Fitter and Turner Apprenticeship

[jazzaD1]

gday,
tomorrow i'm starting a pre apprenticeship to become an apprentice fitter and turner, i'm curious about what people think about working in the metal trades industry, and my chosen career path.
Has anyone done something similar?

[Gumnut]

Yes, I did similar.

Never regretted it, and have done many other things besides....

It's a great move if you ever harbour a secret desire to run away to sea as a marine engineer as well.

Andy

[V8Ian]

I served my apprenticeship as a fitter, it's an excellant grounding for many paths.

[Davo]

It's a very worthwhile field to get into. There will always be a need for your skills and if you find you enjoy it I'm sure you'll always have plenty of work.

It sounds like most guys these days go work for big companies, so the little machine shop is becoming endangered. That could be worth looking into one day as well.

[Killer]

I started my Fitting and Turning Apprenticeship in 1978. Since that time I have continued in the trade and have had only 3 days unemployment in that time. It is a great trade if you like working with your hands and making things. I did my time in a heavy engineering shop, and am now working for a University making research equipment for postgrad students in the mineral processing field.

Cheers, Mick.

[strangy]

I dis my trade as a Fitter/ Machinist. Then added Tool Making and a few post trade courses to it. Dont regret it one bit.

Make sure you finish it. It is a good trade with openings into other areas such as Hydraulics/ Pneaumatics (Fluid Power), Computer Controlled Machining, even a good grounding for Aircraft Maintenance Trade.
You will always have a neccessary Trade to fall back on no matter what the times bring.

cheers

[ramblingboy42]

pre-apprenticeship? whats that? you dont actually have an apprenticeship yet?

[weeds]

pre-apprenticeship? whats that? you dont actually have an apprenticeship yet?

i'm guessing you are at TAFE?, if you haven't got an apprenticeship keep your opion open

i settled for a fitter and turner apprenticeship after not being able to find a diesel fitter apprenticeship

if i had my time over i would have preferred electrical/air con

i haven't worked on the tools for 12+ years but as others have said it a good kickstart......hopefully i will not need to go back onto the tools

[Chucaro]

Work for companies that keep up with technology. Do not work for shops that would like to use you as a cheap labour or have old machinery.
Try to work with companies that implement new ideas and programable automatic systems.
If you learn well you will have top conditions and pay. ;)

[blackbuttdisco]

I finished my 5 year apprenticeship in 1965 and did what Gumnut did, (I think I may have met him at Newcastle Tafe) ran away to sea as a marine engineer. Ended up working in power stations as an operator. Then went back to sea again. A lot of marine engineers are university trained, so anyone with the skills of a fitter and turner are respected for their talents and expertise. Comes in handy when working on Landrovers too.

[Bigbjorn]

Keep in mind that to get paid decent money you may have to go and work 80 hour weeks in the ass-end of nowhere on a mine or construction site. Many, if not most, tradesmen receive little more than an award wage most of their working life as a tradesman. Tradesmen are poorly treated in this country, mostly being treated as slightly up-market blue collar workers instead of as skilled technicians and rewarded as such.

Upgrade your skills with advanced trade certificates, tech. drawing and CAD, engineering certificate courses, administration and supervisory studies etc. so you can move onwards and upwards.

Chucaro is correct. Don't work for the "Bent Axle Bob" as we called truck owners who perservered with obsolete and worn equipment. Look for machine shops that are clean and bright with modern CNC and other up to date tools. No need for machine shops nowadays to be greasy black holes with 50 year old machines.

[jazzaD1]

i'm guessing you are at TAFE?, if you haven't got an apprenticeship keep your opion open

i settled for a fitter and turner apprenticeship after not being able to find a diesel fitter apprenticeship

if i had my time over i would have preferred electrical/air con

i haven't worked on the tools for 12+ years but as others have said it a good kickstart......hopefully i will not need to go back onto the tools

Yeah, i'm at TAFE, there aren't a whole lot of opportunities for apprenticeships in Ballarat at the moment, most companies take new ones on at the beginning of the year, so in the mean time i thought why not enhance my employability by doing the pre-apprenticeship (Cert II in Engineering Studies), it finishes at the end of November, and a few of the units are can be claimed for RPL when i get the apprenticeship, cutting a bit of time off trade school

Today was turning in the morning, and after lunch was CAD. Tomorrow is fabrication theory, and welding in the afternoon, so far so good!

[Chucaro]

Are you learning CAM together with CAD?

[discoveryseries1]

gday,
tomorrow i'm starting a pre apprenticeship to become an apprentice fitter and turner, i'm curious about what people think about working in the metal trades industry, and my chosen career path.
Has anyone done something similar?
it depends what side of it you want to do, its easy to get stuck at a mom and pop shop where the money is low and your expected to work quear hours. however if you get good experence eg thread cutting tool making and are good at what you do you can get into places that ship you out eg i did some valve maintance and went out into the desert 2 weeks on 2 weeks off, 35$ per hour 10 hrs a day for 14 days strainght. however its not a famly life style, i will say however it has been the easest job to ither quit or get fired and have a nother job with in a day or two ( depending on where you live) eg canberra.... forget it. if your in melbourne or some where industrial its easy to get into 28 $ per hour when qualified. 24 is prity normal. in canberra hear award wages are some what common because of the lack of jobs in the industrial airea, i have had to step out for a wile and take up my other intrestes.

on the chasing money side of things, if i was to do it all again i would go diesel fitting. in the mining airea they are screaming for it, paying over 40 bucks per hour. again tho not a family life.

all the best. btw look up starrett mics and mititoyo digital verners

and a bit of advice if any one askes to use your mesuring tools tell him that he should be ashamed of him self. i would lend some one my tooth brush before i let them even look at my micrometers.

jeff.

[geckos]

jazza you end up fitting those gears?
gecko

[warren9981]

I did my apprenticeship as a fitter & turner back in the 80's. No longer work in the industry but has given me a fantastic grounding in machinery, fabrication, tools etc. Use these skills all the time at work and is really handy for DIY work on Landy's i.e. rear drawers, rock sliders, rear bars, front bars etc.

[jazzaD1]

Are you learning CAM together with CAD?

nah no CAM at the moment

[jazzaD1]

jazza you end up fitting those gears?
gecko

almost, ive pulled down my spare transfer case, and will be putting them in on the weekend assuming everything goes smoothly, i might have some trouble torquing up the nut on the end of the shaft with the centre diff on it (best way to describe) so i might need to weld something together

[sdt463]

Me too fished my apretership in 1970 and the trade has led me down many paths. Give it a go there good skills to be able to fall back on.
Dave