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Fitting

What is fitting?
What does a fitter do?
What work is carried out by fitters?
Is fitting a good career choice?
What employment and career opportunities are available in fitting?
What skills must a fitter develop?
What training and qualifications are available for fitters?
What if I need more information?
What competencies do I require for this skill?

What is fitting?

Fitting is a specialist metals and engineering skill area in which highly skilled tradespeople called fitters work.
Overseas, fitters are described as engineers or metal working technicians.

What does a fitter do?

In general terms, a fitter is an engineering specialist who installs, maintains and/or repairs machines, plant and equipment for a large variety of industries such as manufacturing, aeronautical, maritime, mining, food processing, amusement parks, and medical services (eg hospitals). Without skilled fitters, these mechanical technology-based industries would grind to a halt.

The range and type of work carried out by fitters is as vast and varied as the various industries they service. To meet changes in the technology used in these industries, the trade classification of fitter has seen an increase in the level of specialisation of its practitioners.

The main tasks of a fitter are:-

Installation. Depending on the size and number of items to be installed, a fitter working alone or as part of a team, will have the responsibility of unpacking, positioning, installing and commissioning new machines, plant and/or other equipment in factories and other work sites. The installation may be as large as a power station, or be part (or all) of a factory and its contents.
Routine maintenance. Fitters are typically responsible for carrying-out routine (scheduled) maintenance on machines, plant and equipment once they are in service to keep them in working order. Tasks would include routine lubrication (oiling / greasing) of moving parts and topping up oil reservoirs. The fitter would also periodically change lubrication fluids and filters at scheduled times, and make minor adjustments as required.
Diagnostics and repairs. At some stage of its working life, components fail. This may be due to misalignment, over load, misuse, wear or breakage. As a result the machine, plant or equipment may begin to show signs of impending failure, or it may fail to operate. In any case, a fitter will invariably be called to diagnose the problem, locate its cause, then repair it and any other secondary problems caused by the initial problem.
Overhaul. Due to the cost of replacing older machines, plant and equipment, it is often preferable to recondition or overhaul them, than to replace them. In such cases the fitter dismantles the machine, plant or equipment, analyses each of its components for wear, replaces or repairs those components as required, then reassembles the machine, plant or equipment, and commissions it back into working order.

To carryout these and other tasks, fitters will often development specialisation in certain skills areas. This specialisation often crosses over traditional trade boundaries.

Specialist fitting areas/roles include :-

General fitter with limited electrical licence â€“ a fitting qualification with a further limited electrical qualification that allows the fitter to disconnect/reconnect electrical units (such as motors) from the power supply to allow the unit to be worked on.
Industrial fluid power â€“ specialisation in the installation, maintenance and repair of machines, plant and equipment that use high pressure fluids (hydraulics) or high pressure air (pneumatics) to provide immense forces to move and position machinery and other mechanical components.
Mechatronics - specialisation in the installation, maintenance and repair of electro-mechanical components (i.e. specialisation in mechanical fitting and industrial electronics).
Fitter/welder â€“ a fitting qualification with further welding and/or metal fabrication qualification/s
Fitter/machinist - a combined fitting and machining qualification
Plant mechanic - specialisation in heavy fitting, industrial fluid power, welding and perhaps standing diesel engines, to enable the fitter (plant mechanic) to install, maintain and repair large industrial machines, plant and equipment in heavy industries such as mining Diesel fitter - specialisation in the installation, maintenance and repair of stationary (fixed) industrial diesel engines such as those used for power generation in factories, the mining industry and on ships.

The fitter may work from engineering drawings and/or service manuals. When these are not available, the fitter must rely on his/her own knowledge of mechanical components and processes, to plan, schedule, diagnose and implement their own systems and mechanisms as required.

What work is carried out by fitters?

Typically, fitters work as salaried employees who work on site for their employer. Alternatively, fitters may work as sub-contractors, often for labour hire firms, and travel from workplace to workplace as required.

Depending on their specialisation, fitters may be required to carry-out work:- Tasks as simple as adjusting a belt or switch on a machine in a factory, or as complex as fully dismantling, repairing and reassembling a machine worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They may also work on components that are so small that a low power magnifying glass is needed to inspect it for signs of wear or maladjustment, or as large as a power-station pump / generator, or a ship propeller shaft requiring use of massive cranes and lifting equipment. Fitters also work on bread making machines in an industrial bakery, on cannery plant/equipment in a cannery, on jet turbine engines at an aircraft maintenance site, on boilers and sterilisers in a hospital, on office furniture, on equipment at a mine sites or in a mine maintenance workshop, on site at a power station, or on any other industrial machines, plant or equipment at any other industrial site such as a factory, at sea on a ship, or below ground in a mine.

