Stonecutter and stone technician

As a stonemason and stone technician you work with natural stone — from gravestones and monuments to façades stairs and worktops. You shape process and install stone that must last for generations. It is an old craft where you unite tradition and modern tools and where patience and precision are rewarded with beautiful durable results.

§What do you do in everyday life?

A typical day involves cutting, grinding and shaping stone according to dimensions and drawing chiseling or engraving letters and patterns and adapting the stone to the finished product. You work with both hand tools and machines and are part of when the stone is installed as a monument facade or plate at the customer.

• 01You learn to cut, grind, and shape natural stone.
• 02You learn to carve and engrave letters and patterns.
• 03You learn to read drawings and work according to precise dimensions.
• 04You learn to install stone as monuments, facades, and panels.
• 05You learn to work safely with machines, dust, and heavy items.

§How do you get started?

You start with a basic course at a vocational school and then find an apprenticeship in a stone cutting company. You get apprentice wages throughout the education and alternate between school stays and practice so you learn both the classical craft and how to use modern machines.

§The way forward

As a trained stonemason and stone technician you can work in stonemasonry shops or with restoration of old buildings and monuments. You can specialise in for example gravestones façade work or building restoration and over time start for yourself.

“Stone lasts so long that old elements can often be reused instead of being discarded”