How to become a fitter in Australia
Fitters (General) fit and assemble metal parts and subassemblies to fabricate production machines and other equipment.
Pay and growth are for the wider metal fitters and machinists group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the metal fitters and machinists group are projected to grow 7.2% between May 2025 and May 2035, slower than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Determines suitable material, method and sequence of operations and machine settings.
- Fits fabricated metal parts and assembles them.
- Checks metal parts for accuracy, clearance and fit.
- Sets guides, stops and other controls on machining tools, sets up prescribed cutting and shaping tools and dies in machines and presses, and sets controls for textile machines.
- Forms metal stock and castings to press, cut, grind, plane, bore and drill metal.
- Cuts, threads, bends and installs hydraulic and pneumatic pipes and lines.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A Certificate III or IV, including at least two years of on-the-job training where it is a Certificate III. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the metal fitters and machinists group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 3% a degree or higher, 5% a diploma, 76% a Certificate III or IV.
Apprenticeship or traineeship. Fitter (General) is on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List (1 April 2026), with qualifications including Certificate III in Engineering - Mechanical Trade, Certificate III in Engineering - Fixed and Mobile Plant Mechanic. Find a provider at Your Career or your state's TAFE.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
We haven't matched this job to courses in the admissions lists. It usually starts with training on the job or at a registered training provider, not a course through an admissions centre. See Your Career.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Bricklayer$2,317 Plumber$1,990 Welder$1,688 Electrician$2,191 Air conditioning mechanic$2,100Done this job, or studied for it?
Tell Year 12s the one thing you wish you'd known. First name only, and we read every story before it goes up.
Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Apprenticeships: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, 1 April 2026.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.