Engineering Maintenance Fitter

Engineering maintenance fitters make sure that machinery and equipment run efficiently by carrying out routine maintenance and diagnosing and repairing faults. They might work on mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic or pneumatic machinery such as manufacturing equipment in factories and on production lines, transport equipment or aircraft maintenance equipment. They may be involved in planned or preventative maintenance, making regular checks on machinery according to a planned schedule. They may also work in emergency maintenance which involves fixing faults as soon as they happen and being available for urgent calls at all times.

Most maintenance fitters work 37 to 39 hours a week over five days. They often work shifts and overtime. Fitters may be on call, usually on a rota basis, and have to respond quickly should machinery break down.

They may work indoors in a factory or production plant, or outdoors repairing equipment, for example on a building site. They may wear protective clothing and are provided with specialist tools and equipment to do the job.

Salaries range from around £15,000 a year up to £35,000.

Engineering maintenance fitters should:

• be good at working with their hands and using tools
• understand technical diagrams and manuals
• be able to work well alone and as part of a team
• be conscious of health and safety.

Most maintenance fitters work for production or manufacturing companies, engineering companies, public utilities (such as water and electricity), transport companies and airlines. Many smaller engineering companies may have just a few specialist maintenance staff.

Most engineering maintenance fitters start in employment as apprentices straight from school or college. Although it is possible to become an apprentice without formal qualifications, employers usually ask for some GCSEs (A*-C), which include subjects such as English, maths, science and technology. The Diploma in engineering and the Diploma in construction and the built environment may be relevant for this area of work.

Apprentices usually work towards NVQ Level 3 in the appropriate engineering discipline. There are many full- and part-time college courses leading to NVQ qualifications or equivalent. Training is mostly on the job, under the supervision of experienced colleagues.

With experience, fitters could be promoted to supervisor or engineering maintenance technician, with responsibility for a team of fitters. By taking extra qualifications, they could become maintenance or plant engineers.

Further details