Barbender
Cut, bend and fix steel reinforcement (rebar) to a bar bending schedule.
At a glance
A barbender (steel fixer) builds the steel skeleton inside concrete. It is measured, checked and signed off before a pour, so accuracy and the ability to read a bar bending schedule matter more than strength.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Schedule
- Monday to Friday, 08:00 – 17:00
- Batch size
- Up to 50 per batch
- Language
- English & Sinhala
- Assessment
- Aptitude, personality and trade skills
- Certification
- Certificate with a unique number and verification QR
- Course fee
- Confirmed at registration — ask us
What you will learn
Five days on the tools, not five days in a chair.
- Reading a bar bending schedule: bar marks, diameters, shapes, cutting lengths and quantities
- Cutting and bending to shape codes, with correct radii and hooks
- Laps, anchorage, and where a lap may and may not be placed
- Spacing, cover and chairs — why cover is what stops the steel rusting
- Tying: the common knots, tie spacing, and keeping a cage rigid
- Fixing steel for slabs, beams, columns and footings
- Checking your own work against the drawing before the inspection
Safety on this trade
Sharp ends and rebar caps, manual handling of heavy bars, cutting and bending machines, gloves, and working over open reinforcement.
How you are assessed
Three assessments, in Sinhala or English.
Aptitude
12 questions · 15 minutes
A short, timed test of general reasoning and practical thinking. Available in Sinhala and English.
Personality
No time limit
There are no right answers here and nothing to fail. It builds a picture of how you work, so answer honestly — it helps us match you to the right employer.
Four dimensions
- Reliability
- Teamwork
- Safety attitude
- Resilience
Trade skills
8 questions · 20 minutes
Real site knowledge and safety: working at height, damaged power tools, concrete mixes, reinforcement, striking formwork, tiling preparation, and knowing when to ask for training instead of attempting an untrained task.
After the course
Pass, and you are certified. Certified candidates are shortlisted, and our in-house placement agency submits that shortlist to an overseas employer. The employer makes the final selection — we do not promise an outcome, we prepare you for one.
Other trades we train
Tiler
Set out, cut and lay floor and wall tiles to a finish an overseas site will accept.
5 days · Mon–FriLearn morePlasterer
Prepare, render and finish wall surfaces flat, plumb and ready for paint.
5 days · Mon–FriLearn moreFormwork Carpenter
Build, set and strike the moulds (formwork) that concrete is poured into.
5 days · Mon–FriLearn moreFinishing Carpenter
Fit doors, frames, skirting, ceilings and joinery to a finish that is inspected up close.
5 days · Mon–FriLearn more