Engineering

The Engineering Industry

Do you want a brilliant and interesting career that’s full of rewards?

Interesting Careers

A career in the engineering industry offers a variety of interesting and challenging working conditions using a variety of technical equipment, each day offers a new opportunity and no working day is the same. You will also have the opportunity to travel the world because the skills acquired are transferable world wide

The engineering industry is a diverse and exciting industry. There are very high wages being paid in the Mining and in the Engineering Construction Industry.  Both industries are going from strength-to-strength and always looking for skilled workers.  The increase in defence spending with government contracts across Australia to build a number of navy vessels is adding to the pressure on availability of skilled labour across the State, particularly engineering trades people.

The manufacturing industry, in which engineering plays a major role, is the second largest employer in Australia and amongst the top twenty paying industries. Read more

Currently, all Engineering Industry is in a position of “cautious optimism” and the past few years have seen many companies reviewing the way they do business, and despite the global financial crisis there have not been the devastating mass redundancies seen in other parts of the world and some parts of Australia.

There is strong evidence that many projects are being ramped up in the Resources sector with the flow on effect of work for local industries.  Despite much of the manufacturing work for some of the heavy engineering components for construction being awarded to overseas companies, there is an increase in engineering work for local industry.

There are still labour shortages for a number of trades, particularly experienced and highly skilled Machinists, Electricians with instrumentation skills and Mechanical Fitters with hydraulic skills.

The Engineering Industry in WA is involved in the manufacturing, installation, repair and maintenance of products.  Engineering tradespersons are employed in a wide range of industries in assorted occupations that manufacture, install, repair and maintain plant equipment.  For example, large numbers of Mechanical Fitters and Metal Fabricators (Boilermakers), work in the Mining and Engineering Construction industries where machinery needs to be maintained or large metal structures need to be built.  Though predominantly in the Mining, Manufacturing and Construction industries, tradespersons also work in other industries such as Agriculture, Health, Food and Hospitality as support and maintenance officers.  The Manufacturing industry is the third largest employing industry in the Australian economy, employing 1,008,200 people or 9.3% of the total workforce as at February 2009.   (MSA Environmental Scan 2010).

Occupations within the Engineering industry include:

The Engineering Industry is an occupational industry sector covering all industries in a service capacity.

Occupations within the Engineering Industry include Engineers, Shipwrights, Boat Builders, Welders, Marine Engineers, Aluminium Fabricators, Boilermakers, Mechanical Fitters, Machinists, Electricians, Drafters, Sheet Metal Workers, Locksmiths, Jewellers, Engravers, Materials Handlers, Blast Coaters, Metal Polishers. Read more

Engineering Occupations

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic

Engineering Qualifications

  • Certificate I in Engineering
  • Certificate I in Boating Services
  • Certificate II in Engineering
  • Certificate II in Engineering – Production Technology
  • Certificate II in Boating Services
  • Certificate III in Engineering – Production Systems
  • Certificate III in Engineering – Mechanical Trade
  • Certificate III in Engineering – Fabrication Trade
  • Certificate III in Engineering – Electrical/Electronic Trade
  • Certificate III in Engineering – Technical (new outcome)
  • Certificate III in Jewellery Manufacture
  • Certificate III in Marine Craft Construction
  • Certificate III in Locksmithing
  • Certificate III in Boating Services
  • Certificate IV in Engineering
  • Certificate IV in Boating Services
  • Diploma of Engineering – Advanced Trade
  • Diploma of Engineering – Technical
  • Advanced Diploma of Engineering

You can enter the industry through a variety of ways:

Many Ways to Get There

  • Through School: talk to your Careers Advisor about Apprenticeship and Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs.  You can complete these programs while studying for your WACE certificate.
  • Post School: gaining an Apprenticeship through an individual employer or through a Group Training Organisation (GTO) will lead to nationally recognised qualification.
  • Tertiary: if you are considering university, there are a number of university courses focusing on the engineering industry.

For more information go to – http://www.trainingwa.wa.gov.au/apprenticentre/detcms/portal/

What can a career in the engineering industry offer me?

  • Nationally and globally recognised qualifications
  • Experience in “state of the art” technologies
  • A large range of employment options
  • Challenging work, every day can offer a different challenge
  • The ability to gain further qualifications
  • The skills to start your own business
  • And much more!

What Are The Job Opportunities?

Engineering tradespersons are employed in a wide range of industries in assorted occupations that manufacture, install, repair and maintain plant equipment.  For example, large numbers of mechanical fitters and metal fabricators (boilermakers), work in the mining and engineering construction industries where machinery needs to be maintained or large metal structures need to be built.  Though mainly in the mining, manufacturing and construction industries, tradespersons also work in other industries such as agriculture, health, food and hospitality as support and maintenance officers. Read more

The Engineering Industry supporting the mining and resources sectors is becoming increasingly more important to the national economy than ever before.

Career options for people entering the industry are also varied and can range from positions involved with research and development, marketing, robotics, quality control, hands-on production, product design and many more.