Is fitting a good career choice?

Yes. There are good work opportunities maintaining and repairing existing plant and equipment, especially for those who have additional specialised skills. Fitting is generally a satisfying career with scope for advancement within the employerâ€™s company.

Alternatively, fitters often elect to start their own fitting business, to work as a specialist sub-contractor to exploit a profitable niche market, rather than work for someone else. In either case, the fitter has the satisfaction of being responsible for installing, maintaining and/or repairing machines, plant and equipment often worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A major part of a fitterâ€™s job satisfaction is being able to directly diagnose and solve problems with a piece of engineering machinery, plant or equipment using his/her own skills and knowledge. Although some jobs may require days or weeks to complete, there is always tangible evidence of the dayâ€™s effort. Lack of opportunity to see and touch what has been achieved or made at the end of the day is often reported by workers in other professions as the reason for reduced job satisfaction. Because no two fitting jobs are identical, fitting work does not become boring or repetitious, which adds to job satisfaction.

What employment and career opportunities are available in fitting?

Competent fitters are often paid above-award wages. Throughout the fitterâ€™s career, he/she would typically have several career opportunities available to them including:-

â€œremaining on the toolsâ€?, that is, working as a fitter. With increasing experience and qualifications, these fitters would typically progress up the salary scale beyond the trade levels into the technician level salary ranges.
"opening his/her own specialist fitting business" to exploit a market opportunity
"transferring from the fitting workshop" to the engineering design section of the business to concentrate on planning, maintenance scheduling or repair and design work as an engineering technician.

With further study, the fitter could also progress onto engineering qualification using the fitting qualification and experience for advanced standing. Specialising in the sub-contracting of fitting skills and labour to customers both in Australia and, increasingly overseas.

What skills must a fitter develop?

A fitter must develop good analytical, diagnostic and hands-on practical skills. These skills are very transportable to other industrial applications and situations. Skills which a fitter would normally use at work would include the ability to:-

Methodically plan, then carry-out a wide range of installation, maintenance and repair tasks, sometimes in difficult or dangerous situations
Develop a wide understanding of engineering processes, mechanisms and machine operations
Develop an ability to quickly and accurately diagnose faults in a wide range of industrial processes, machines and equipment
Master the hand skills required to effectively disassemble and reassemble a range of engineering machines and equipment
Work to tight fitting tolerances. A fitter may at times be expected to dismantle and reassemble engineering components to within size variations of only a few hundredths of a millimetre (that is, about Â¼ the thickness of a human hair) or less,
Use of a wide range of installation, maintenance and diagnostic tools and equipment (often state of the art / high tech and valued at tens of thousands of dollars)
Develop and/or interpret two-dimensional engineering drawings of engineering components or machines, interpret spare parts and service/repair manuals and/or schedules. Work alone, or in small teams, with minimal or no supervision.

What training and qualifications are available for fitters?

Depending on their level of training and experience, a fitter may be considered to be either a tradesperson at C10 qualification level, or engineering technician up to C7 level of qualification. Training is gained by way of a 3-year apprenticeship or traineeship under the New Apprenticeship Scheme. Both options provide payed employment while skills are being learnt.

Whilst you are an apprentice (4 year term) your wages are usually set as a percentage of the qualified trades person.

As a guide, in: -

1. First year	42%
2. Second year	55%
3. Third year	75%
4. Fourth year	88%

When you have finished your base trade training, your classification will also be at tradesperson level. With over award payments you could expect to earn much more and you can also apply for higher a grading when you get more qualifications.

Employers would normally seek job applicants who have at least completed the School Certificate. Job seekers who have undertaken the Higher School Certificate are often highly regarded, and so may be given advanced standing/exemptions in their studies at TAFE. Once completed, the Trade Certificate III qualification can be used for advanced standing toward a relevant TAFE Certificate IV or Diploma qualification.

The Engineering Skills Centre at Sydney Institute, Ultimo is a highly respected provider of a wide range of general and specialist fitting and allied trades training at both trade and post trade levels.

What if I need more information?

For further advice related to fitting as a career you could contact:-

Engineering Skills Centre at Sydney Institute, Ultimo (TAFE NSW)
Manufacturing and Engineering Division, TAFE NSW
ACTU (Australian Council Of Trade Unions)