Plant - Industrial Equipment Mechanic

Plant Equipment Mechanics maintain, install, and repair industrial equipment. To become a plant equipment mechanic you will need at least a GED or high school diploma coupled with technical training at a community college. To become a certified mechanic you might also have to complete a 4 year apprenticeship. In 2000, the average earnings of a Plant Equipment Mechanic employed by a local government was about $14.00 an hour.

Although most are employed by government agencies, they can also find jobs in mining companies and the manufacturing industry. Some of the equipment they work with include escalators, sewer equipment, assembly lines, and hydraulic systems. It is their job to ensure that the equipment they oversee works properly and to prevent problems before they happen. A Plant Equipment Mechanic needs to know Geometry and Algebra, as they will constantly be working with angles, thickness, and distances.

Usually part of their duties include drawing to-scale diagrams of products or parts that are needed. To measure the equipment to be ordered, these mechanics commonly use squares and micrometers . They also use lasers, ultrasonic measuring tools, cutting torches, soldering guns, and welding machines. Math and Physics skills are also needed so they can operate hoisting cables, rigging pulleys and cranes to move the machines they manage.