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Fitter (General)

Technicians and Trades WorkersUsually a trade certificate or similar, or several years of experience

What the work is

Fits and assembles metal parts and subassemblies to fabricate production machines and other equipment.

Would you enjoy the work?

These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.

  • Reads and interprets engineering drawings and specifications
  • Measures and fits metal components using hand tools, power tools and machines
  • Prepares and configures machine tools for specific jobs, and ensures correct fixtures, settings and tools are applied
  • Assembles metal parts and subassemblies according to engineering specifications
  • Fits fabricated metal parts into products and assembles metal parts and subassemblies to produce machines and equipment
  • Repairs and maintains machines and equipment by replacing or repairing faulty parts
  • Operates machines and equipment to fabricate metal components
  • Tests and adjusts machines and equipment to ensure proper functioning

Try it

A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional machine shop making and repairing parts for mines, farms and food factories. They are fictional.

The kind of days you could have

Good days

  • A part you machined to a tiny tolerance slides in perfectly on the first try
  • A worn-out machine returns to the factory floor because you made the part it needed
  • Teaching a new apprentice to read a measurement and watching them get it right

Hard days

  • A job that has to be remade because a measurement was missed by a hair
  • A breakdown call at the end of a long week, when a factory has stopped
  • Metal chips, noise and coolant, and a machine that does not behave

Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.

Work a mission

Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.

Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 332231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.