Career Guidance for Boilermaking

What Do Boilermakers Do?

Boilermakers are skilled artisans who specialize in shaping, fabricating, and repairing metal structures like boilers and pressure vessels. They work with structural steel and other metals to create or restore a variety of metal products and structures.

Skills and Abilities Required to Become a Boilermaker:

Active Listening: Paying close attention to others’ communication and fully understanding their points.
Time Management: Efficiently managing both your own time and the time of others.
Equipment Selection: Identifying the appropriate tools and equipment needed for specific tasks.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing regular equipment maintenance and identifying the type and timing of necessary repairs.
Quality Control Analysis: Testing and inspecting products or processes to assess quality and performance.
Mathematics: Using math to solve practical problems in the job.
Critical Thinking: Applying logic and reasoning to evaluate solutions and identify the best approaches to problems.
Effective Communication: Conveying information clearly to others.

Boilermaker Duties and Responsibilities:

Creating layouts and planning the sequence of operations for fabricating and assembling metal structures, utilizing trigonometry and metal knowledge.
Marking workpieces for cutting and bending while accounting for material thickness and welding shrinkage.
Cutting, bending, and straightening metal using tools like hammers, chisels, and grinders.
Softening metal workpieces by reheating them with a hand torch or furnace.
Assembling, aligning, and welding metal parts using torches and hand tools.

Working Conditions for Boilermakers:

Boilermakers typically work in noisy workshops, where proper safety gear is essential. The job is physically demanding and requires constant movement. However, modern workshops are generally equipped with up-to-date machinery.

Minimum Entry Requirements for Studying Boilermaking at a TVET College:

NC(V) Programme: A Grade 9 Certificate and additional college-specific requirements.
NATED Programme: Grade 9 for N1 admission; Grade 12 with a pass in Mathematics for N4 admission.

Steps to Become a Boilermaker:

Contact TVET Colleges to inquire about their Boilermaker course entrance requirements.
Visit Boilermaker training centers and companies to learn more about the field.
Contact DHET Career Development Services for free career advice at 086 999 0123 or via email at careerhelp@dhet.gov.za.
Take an aptitude test to determine if Boilermaking is the right career path for you.
Attend local career exhibitions to connect with higher education institutions and collect application forms.