Aim your automotive apprenticeship to civil plant mechanics and take on a constantly evolving career, earning great money, with opportunities to travel the world.

Plant Mechanics are also known as Plant Fitters, they are more interested in fixing the machines than driving them. The earthmoving equipment and machines that the civil industry uses includes electric, petrol, diesel and hybrid engines, hydraulics, electrical systems, computers, and SATNAV.

Fixing machinery takes effort, but machines do the heavy lifting now. Everyone is different and employers know that and want to ensure staff are careful and safe.

As a plant mechanic your job will involve working in a workshop where all this different machinery is brought to you, or you could be required to go out on site to maintain and repair it in the field.

Plant Mechanics use a range of tools to diagnose faults and test machinery, carrying out inspections, repairs, and routine maintenance.

Keeping all those big and small pieces of plant working on construction sites is a busy job.

What will I be doing?

• Lift materials or work pieces using cranes or other lifting equipment. 
• Measure dimensions of completed products or work pieces to verify conformance to specifications. 
• Operate welding equipment. 
• Operate grinding equipment. 
• Align parts or work pieces for assembly. 
• Smooth metal surfaces or edges 
• Assemble metal parts or products. 
• Heat material or work pieces to prepare for or complete production. 
• Mount materials or work pieces onto production equipment 
• Shape metal work pieces with hammers or other small hand tools 
• Operate cutting equipment. 
• Lay out parts to prepare for assembly. 
• Inspect metal products. 
• Reshape metal work pieces to established specifications. 
• Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment 
• Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems. 
• Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements. 
• Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences. 
• Direct operational or production activities 
• Design Construct patterns and templates 
• Design templates or patterns 
• Assemble temporary equipment or structures. 
• Draw guidelines or markings on materials or work pieces using patterns or other references. 

Skill level needed (out of 10)

• Digital engagement 3 Basic 
• Learning 3 Basic 
• Numeracy 4 Intermediate 
• Teamwork 7 Intermediate 
• Writing 4 Intermediate 
• Reading 4 Intermediate 
• Problem solving 4 Intermediate. 
• Oral communication 5 Intermediate 
• Planning and organizing 4 intermediate. 
• Initiative and innovation 7 Intermediate 

How to become a Plant Mechanic Fitter

• AUR20720b Certificate II in Automotive Vocational preparation
• Certificate II Civil Construction Pathways RII20720
• Certificate III Plant operations RII30820
• Cert II courses are credit towards cert III
• Full Apprenticeships are available.
• Get started with the CCF Tasmania pre-employment course.
• https://www.utas.edu.au/study/engineering 
• https://www.utas.edu.au/courses/cse/units/eng703-civil-and-mechanical-engineering-fundamentals  

Further training is available through RTO’s, with funding via Keystone Tasmania.

What to find out more?

Contact us if you would like to find out more about working in Civil Construction, Plant Mechanic Fitter.

View Plant Mechanic Fitter Fact Sheet (PDF)