Fabrication Engineer
Mataaro Piharoa
Alternative titles for this job
Fabrication engineers make, install and repair metal products such as vents, handrails, boilers, aircraft and boat parts, or beams and girders for construction projects.
Pay
Fabrication engineers with up to five years’ experience usually earn
$47K-$52K per year
Experienced fabrication engineers with more than five years’ experience usually earn
$52K-$80K per year
Source: Competenz, 2017.
Job opportunities
Vocational PathwaysPay
Pay for fabrication engineers varies depending on experience and specialisation.
- Apprentice fabrication engineers may start on the training minimum wage, with their pay increasing as they gain experience and unit standards.
- Fabrication engineers with up five year's experience can earn between minimum wage and $52,000 a year.
- Senior fabrication engineers, or those working in supervisory positions, can earn from $52,000 to $80,000 a year.
Source: Competenz, 2017.
- PAYE.net.nz website – use this calculator to convert pay and salary information
- Employment New Zealand website – information about minimum wage rates
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our pay information)
What you will do
Fabrication engineers may do some or all of the following:
- examine drawings and other instructions for jobs
- draw patterns and cut them out of different metals
- drill and punch holes in the metal for screws, bolts or rivets
- fold, form and shape metal
- join and weld metal pieces
- polish and check the quality of the finished product.
Skills and knowledge
Fabrication engineers need to have:
- knowledge of metals and their properties
- knowledge of how to use and care for their equipment
- understanding of safety procedures
- technical skills for drawing and interpreting plans
- welding skills.
Working conditions
Fabrication engineers:
- usually work regular business hours, but may work shifts, or have to do overtime during busy periods
- work in workshops and factories and may also work in commercial buildings or private homes when installing their products
- work in conditions that may be dirty and noisy.
What's the job really like?
Matthew Elliott
Sheet Metal Engineer
Variety is the great part of sheet metal engineering
When the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship in sheet metal engineering came up, Matthew Elliot says he jumped at the chance. "I've never looked back. It's great because there are so many different things you can make."
Working everywhere from transport to construction
Matthew has now been working as a sheet metal engineer for 19 years and has worked across a variety of industries – from transport to construction.
"At my first company, I was making the air bridges and walkways that you use to board planes. But the company I work for at the moment does stainless steel work for kitchens - extraction hoods, lots of bench tops; I also weld all the sink bowls and polish them up. Sometimes when the other guys get busy, I help out with ducting and roof flashings, too. You get to do a good variety of work in this job – not the same old boring stuff all the time."
Satisfaction in the end products
Matthew would eventually like to move into a management role but right now is happy creating kitchens. "When I finish a nice stainless steel job and it goes into a restaurant or someone's house, it gives me a real sense of satisfaction."
Entry requirements
There are no specific requirements to become a fabrication engineer. However, some employers prefer you to have a qualification.
However, to become a qualified fabrication engineer you need to complete an apprenticeship and gain either a:
- New Zealand Certificate in Engineering - Fabrication (Level 4), which is the new qualification
- or a National Certificate in Engineering - Fabrication (Level 4), which is being replaced by the New Zealand Certificate.
For this certificate, you choose to specialise in light fabrication, heavy fabrication, or steel construction.
Industry training organisation Competenz oversees fabrication engineer apprenticeships.
A driver's licence may also be useful.
Secondary education
There are no specific secondary education requirements to become a fabrication engineer. However, NCEA Level 2 maths, physics, English and technology are useful.
For Year 11 to 13 learners, trades academies and the STAR and Gateway programmes are good ways to gain relevant experience and skills.
These programmes may help you gain an apprenticeship, but do not reduce the amount of time it takes to complete it.
Personal requirements
Fabrication engineers need to be:
- practical
- patient and accurate
- good at making calculations and working out formulae
- able to follow instructions.
Maths skills are important because you need to know your numbers for working out calculations.
Matthew Elliott
Sheet Metal Engineer
Useful experience
Useful experience for fabrication engineers includes:
- welding work
- work in an engineering workshop
- any job working with metals and tools.
Physical requirements
Fabrication engineers need to have strong arms and hands, as heavy lifting may be required.
Find out more about training
- Competenz
- 0800 526 1800 - info@competenz.org.nz - www.competenz.org.nz
What are the chances of getting a job?
Chances of getting a job as a fabrication engineer are average for those wanting to enter the role.
Employers prefer to employ experienced workers, who have a good chance of getting work because:
- not enough people are being trained to meet the demand for workers
- trained workers are leaving New Zealand to work overseas for higher pay rates
- New Zealand manufacturers need workers to build machinery components for export.
Some types of fabrication engineers in high demand
The jobs of metal fabricator and sheetmetal trades worker appear on Immigration New Zealand’s regional skill shortage list. Metal fabricator also appears on Immigration New Zealand's construction and infrastructure skill shortage list. This means the Government is actively encouraging skilled fabrication engineers from overseas to work in New Zealand.
According to the Census, 4,206 fabrication engineers worked in New Zealand in 2018.
Types of employer varied
Fabrication engineers work in a range of industries, including:
- building and construction
- automotive engineering
- marine construction
- machinery and equipment manufacturing
- specialised craft and equipment making and repair.
Ten percent of fabrication engineers are self-employed.
Sources
- Book, S, 'Manufacturing Bounces Back in September', National Business Review, 13 October 2016.
- Competenz website, accessed March 2017, (www.competenz.org.nz).
- Hartley, B, engineering tutor, Southern Institute of Technology, Careers New Zealand interview, March 2017.
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, '2006-2014 Occupation Data' (prepared for Careers New Zealand), 2015.
- Immigration New Zealand, 'Construction and Infrastructure Skill Shortage List', 27 May 2019, (www.immigration.govt.nz).
- Immigration New Zealand, 'Regional Skill Shortage List', 27 May 2019, (www.immigration.govt.nz).
- Manning, B, 'Gloombusters: Bringing Manufacturing Home', New Zealand Herald, 6 August 2015.
- Stats NZ, '2018 Census Data', 2019.
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our job opportunities information)
Progression and specialisations
- Fabrication engineers can progress to work in supervisory roles, or start up their own business.
- Fabrication engineers usually specialise in roles such as:
- Light Fabrication Engineer
- Light fabrication engineers work with light metals such as stainless steel and aluminium to make or repair a variety of metal products, such as vents, handrails and boat parts.
- Heavy Fabrication Engineer
- Heavy fabrication engineers work with steel and other heavy metals to make or repair metal products such as boilers, hot water tanks and components for building and construction.
- Steel Construction Engineer
- Steel construction engineers manufacture and install steel components such as beams and girders for structures and civil engineering projects.
Light fabrication engineer Matthew Elliott using a machine to cut a piece of sheet metal
Last updated 4 April 2023