

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and active listening.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.2 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCA takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Cutter
  • Paver
  • Paver Installer
  • Paver Layer
  • Paving Stone Installer

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with RCA and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.