Fitter-Welder
What the work is
Fits, assembles and welds 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.
- Interprets engineering drawings and specifications
- Measures metal components for cutting, shaping and welding
- Fits and assembles metal parts according to engineering specifications
- Cuts and shapes metal components using hand and power tools
- Welds metal components using various welding techniques
- Cleans welds by filing, chiselling and grinding
- Inspects and tests welded components for quality and compliance with specifications
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 332233, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.