Maintenance fitter

Career path and progression

You could do further training while you work to become an engineering technician or site supervisor.

Courses that could help you progress include:

• Level 3 (NVQ) Diploma in Engineering Maintenance
• Level 3 Diploma in Installing Engineering Construction Plant and Systems - Mechanical Fitting
• Level 3 Combined Diploma in Process Engineering Maintenance

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

• practical skills for repairing and maintaining equipment
• the ability to work well with your hands
• problem-solving skills
• the ability to work on your own
• the ability to make decisions about tools and equipment
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work well with others
• thinking and reasoning skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Related subjects

Most relevant

• Engineering - Maintenance fitters work directly with industrial machinery, pumps, motors, and control systems. Understanding engineering principles is essential for diagnosing faults, carrying out repairs, and installing mechanical equipment correctly.
• Design and Technology - Maintenance fitters use hand tools and workshop equipment every day to disassemble, repair, and reassemble machinery. Skills in working with materials, reading technical drawings, and understanding how components fit together are central to the role.
• Mathematics - Maintenance fitters take precise measurements, calculate tolerances, and interpret technical specifications when fitting and aligning parts. They also need maths to work out flow rates, pressures, and material quantities for pipework and mechanical systems.
• Physics - Maintenance fitters need to understand forces, motion, pressure, and how energy transfers through mechanical systems. This knowledge helps them diagnose why a pump isn't working, why a motor is overheating, or why a valve is failing.

Also relevant

• Electronics - Maintenance fitters often work with instrument controls, sensors, and automated systems that include electronic components. Understanding basic electronic circuits helps when resetting controls or troubleshooting faults in modern machinery.
• Computer Science - Maintenance fitters increasingly work with programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and computerised diagnostic systems used to monitor and control industrial equipment. Understanding how these systems are programmed and configured helps when troubleshooting automated machinery.
• Chemistry - Maintenance fitters benefit from understanding corrosion, lubrication, and how different materials react to heat, moisture, and chemicals. This knowledge helps when selecting replacement parts or understanding why components have degraded over time.