Metal Working Machine Operatives
Wages
New workers start around £18,486. Normal pay is £29,961 per year.
Highly experienced workers can earn up to £45,680.
Available jobs
In the past year there were 58,477 vacancies for this type of job
Projected job growth over the next 8 years
Related courses
People work towards these careers by taking these courses at college and uni.
What they do most days?
Selects and secures polishing head to machine tool, prepares head with emery, grease or other substance, sets speed and angle of polishing head, and operates controls to feed polishing head to workpiece or vice versa.
Smooths rough surfaces with hand tools, abrasive belts and wheels, compressed air, jets of vapour, or blasting with shot, grit, sand or other abrasive material.
Operates burning, chipping and grinding equipment to remove defects from metal parts, and files, chisels, burns and saws off surplus metal.
Withdraws workpiece and examines accuracy using measuring instruments.
Sets controls, starts machine and operates controls to feed tool to workpiece or vice versa and repositions workpiece during machining as required.
Secures workpiece in drilling, boring, milling, planing, grinding, lapping, honing, electrochemical, or other shaping machines, or loads metal stock on to press.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are specific, learnable, measurable, often industry or occupation-specific abilities related to a position.
Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.
Soft Skills
Soft skills can be self-taught and usually do not necessitate a certain completed level of education.
Skills are ranked based on the number of job adverts that list them as required skills.