The main concentration of business operations and employment for the industry in this State is located in the metropolitan area (75%) with (25%) in the regional areas.  Engineering workers are employed in all industries throughout WA, however, most of the central offices and factories are located in the metropolitan area, supporting regional mining and resource projects.

Engineering trade persons support the mining and resources industries predominantly in the North West, but are also in the Goldfields, Peel and South West region.  The major trades supporting these industries are Electricians, Fabricators, Mechanical and Mobile Plant Fitters, and Welders.  They are predominantly engaged in construction and maintenance services on fixed and mobile equipment.

There are a number of small, medium and large engineering works in the Midland, Welshpool, Kewdale, Maddington, Forrestfield, Bassendean and Bayswater districts, covering heavy engineering, rolling stock and railway manufacturing and service, heavy duty earthmoving, foundry and jobbing work.

The Kwinana area from Fremantle to Rockingham strip has a number of heavy engineering works including foundries, alumina and nickel refineries and pig iron production.  This area has some of Australia’s largest ship and boat building companies, as well as defence industries at Garden Island (RAN).  There are also numerous smaller engineering and service companies who support and complement the larger companies.

Canning Vale has heavy and light engineering and service companies including South Guildford domestic and international airports, Jandakot Airport and regional airfields are all supported by aircraft maintenance engineers.  Major airlines such as Qantas and Virgin employ aerospace engineers and there are numerous small aircraft maintenance engineering companies in the Jandakot area.

The Peel region is home to Alcoa bauxite mines at Willowdale and Huntley and alumina smelters at Pinjarra and Wagerup supported by many maintenance and service contractors.

The South West, particularly Bunbury, Collie and Boddington have bauxite mines, coal mines, alumina refinery, wood chipping, dairy production, timber products, port facilities, power generation and related service contractors who support these industries.  Companies include Alcoa, BHP Billiton Worsley Alumina, Premier and Griffin Coal and Verve Energy.

The Goldfields district has one of Australia’s most important gold and nickel mining industries with a large number of mine support industries covering mechanical, plant, earthmoving, electrical and fabrication companies.

The Geraldton/Central West district mainly supports the farming industry and has a substantial port facility.  Industries include talcum, mineral sands and iron ore mining, synthetic rutile production.  The area requires the usual service industry trades, such as Electricians, Metal Fabricators, air conditioning service people and Mechanical Trades people.  There are skills shortages in all of these trades.  Proposed steel production plants in this region have not materialised.

The Pilbara is the source of most of WA iron ore exports.   The major mining and oil and gas industries are supported by Engineering Industry trades people.  During construction phases of new and upgraded resource projects, there are requirements for Metal Fabricators, Coded Welders and Pipe Fitters, Mechanical and Heavy Duty Fitters and Licensed Electricians.  Post construction requires lesser numbers, but the same trades are needed for maintenance and production.  During the last five years, dominant production costs (primarily iron ore) have increased in line with the rising price of commodities brought about by strong global demand.

What Does The Future Hold?

The Future is Yours

Employment growth within the industry is predicted to increase due mainly to the large number of anticipated resource projects in the expanding resources industry.

Engineering companies are improving their production processes by modernising their equipment to a more automated computer controlled system to increase the quality and output of their products.  The increasing use of computers and numerically controlled equipment is creating a requirement for people to acquire and continually improve their skills in this area.   As technology is rapidly changing, general skills, like communication, analytical and computer (IT) skills, are increasingly important.

All the indications are that the job market for engineering workers in all categories will continue to grow employment advertisement have shown a very high number of vacancies for metal fabricators, welders, electricians and mechanical fitters over the past year and there is no sign of slowing down. Read more

Manufacturing Skills Australia (MSA) in the 2010 Environmental Scan quote Australian Industry Group and Deloitte, National CEO Survey October 2009, Skilling Business in Tough Times who identify key growth areas:

  • Advanced manufacturing
  • Advanced fabrication techniques
  • Welding
  • International technical standards and trading requirements
  • Integrated systems
  • Alternative energy
  • Green products
  • Nanotechnology
  • Defence
  • Online technology
  • Project management
  • International benchmarking
  • Equipment/technology
  • Automatic machining
  • Robot programming

MSA also identify that “There is an increasing need for skills across areas such as Mechanics, electrics, fitting, machining, welding and heavy fabrication (boiler making).  Higher level skills across the board are also in high demand to work with increasing sophistication of materials, processes technologies and compliance issues, and there is growing interest in post-trade training to meet this need.  Further long-term effects of globalisation and enterprise specialisation are expected to result in more job losses and intensify labour challenges”.

There does not seem to be an easy way to remedy these shortages as there is a very long period of training for trades people, a three and a half year apprenticeship is considered the industry standard.

Trade occupations in a number of areas are requiring a higher level of skill but are not new occupations:

  • Coded Welders
  • Fitters with fluid power skill
  • Machinists with CNC and higher level “traditional” skills such as screw cutting and gear cutting

ENGINEERING – A CAREER FOR THE FUTURE!

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